Matt Hammitt

Best known for his role as the lead singer of Christian pop group Sanctus Real, guitarist, singer, and songwriter Matt Hammitt formed the group with fellow guitarist Christ Rohman in 1996 while both were tenth graders at Toledo Christian School. With Hammitt handling lead vocals, the duo added drummer Mark Graalman and bassist Steve Goodrum, and released three independent albums of power pop (All This Talk of Aliens in 1998, Message for the Masses in 1999, and Nothing to Lose in 2001) before signing with Sparrow Records, leading to 2002's Say It Loud, which was produced by Pete Stewart. A five-song EP supplement to Say It Loud, entitled SVERIGEEP, appeared in 2003, with a second full-length effort on Sparrow, the Tedd T.-produced Fight the Tide, arriving in 2004. Continuing to generate its own brand of earnestly redemptive pop, the band released We Need Each Other in 2008 and Pieces of a Real Heart in 2010. Hammitt stepped outside the group to release a debut solo album, Every Falling Tear, in 2011.