NASHVILLE, TN - The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has just announced that Jars of Clay, the groundbreaking Grammy nominated debut from Essential Records recording artist Jars of Clay, has been certified double platinum for sales in excess of 2,000,000 units. The achievement marks the second-ever debut album from a contemporary Christian artist to achieve double-platinum sales status.

Released in 1995, Jars of Clay included the band's smash hit, "Flood," which performed strongly on both Christian and mainstream radio charts, reaching the #1 spot along with three other hits from the album on Christian radio, and garnering a Dove Award and Billboard Music Video Award for the accompanying video to the song. The band quickly moved into the spotlight following the wave of national attention the album received, which included video rotation on MTV and VH1 with "Flood," appearances on CBS This Morning, E!TV and MTV News, as well as feature coverage in such publications as Billboard Magazine, Rolling Stone, Spin, Details, and others.

"We continue to be tremendously pleased with the sales support Jars of Clay has received for both their debut and Much Afraid," says Robert Beeson, vice president and general manager for Essential Records. "This achievement is the result of the hard work of countless people who support the band, and is testament to the artistic and spiritual integrity of Jars of Clay."

The band's manager, Rendy Lovelady, adds, "From the start, Jars of Clay has purposed to use every opportunity they are given to reach people with a message of hope in Christ. We are pleased and encouraged to see just how many people have been impacted by their music and ministry."

In 1997, Jars of Clay released their follow up album, Much Afraid, which brought the band a Grammy Award, Dove Award for "Group of the Year," and Dove nominations for "Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year" and "Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year" for the album's hit, "Crazy Times." Much Afraid was certified gold shortly after its release, and is approaching platinum status as well, with sales in excess of 900,000 units.

In the past few months, Jars of Clay has become heavily involved in the movie soundtrack business, with the song "Five Candles" from the album Much Afraid featured on the Warner Brothers motion picture Jack Frost, and an original song on the Prince of Egypt motion picture soundtrack from Dreamworks Records. Jars of Clay also headlined the 40-city "Tour 101" this past fall with special guests Silage and Burlap to Cashmere, traveling to college and university campuses across the country. The tour was recently named one of 1998's "Top 100 Grossing Tours" by Pollstar Magazine.

Nashville-based Essential Records was founded in 1992 and specializes in providing relevant pop, alternative and modern music for the youth market. The label's artist roster includes Jars of Clay, Caedmon's Call, Plumb, Third Day and All Star United. Essential Records, and its sister label, Sub·Lime Records, are distributed through Provident Music Group and through partnerships with mainstream parent company Zomba Recording Group.