TJ McCloud
Encyclopedia
Early Career
Born in Stillwater, OklahomaOklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, in 1980, he lived in Perry, Oklahoma until 1990, then moved with his family to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he finished high school. In 1999, he co-founded the group Doubting Thomas
Doubting Thomas
A Doubting Thomas is someone who will refuse to believe something without direct, physical, personal evidence; a skeptic.-Origin:The term is based on the Biblical account of Thomas the Apostle, a disciple of Jesus who doubted Jesus' resurrection and demanded to feel Jesus' wounds before being...
with Jenks High School buddies Ab Colby and Rockwell Ryan Ripperger. While a student at Abilene Christian University
Abilene Christian University
Abilene Christian University is a private university located in Abilene, Texas, affiliated with Churches of Christ. ACU was founded in 1906, as Childers Classical Institute...
in Abilene, Texas, McCloud and Ripperger later morphed into the successful indie group Stephen Speaks
Stephen Speaks
Stephen Speaks is the band name through which Rockwell Ryan Ripperger releases his music. Ripperger has invited hundreds of artists to be involved since the band's inception in 2000, and has overseen all production by way of his independent record company, Rippley Records Inc...
. The band's album "No More Doubt" did well, spreading through college campuses and the newly formed Internet sharing service, "Napster". Through word of mouth, the singles "Out of My League",and "Passenger Seat", were picked up internationally and both songs went to #1 on Filipino radio stations throughout the Spring of 2003, breaking all previous pop music records for that country.The album,then signed and distributed through Warner Bros,went certified platinum for that market. A music video for "Passenger Seat" was also produced and went to #1 on MTV-Asia. For the Filipino tour,the McCloud/Ripperger duo was expanded to include Ripperger's brother Dain Samuelson(percussion), Amber Sturges(vocals), Blake Howard(bass), and Blake Farmer(drums). After the surprise radio and music video success in Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, Ripperger and McCloud disbanded Stephen Speaks, and McCloud relocated to Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, TN in order to pursue a solo career as an indie singer and songwriter. Ripperger(who then became known as Rockwell Ryan)began performing once again under the Stephen Speaks name in 2004, releasing several albums to date.
Solo Work
McCloud released a limited edition of untitled acoustic demos in 2002, one of which ("Miles Between Us(aka the airplane song)") was featured in 2004's indie film "Decoys" which aired internationally on the SciFi channel. McCloud's first solo album Kind of Life was produced in 2004 by Nashville indie producer Donnie Boutwell. TJ's solo debut, "Kind of Life" was released in 2004. His latest release was 2008's "Long Live Love-EP", a collection of love songs that includes a version of the popular indie hit "Out of My League" in its original arrangement, which has been used in several highly viewed user-made romantic mash-up videos on YouTube- most notably, with Jim and Pam from NBC's "The Office".Children's Music
In 2006 McCloud wrote and sang an album of children's music called All God's Animals, in association with Eric Wyse and Brandon Scott Thomas (the ZOE group), which he has described as "kids' songs that moms won't hate". It was re-released in 2009, and due to its success, was nominated by the GMA for a Dove Award in the category of "Best Children's Collection". A follow-up collection was released, called " Sailing in the Ocean (in the belly of a fish)". In 2008, a Christmas collection was released, called "What I Love About Christmas".Worship Music
In 2009, McCloud co-wrote the modern worship song, "Rooftops", with Steven Patterson of the worship band BranchBranch
A branch or tree branch is a woody structural member connected to but not part of the central trunk of a tree...
. The song was included on the 2009 album Nothing to Lose-Live EP.
Mission Work and Ministry
In 2006, TJ and his wife, Holly, moved to the Dominican RepublicDominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
to start a Christian youth outreach center in the town of Rio San Juan
Río San Juan
Río San Juan may refer to* Río San Juan , Nicaragua* Río San Juan, Dominican Republic* Río San Juan, north-eastern Venezuela* Río San Juan , Mexico...
. They worked there with Manna Global Ministries until September 2008, when they moved back to Nashville to continue writing music and working in ministry. He is currently serving as a minister at Otter Creek Church in Nashville, TN.
Discography
- Doubting Thomas (w/ Stephen Speaks) 1999
- No More Doubt (w/ Stephen Speaks) 2001
- Kind of Life 2003
- Playground - A Place I Know 2006
- Playground - I Want to Shine 2007
- All God's Animals 2008 (reissue of 2006 Playground collection)
- Long Live Love-EP 2008
- Sailing in the Ocean 2008 (reissue of 2007 Playground collection)
- What I Love About Christmas (2008)