Rebecca Jean Fink (née Smallbone, born on July 26, 1977), known professionally as Rebecca St. James, is a multiple Dove Award and Grammy Award winning Christian pop rock singer, songwriter, and published author. She was born in Sydney, Australia, to David and Helen Smallbone. She is the oldest of seven children and currently lives in San Diego, California.
Early Life[]
St. James was born in Sydney, Australia. She is the sister of Joel and Luke Smallbone, who perform together under the name For King & Country.[1] She discovered a love for music through travelling with her father, and fronted a Christian band at the age of 13.[2]
St. James chose her stage surname based on her grandfather's first name, who passed away shortly before she began performing.[3]
Career[]
St. James' first performed live as an opening act during Carman's tour of Australia. She released her first album with Forefront Records, Rebecca St. James, in 1994. St. James co-wrote four of the songs on the album, with Bill Deaton and Brown Bannister being involved in production.[2]
St. James released the album God in 1996. In the same year, she was named in Christianity Today's 'Top 50 Evangelical Leaders Under The Age Of 40', the only solo musician to be named in the list. She released a Christmas album, Christmas, in late 1997, produced by Tedd T.[4]
In 1999, St. James released her fifth album, Pray, with the subtitle of the album being the Bible verse 2 Chronicles 7:14. As well as original material, the album included covers of songs by Keith Green and Rich Mullins.[5] St. James releasing a greatest hits compilation in 1997;[3] the album included a track entitled Thank You, which was remixed in 2003 in support of American soldiers who were fighting in Iraq.[6]
St. James released the album Worship God in 2002. In 2003, she played the character of 'Maggie' (Mary Magdelene) in the rock opera project !Hero.[3][7] In 2006, the album If I Had One Chance To Tell You Something was released, inspired by a retreat St. James spent at the L'Abri Fellowship Study Centre in Switzerland. St. James wrote 11 of the 12 songs on the album.[8]
In 2011, St. James released the album I Will Praise You.[9] In 2020, she released a six-song EP entitled Dawn.[10] She released the album Kingdom Come in 2022; the title track was released in October 2021, featuring For King & Country.[11]
Faith[]
In a 1995 interview, St. James spoke about her ambitions with regards to her mission: 'My heart is to serve the Church, youth groups and the people in my life ... We need to be telling people my age that God has the answers for the world. To live a Christian life, to live a servant life - that is the most fulfilling and happiest thing'.[2]
In 2002, St. James released a book calling on young people to remain sexually pure until marriage.[12] After getting married in 2011, she built upon her previous message: 'now I'll be able to tell the end of the story; getting married is the fulfilment of that purity message ... there's just so much more power for the Holy Spirit to move through that message because of our marriage'.[9]
Albums[]
- Refresh My Heart -- 1991
- Rebecca St. James -- 1994
- God -- 1996
- Christmas -- 1997
- Pray -- 1998
- Transform -- 2000
- Worship God -- 2002
- Wait For Me: The Best From Rebecca St. James -- 2003
- Live Worship: Blessed Be Your Name -- 2004
- If I Had One Chance To Tell You Something -- 2005
- The Early Years -- 2006
- aLIVE in Florida -- 2007
EPs[]
References[]
- ↑ CHVN - WATCH: For King & Country release emotional ode to parents
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Cross Rhythms - Rebecca St James: The Australian singer now based in Nashville
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Jesusfreakhideout.com - Rebecca St. James 2003 Interview
- ↑ Cross Rhythms - Rebecca St James: Following a classic with a cool Christmas offering
- ↑ Cross Rhythms - Rebecca St James: Australia's finest
- ↑ Stars and Stripes - Singer thanks U.S. troops in Iraq
- ↑ Cross Rhythms - Rebecca St James: The singer with a new live worship project
- ↑ Cross Rhythms - Rebecca St James: A visit to L'Abri bears fruit for the pop rocker
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Cross Rhythms - Rebecca St James: The wait is over, marriage and album release change things
- ↑ WNY Papers - Rebecca St. James embraces the 'Dawn'
- ↑ The Christian Beat - Rebecca St. James Releases “Kingdom Come” Featuring For KING & COUNTRY
- ↑ Cross Rhythms - Rebecca St James - Wait for Me: Rediscovering the Joy of Purity in Romance
| Rebecca St. James |
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Members: Rebecca Jean Fink (née Smallbone) |
