Peter Andrew Furler (born 8 September 1966) is an Australian musician, songwriter, producer and record executive, best known as the co-founder and former lead vocalist of the Christian rock band Newsboys.
Peter Furler | |
|---|---|
 Peter Furler performing in March 2009 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Peter Andrew Furler |
| Born | 8 September 1966 McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia |
| Origin | South Australia, Australia |
| Genres | Christian pop, Christian rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, record label executive, songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, drums, guitar |
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Spouse |
Summer LeFevre (m. 1991) |
| Website | www |
Biography
editFurler was born in McLaren Vale, South Australia on 8 September 1966, the third of six children of missionaries Bill and Rosalie Furler.[1] Furler formed the Newsboys in 1985 with friends George Perdikis, Sean Taylor, and John James.[1][2] He has written and produced most of Newsboys' songs, as well as co-writing/producing songs for other recording artists. He also frequently collaborated with Steve Taylor. Furler was originally the band's drummer, but became the band's lead singer after the departure of John James in 1997.[2]
In July 1999, Furler, along with fellow Australians Dale Bray and Wes Campbell, founded Inpop Records.[3] [4]
In 2009, Furler left the Newsboys and began pursuing a solo career. He continued to make special appearances on tour with the band until his final appearance on 11 September 2009, in Orlando, Florida.[5] Furler released his debut solo album, On Fire, on 21 June 2011 .[6] The first single from the album, "Reach", was released to radio 25 March 2011 for sale on 19 April 2011.[7] Furler participated in the Winter Jam 2012 tour.[8]
In 2010, Furler became the drummer for longtime Newsboys songwriting collaborator Steve Taylor's new band, Steve Taylor & The Perfect Foil. Their album, Goliath, was released on 18 November 2014. Furler also played drums for former Newsboy Phil Joel's album deliberateKids2.[9]
Furler formed the Peter Furler Band in 2012. The band includes Dave Ghazarian (formerly of Superchick and Audio Adrenaline) on bass and Jeff Irizarry on drums.[citation needed] Their album, Sun and Shield, was released on 11 March 2014.[citation needed]
On 7 October 2014, Furler released Christmas, his first Christmas album, on which he collaborated with pianist and guitarist David Ian.
In 2017, Furler collaborated with the Newsboys again for "The Cross Has the Final Word" single, which was his first involvement in the band since leaving in 2009. In 2018, he and Phil Joel began touring with Newsboys as Newsboys United. They released the album United in 2019.[10] Furler once again departed the group in 2022.
Personal life
editFurler married Summer Andrea LeFevre, daughter of musician Mylon LeFevre, on 12 March 1991.[11]
Discography
editWith Newsboys
edit- (1988) Read All About It, drums and some vocals
- (1990) Hell Is for Wimps, drums and some vocals
- (1991) Boys Will Be Boyz, drums and some vocals
- (1992) Not Ashamed, lead vocals (with John James), drums, songwriting and co-production (with Steve Taylor)
- (1994) Going Public, lead vocals (with John James), drums, programming, songwriting and co-production (with Steve Taylor)
- (1996) Take Me To Your Leader, lead vocals (with John James), drums, guitar, keyboard, harmonica, kazoo, songwriting and co-production (with Steve Taylor)
- (1998) Step Up to the Microphone, lead vocals (with Jody Davis and Phil Joel), guitar, drums, songwriting and production
- (1999) Love Liberty Disco, lead vocals, guitar, drums, songwriting and production
- (2002) Thrive, lead vocals, guitar, drums, songwriting and production
- (2003) Adoration: The Worship Album, lead vocals, guitar, drums, songwriting and production
- (2004) Devotion, lead vocals, guitar, drums, songwriting and production
- (2006) GO, lead vocals, guitar, drums, songwriting and production
- (2009) In the Hands of God, lead vocals, guitar, drums, songwriting and production
- (2019) United, lead vocals, guitar, drums, songwriting and co-production (with Geoff Duncan)
Solo
editStudio albums
edit| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US Christ. |
US Indie |
US Current |
US Jazz | ||
| On Fire |
|
91 | 2 | — | 82 | — |
| Sun and Shield (Peter Furler Band) |
|
— | 23[13] | 37[14] | 199 | — |
| Christmas (featuring David Ian) |
|
— | — | — | — | 15 |
Singles
edit| Year | Single | Album | Peak chart positions (US Billboard Christian charts) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christian[15] | Digital | AC | AC Indic |
CHR | Inspo | |||
| 2011 | "Reach" | On Fire | 7 | 27 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 15 |
| 2012 | "Matter of Faith" | 34 | – | – | 15 | 29 | – | |
| "I'm Alive" | 17 | – | 20 | 16 | 17 | – | ||
| 2014 | "Sun and Shield" | Sun and Shield (Peter Furler Band) |
– | – | – | – | – | – |
| "So High" | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| 2015 | "The Overcomer" | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| "It's Alright (For Lazarus)" | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
Compilation contributions and featured songs
edit| Released | Song | Album | Label(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23 September 2011 | "No Compromise (Daniel)" | Music Inspired by The Story[16] | EMI Christian Music |
| 5 May 2017 | "The Cross Has the Final Word" (Newsboys featuring Peter Furler)[17] |
United (Deluxe Edition) | Fair Trade Services |
| "Greatness of Our God" (Newsboys featuring Peter Furler)[citation needed] |
United | ||
| 21 March 2019 | "Symphony" (Newsboys featuring Peter Furler)[citation needed] | ||
| "This I Know" (Newsboys featuring Peter Furler)[citation needed] |
References
edit- ^ a b McNeil, W. K. (2005). Encyclopedia of American Gospel Music. Peabody, Massachusetts: Routledge. pp. 276–7. ISBN 0-415-94179-2.
- ^ a b Powell, Mark Allan (2002). Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers. pp. 625–7. ISBN 1-56563-679-1.
- ^ "Inpop Records". purevolume.com. Retrieved 23 October 2010.
- ^ "Inpop Records Announces New General Manager". jesusfreakhideout.com. 29 April 2010. Retrieved 23 October 2010.
- ^ "Peter Furler – ABOUT". peterfurler.com. Archived from the original on 1 July 2011. Retrieved 23 October 2010.
- ^ "UPDATE: Peter Furler To Release "On Fire" June 21st". jesusfreakhideout.com. Retrieved 10 March 2011.
- ^ "Peter Furler – Home – Update: My new single "REACH" goes to radio 3/25 and for sale on 4/19". peterfurler.com. Archived from the original on 15 July 2011. Retrieved 8 March 2011.
- ^ "Music News, January 2012: PETER FURLER ANNOUNCES BAND FOR WINTER JAM TOUR THAT BEGINS TODAY". Jesusfreakhideout.com. 6 January 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
- ^ "deliberateKids. – videos". deliberatekids.com. Retrieved 21 June 2011.
- ^ Meade, Kelly (10 May 2019). "Newsboys 'United'". Today's Christian Entertainment. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
- ^ Powell, Mark Allan (2002). Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers. p. 522. ISBN 1-56563-679-1.
- ^ "Beyonce's rave review for Aussie songwriter Sia Furler". Australian Regional Media. 19 December 2013. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
- ^ Billboard (29 March 2014). "Christian Albums : March 29, 2014". Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
- ^ Billboard (29 March 2014). "Independent Albums : March 29, 2014". Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
- ^ "Peter Furler Music News & Info". Billboard.com. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
- ^ "The Story | Music Inspired by The Story". Thestorycd.com. 2 September 2011. Archived from the original on 3 July 2012. Retrieved 30 December 2011.
- ^ "The Cross Has The Final Word – Single". Retrieved 6 June 2019.