Avalon is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 contemporary Christian

Contemporary Christian music

Contemporary Christian music is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith...

 vocal quartet who has earned multiple RIAA

RIAA certification

In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...

-certified gold records, sold four million albums, and released 22 number one Christian hits.
Avalon was formed in 1995 by Grant Cunningham, A&R director at Sparrow Records

Sparrow Records

-Background:Sparrow Records was founded in 1976 by Billy Ray Hearn, then A&R director at Myrrh Records. Purchased by EMI in 1992, it is now part of the EMI Christian Music Group, and has been named by Billboard Magazine as "America's Best Christian Music Record Label"...

. Cunningham was in search of a vocal group that could sing tight harmonies and carry the Gospel to the world. Cunningham publicized his intentions and received many demo tapes

Demo (music)

A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...

, but nothing fit his desires.