GC graduate Lloyd Nicks wins Grammy Award
Published: February 07, 2025
Author: Dave Bell
At the February 2 Grammy Awards ceremony, four young songwriters rushed onto the stage after being announced as the winners of the “Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song.” One by one, they stepped to the microphone to share their gratitude for the award and thank those who made it possible.
Among those writers was Lloyd Nicks, a 2014 vocal music graduate of Greenville College (now University), who now is a worship leader and songwriter in the St. Louis area. He and the other musicians – Taylor Agan, Kellie Gamble, and Jess Russ – wrote “That’s My King” in a marathon session around an out-of-tune piano, attempting, as he said, “to capture with words the bigness and greatness of Jesus.”
The product of that creative collaboration caught the attention of legendary Christian singer CeCe Winans, and she recorded it in early 2024. Her popularization of the song led Nicks and his co-writers to the Grammy stage in Los Angeles.
“I want to thank CeCe Winans for recording this song, Jesus for being the King of Kings (thank you, Lord), my wife and family, my co-writers, and Curl/Word Records,” Nicks said as he clutched the gold-plated gramophone trophy.
Later, Nicks made the following statement for this article: “I'm overwhelmed with gratitude to receive this Grammy Award. I'm aware that this achievement is not just a testament to my own efforts, but also to the faithfulness of God. I hope my story inspires others to embrace their uniqueness and pursue their passions with excellence, all while cultivating a deeper relationship with Christ.”
In a recent worship music blog called “Will It Worship?” the writer, Jason Henry, described “That’s My King” as “a joyful, infectious celebration of the glory, character, and heart of God.”
That’s precisely what Nicks and his friends set out to accomplish when they wrote the song. But they found it a challenging assignment. The opening lines allude to that struggle: “There aren’t enough colors to paint the whole picture, not enough words to ever say what I found.” Later, the lyrics return to that impossible task once again: “There aren’t enough notes to make the harmony; it’s a song of the angels through all the ages. It’s all of the earth and heaven’s symphony.”
But the chorus, which is repeated several times throughout the song, DOES find words to describe God’s attributes: “Wonderful and beautiful; and glorious and holy. He is merciful and powerful; Who we talkin’ about? That’s my king.”
Later in the song, the lyrics again return to descriptions of God, only in a more personal way, describing God as “my king, my rock, my anchor, my defender, my shepherd, and my protector.”
Winans said she heard the song and immediately knew she wanted to record it.
“This song brings me so much joy,” she said in an interview with The Christian Beat. “You can’t sit still while listening to it. It ushers in the power of God and puts us in the right posture of remembering that he is the King of Kings.”
FROM HUMBLE BEGINNINGS TO A PROMISING CAREER
Nicks’s introduction to music came through his stepfather, who played all types of music in their home in St. Louis. But it wasn’t until an uncle took him to church that Nicks found a musical home.
“I fell in love with the melodies, the stories, and the soulfulness of Gospel music,” Nicks said during a recent interview with KMOV Channel 4 in St. Louis. “It attracted me because it had beauty and hope.”
He fanned the flames of that attraction by enrolling in the music program at Greenville College, where he majored in music, with a concentration in voice. He also was active in the GC Choir, the GC Gospel Choir, and participated in a Pursuit Band. Later, he returned to GC to earn a master’s in management.
“Lloyd was a very talented vocalist,” recalled Gary Erickson, associate professor of music. “He was always doing music. He grew a lot here and had many opportunities in worship groups and in the recording studios. He also was a big part of our department’s efforts to create a musically sound and engaging worship atmosphere.
“When he was here, we talked a lot about not being just three minutes of entertainment,” Erickson continued. “Instead, we encouraged our musicians to use their time and talents to help others, and to connect their music and their faith. He and his group of friends certainly did that with this song. And it has already touched many people as it is played on the radio, in videos, at concerts, and in worship settings. There are a lot of great musicians out there who don’t get the break that Lloyd is having. This type of recognition opens other doors to continue to touch people and give credit to God.”
Assistant Professor of Music Paul Sunderland also has fond memories of Nicks’s time on campus. “Lloyd represents the best of what we strive to nurture in our students,” Sunderland said. “He regularly speaks of the personal transformation that took place in his life during his time at Greenville.
“We are so proud of the person Lloyd has become,” Sunderland continued. “We were thrilled to see him win a Grammy, the supreme award for a musician and worship artist – especially at such an early stage in his career.”
Blogger Jason Henry concluded his August 8, 2024, review of “That’s My King,” calling it “one of my very favorite new worship songs.” He added: “The music is exciting, joyful, and serves to expand the palette of churches used to a steady Contemporary Christian Music diet without going so far outside the box as to confuse or frustrate. The lyrics are rock solid, and what is really special about this song is the juxtaposition of God’s sovereign kingship with his personal relationship with each believer. We all need to be reminded that God is king and that he’s my king.”
Nicks isn’t the first person with Greenville College ties to win a Grammy. Jars of Clay, a band composed of several former GC students, earned Grammys in 1998, 2000, and 2002 in the Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album category. And in 2017, Andre Anjos won the award for Best Remixed Recording for his work on “Tearing Me Up” by Bob Moses. Anjos was a music business major who graduated from GC in 2009.
