Tooth & Nail Records

Tooth & Nail Records is a Christian music record label founded by Brandon Ebel in California in November 1993. The label later moved to Seattle where it is today.

History

Brandon Ebel and Michael Knott conceived the label as a joint venture, before Knott backed out. Prior to forming Tooth & Nail, Ebel worked for Frontline Records.

Tooth & Nail's first album released was Wish for Eden's Pet the Fish. In 2002, the label bought out Takehold Records.

In 2013, Brandon Ebel sold the Tooth & Nail music catalog to Capitol Christian Music Group (formerly EMI Christian Music Group) and bought back the 50% stake in Tooth & Nail formerly owned by EMI, making it an independent record label. It retained rights to all future releases with a new distributor, RED Distribution.

Overview

Eight Tooth & Nail-affiliated albums have been RIAA-certified as gold for sales of 500,000 or more copies. The label had one of its greatest successes when Underoath's Define the Great Line debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 in 2006.

NPR described the label as having "altered the course of the Christian rock industry by launching and legitimizing the careers of MxPx, The O.C. Supertones and Underoath."

RIAA gold certifications

Year	Artist	Album
2004	Jeremy Camp	Carried Me: The Worship Project
2002	Stay
2004	Restored
2006	Beyond Measure
2008	There Will Be a Day
2006	Underoath	Define the Great Line
2004	They're Only Chasing Safety
2022	7eventh Time Down	God is on the Move
2005	Kutless	Strong Tower
2006	Live from Portland
1998	MxPx	Slowly Going the Way of the Buffalo

Nominations and awards

Year	Artist	Album / Song	Award	Result / Category	Other
2006	Norma Jean	O God, the Aftermath	Grammy	Nominated - Best Recording Package	Solid State Records
2007	Fair	The Best Worst-Case Scenario	Grammy	Nominated - Best Recording Package
Underoath	"Writing on the Walls"	Grammy	Nominated - Best Short Form Music Video	Solid State Records/Tooth & Nail Records
2008	The Fold	Secrets Keep You Sick	Grammy	Nominated - Best Recording Package
2009	Hawk Nelson	Hawk Nelson Is My Friend	Grammy	Nominated - Best Recording Package	BEC Recordings/Tooth & Nail Records
Jeremy Camp	Speaking Louder Than Before	Grammy	Nominated - Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album	BEC Recordings
Underoath	Lost in the Sound of Separation	Grammy	Nominated - Best Recording Package	Solid State Records

Structure

Tooth & Nail has multiple current and former imprints:

Solid State Records distributes metal and hardcore albums While it is primarily a Christian label, it has signed several bands with Christian members which don't label themselves as Christian bands, including Stretch Arm Strong, Gwen Stacy, He Is Legend, the Famine, Training for Utopia, and the Agony Scene.
BEC (Brandon Ebel Company) Recordings, a Christian rock record label that was formed in 1997 in partnership with EMI Christian Music Group.
Plastiq Musiq (founded by Ronnie Martin of Joy Electric) primarily signed electronic music artists. Their collaboration with Tooth & Nail ended in 2001.

Notable artists