Newsboys consists of Bryan Olesen, Duncan Phillips (percussion), Jeff Frankenstein (keyboards, vocals), Peter Furler (lead vocals, guitar), Phil Joel (bass, vocals).
The Newsboys are a Christian pop/rock band formed in 1987 in Mooloolaba, Australia (although they soon relocated to Nashville, Tennessee). Its core members, John James and Peter Furler, originally hailed from Australia where they played in a band together called The News. Phil Joel is from New Zealand.
Newsboys are widely considered one of the most popular bands in the Christian music industry. They have had numerous hit singles on the Christian pop charts and two of their albums are considered among CCM's best: Going Public (1994) and Step Up To The Microphone (1998). They are perhaps best known for their 1995 hit single, "Shine". A double-disk worship/rock album is scheduled for release in early 2006.
In 2000, helped start and headlined the annual, travelling CCM festival Festival Con Dios with Audio Adrenaline and The O.C. Supertones. It was known for featuring popular, Christian bands and its motorcross stunts.
Steve Taylor has produced many of their hit albums and many of his songs for The Newsboys ("Breakfast", "Take Me To Your Leader") feature Taylor's humor and quaint lyrics.
During the "Step Up To The Microphone" tour, the band featured the drums on a rotating platform that could tilt downward up to 90 degrees. In fact, there were two sets of drums and Peter Furler (the original drummer) and Duncan Phillips would wear seat belts, so they wouldn't fall out, and have a rotating drum-off. This feature is still used on their tours and has grown to be quite popular.
In 2003, Jody Davis left the band to care for his sick daughter, Bethany. For more information, view the interview with fan site newsboysheadquarters.
In 2006, the band announced that Bryan Olesen would be leaving to work on his own band, Casting Pearls. The band announced in January that Paul Colman would be replacing Bryan.
