Benjamin Evans Rector (born November 6, 1986) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer based in Nashville, Tennessee. Rector is an independent artist, and releases music under his own label OK Kid Recordings; he has individually sold over 250,000 albums and 2,000,000 downloads.[1] A self-taught instrumentalist, Rector began songwriting and learning guitar at age 16, and began performing locally in high school. While attending college at the University of Arkansas he would tour within an eight-hour driving radius on the weekends. An early success saw him being the youngest grand prize winner of the John Lennon Songwriting contest in 2006 with the song "Conversation" from his self-titled extended play (EP). He released his first studio album Twenty Tomorrow in 2007, followed by Songs that Duke Wrote in 2008. 2010's Into the Morning would peak at No. 11 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers chart. The year following saw Rector debut on the Billboard 200 with Something Like This.
The Walking in Between in 2013 debuted at No. 16 on the Billboard 200, and also saw its first track "Ordinary Love" peak at No. 27 on Rock Digital Song Sales, and its third track "Beautiful" was highlighted by iTunes via their Single of the Week promotion in July 2013. In 2015 he released Brand New, which peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard 200, No. 2 on Top Rock Albums and No. 1 on the Top Folk Albums chart. Its lead single "Brand New" is RIAA-certified platinum, peaking at No. 82 on the Billboard Hot 100. His seventh studio album Magic peaked at No. 44 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the Americana/Folk Albums, followed by The Joy of Music peaking at No. 186 on the Billboard 200. His eighth and most recent album, Songs From the Richest Man in the World, is set to release in early 2025.
"I didn't sing at all, until I saw a guy from Tulsa named Ben Kilgore sing at my school. Ben Kilgore had a great voice, and it changed that atmosphere of the room, and I had never seen that before. But I was just like 'What was that?' I want to find and feel that again."
Rector was born in south Tulsa, Oklahoma. He is the son of Evans Rector, a banker, and Bette Rector, a psychologist. He has two sisters. He did not grow up in a musical household, although Evans was a fan of Steve Winwood and Rector became a fan of his work at a young age.[3] He became interested in music in eighth grade, listening to the Star 103 radio station in Tulsa, which played music from the 1960s and 1970s. He grew fond of pop music, particularly "Drift Away" by Dobie Gray.[4] The first song he learned on piano was the theme song of the animated television seriesRugrats in the 1990s.[5]
He took some piano lessons as a child, and after being inspired by camp counselors at a summer camp who played acoustic guitar, he began learning the instrument at 16, which later led him to begin songwriting at 16.[6][7][8] His first song, titled "Tonight", was an acoustic guitar piece about kissing a girl.[8] Rector attended high school at Tulsa's Metro Christian Academy. One class he took was dedicated to praise and worship, which he credits as the beginning of his interest in music. The class required an audition. Each week he was taught the technics of music, forming a set, and performing in a band.[3] Meanwhile he would also play music at his church.[9]
He did not sing until musician Ben Kilgore performed at his school, the atmosphere of his performance inspiring Rector to do so. Rector formed a high school band, Euromart, for a Battle of the Bands competition hosted by newspaper Tulsa World. His first performance was at Cain's Ballroom.[2] He would re-recruit Euromart to perform in the music video for his song "Old Friends" in 2018.[10][11] Throughout high school he would perform locally.[4] He graduated from Tulsa's Metro Christian Academy in 2005 and resumed playing piano,[7] and from the University of Arkansas in 2010 with a degree in business and marketing, where he was a brother of the Beta Upsilon Chi fraternity.[12]
Music career
Ben Rector performing live in 2016
Ben Rector's career, spanning roughly two decades, consists of eight studio albums, three live albums, one compilation album, three extended plays (EP), sixteen singles and twenty music videos. He has been featured on five songs and has credits on several others.
2006–2009: Early career
Rector started seriously writing songs in college and began looking at it as something that needed to be practiced.[4] He released his first musical effort, a self-titled extended play (EP), in 2006.[2][13] After hearing about the 2006 John Lennon Songwriting Contest he submitted a song from the EP, "Conversation", and later forgot he did so.[2] Rector would win the grand prize in the Pop category, making him the youngest person to win the contest.[13] His sophomore year he would attend classes in the weekdays and tour exclusively on the weekends,[14] performing two to three shows a week. He would perform out of town, specifically anywhere within an 8-hour radius.[4] Rector described his early impressions of the music industry as a "fish out of water"; he gained more confidence as he noticed that the people attending his performances were exclusively those he did not recognize, giving him hope that he could pursue a music career.[2] A particular moment of clarity came when he performed at the Cambridge Room in Dallas, Texas to a sold-out crowd of 350 people, exclusively fans.[15]
Rector released Twenty Tomorrow in 2007,[14] his first full-length studio album.[16] His second album, Songs That Duke Wrote, released in 2008.[13] In April 2009, he was given the Northwest Arkansas Music Award (NAMA) for best male singer-songwriter.[17]
2010–2014: Into the Morning, Something Like This and The Walking in Between
Rector posing for the album cover of Into the Morning in 2010Rector performing in 2013
Rector's third studio album, Into the Morning, was released on February 16, 2010. At the time he was a senior in college. The album was successful, reaching No.11 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers chart. 2010 would also see him moving to Nashville, Tennessee after graduation.[13] Rector was particularly drawn to Nashville for its atmosphere and high level of music activity.[18] Following the release, he co-headlined the Three Amigos Tour with fellow Nashvillians Steve Moakler and Andrew Ripp. The rest of 2010 brought support slots with Dave Barnes and Five for Fighting, The Beat Lives Forever co-headline tour with Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors, and the Feels Like Home tour in Germany, organized by Johannes Strate of the German band Revolverheld.[14]Into the Morning was Rector's first major release,[19] peaking at No. 11 on the BillboardTop Heatseekers chart.[20] The album peaked at number 5 at iTunes' pop chart and number 10 on the iTunes album charts.[21] Track 3, "When A Heart Breaks", was certified gold in 2019 by the RIAA.[22] In early 2011, he performed on the VH1 Best Cruise Ever with artists including Train, The Script, Colbie Caillat, and Lifehouse.[23]
Throughout September 2011 Rector toured in association with Something Like This with The Good Time Tour, performing in over 25 cities.[32] Rector was spotlighted by Amazon via their "Artist On The Rise" program throughout October and November in 2011.[31] "She Is", the seventh song on the album, was covered by Lady Antebellum on their 2014 album 747.[33]
Produced by Rector, Jamie Kenney and Charlie Peacock, 2013's The Walking in Between was the first release on Rector's own Aptly Named Recordings label, which released on August 20, 2013. He toured 32 cities for the album with The Walking in Between Tour throughout October 2013.[31] It debuted at 16 on the Billboard 200, appearing on the chart for two weeks.[34][35] It also debuted at 16 on the Top Album Sales chart and remained for two weeks.[36][37] It reached number 2 on Billboard's Folk Albums chart and[38] number 5 on Top Rock Albums.[39] It also debuted and peaked at number 5 on Top Rock & Alternative Albums.[40][41] It spent two weeks on the Top Current Album Sales and Independent Albums charts, debuting and peaking at number 16 and number 2 respectively.[42][43] "Ordinary Love" peaked at 37 on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart, 27 on Rock Digital Song Sales, and 37 on Hot Rock Songs in August 2013.[44][45][46] The associated live album, Live in Denver, also charted. It appeared at number 40 on the Top Rock Albums,[47] number 3 on the Americana/Folk Albums chart,[48] and 40 on Top Rock & Alternative Albums.[49] All the proceeds from The Walking in Between were donated to build a well in Zambia via World Vision International.[50] "Beautiful" was highlighted by iTunes via their Single of the Week promotion in July 2013, and Live Nation Entertainment selected Rector for their "One's to Watch" program, two achievements that further advanced Rector's career.[51][31]
In 2014, Rector briefly took a break from songwriting to front the Huey Lewis and the News cover band Newy Lewis and the Hues,[52] releasing a three-song EP on August 8, 2014, singing and recording all parts.[53]
Rector released his sixth studio album, Brand New, on August 28, 2015, via Aptly Named Recordings. The album debuted No. 9 on the Billboard 200 chart, marking his first Top 10 album.[55] It also debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Top Current Rock Albums chart, No. 2 on the Billboard Album Core Genre Rock chart, No. 6 on the Billboard Album Sales chart, No. 3 on the Billboard Top Current Digital Album Sales chart, and No. 1 on the Billboard Top Folk Albums chart.[56][57]
In January 2016, he was picked as Elvis Duran's Artist of the Month[58] and was featured on NBC's Today show where he live performed his single "Brand New", which initially received airplay on Sirius XM's The Pulse in September 2015.[58][59] "Brand New" was his first single to enter the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 82.[60] The song also reached No. 6 on the BillboardAdult Top 40,[61] No. 7 on Hot Rock Songs,[62] and No. 10 on the Adult Contemporary chart.[63] To support the commercial success he would spend two years touring for the album. The first tour, The Brand New Tour, spanned two legs from 2015 to 2016. It was commercially successful, having 15 sold-out shows in the first leg and selling over 41,000 tickets.[64] He followed the tour with The Biggest Tour I Have Done So Far Tour, aptly named, which featured an additional 20 dates and spanned the rest of 2016.[65] Touring for Brand New was 73 performances in total.[66] "Brand New" was RIAA-certified gold in 2020, and certified platinum in 2023.[67]
On June 22, 2018, Rector released his seventh studio album, Magic, his first with OK Kid Recordings, which was led by its first single, "Drive".[70] Rector toured for Magic with Magic: The Tour, a headlining tour spanning 28 dates, beginning on September 19, 2018, to November 17, 2018.[66] A second leg was performed that continued into mid 2019.[71] A live album, Magic: Live From the USA, was recorded during Magic: The Tour in various locations and was released on June 21, 2019.[72] Also in 2019, Rector was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Best Performance for his appearance on Pickler and Ben in 2018.[73]
Rector announced The Old Friends Acoustic Tour featuring Cody Fry in late 2019.[85] In January 2020, he recorded the music for his next album following Magic in Los Angeles featuring what he called his "dream band".[86] He began touring for The Old Friends Acoustic in February 2020. At the same time, the COVID-19 pandemic had become a national threat in the United States, and lockdowns had begun to take effect. He had flown to perform a show in Dallas, Texas, but was forced to return home.[87] The first distributed project from this period was a single, “It Would Be You”, with a music video of compiled fan submissions via the #CoffeeDadShuffle trend.[88] He wrote the song with John Fields the day after returning home from the tour.[87] In October 2020, Rector released an acoustic version of the song featuring Ingrid Michaelson.[89] Although disappointed about the tour being cancelled, he found his open schedule to be freeing creatively. All of his efforts were focused onto his next album. It helped him "rediscover" what he enjoyed about writing music in the first place.[90] Throughout the pandemic, most of his next album would be rewritten from scratch.[86]
In November 2020, Rector debuted “The Thanksgiving Song”—the leading song of his forthcoming holiday album that celebrates the holiday Thanksgiving.[91] On November 13, 2020, Rector released his first holiday album, A Ben Rector Christmas, a collection covering six classic Christmas songs. The album was followed by an additional rendition of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" in the following year.[92] His next album was completed by December 2020, but he held off on releasing it until he could continue touring again.[93]
2021–2023: The Joy of Music
Rector in 2024
On May 21, 2021, he released the single "Range Rover", which features musician Steve Winwood playing the Hammond organ. Winwood is one of Rector’s musical heroes and was originally named in the song's lyrics before agreeing to take part in its composition as well.[94]
On March 11, 2022, Rector released his eighth studio album, The Joy of Music, following four pre-released tracks: "Living My Best Life", "Dream On", "Supernatural", and "Steady Love".[95] The project features Snoop Dogg, Dave Koz, Kenny G, and Taylor Goldsmith and a short film created in conjunction with the record. In the film, Rector is led through seven songs from the album with associated cinematography by his new friend Joy — a muppet monster he created in collaboration with Jim Henson’s Creature Shop.[96] Rector embarked on his headlining tour, The Joy of Music: Live Tour, in May 2022 with support from JP Saxe, Jake Scott, Jordy Searcy, and Stephen Day. The tour finished with a sold-out show at Ascend Amphitheater in Nashville. A year later, on June 16, 2023, Ben released a 14-song live album ‘Live In Atlanta’ with songs heard and recorded on this tour.[97]
The Joy of Music appeared on many Billboard charts. The album debuted and peaked at 189 on the Billboard 200 charts,[98] and 17 in Top Album Sales in March 26, 2022.[99] That same week, "Sunday" debuted at 41 on the BillboardHot Christian Songs chart.[100] "Thank You" debuted on the BillboardChristian Airplay chart on April 23, 2022, and remained on the chart for 19 weeks, peaking at 33 on May 28, 2022.[101][102] The song also debuted on the Billboard Christian AC Airplay chart on June 4, 2022, remaining on the chart for 3 weeks and peaking at 27 on its debut week.[103] As an independent artist, the album debuted at 30 on the BillboardIndependent Albums chart.[104] The vinyl version debuted at 21 on March 26, 2022.[105]
"Sunday" was used as an anthem by ESPN for the first half of the 2022 season of Sunday Night Baseball, alongside other songs from The Joy of Music. Executive Vice President of marketing for ESPN Laura Gentile said that "Sunday" "captures the joy that baseball brings, and the great feelings fans and players share as the season begins".[106][107] Rector called the usage of the song "a cool surprise" and was impressed with the advertisement draft they presented to him.[108] Despite ESPN setting up a pitch meeting for Rector, he told them at the beginning he did not need convincing.[109]
Throughout 2023 and 2024, Rector continued touring for The Old Friends Acoustic Tour, performing an additional 27 shows in 2023 and two more the following year. In 2024 he co-headlined Ben Rector and Cody Fry With the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, and opened for Dan + Shay for their Heartbreak on the Map Tour.[110][111]
Since The Joy of Music Rector released several individual singles and collaborations. On August 5, 2022, Rector released "What Makes a Man", a single featuring Thomas Rhett, which discusses introspection relating to manliness and fatherhood. He performed the song as part of his Grand Ole Opry debut on August 9, 2022.[112] On September 1, 2023, Rector collaborated with The Choir Room—a Nashville based choir collective—to release an alternate version of ‘Joy’. Which was nominated for a GMA Dove Award in July 2024.[113] On September 23, 2022, Rector released "Wonderful World".[114]
2024–present: Songs From the Richest Man in the World
On February 2, 2024, Rector released a cover of "It's a Great Day to Be Alive" by Darrell Scott, a song he played every show throughout the 2023 revival of The Old Friends Acoustic Tour.[115] In March 2023, he and country musician Terri Clark performed a duet for her song "Now That I Found You" for her album Take Two.[116] Rector released "Color Up My World" featuring country musician Hailey Whitters.[117] Rector wrote the song knowing Hailey and he were scheduled to open for Dan + Shay in the spring of 2024, and the two would duet the song live throughout the tour.[118] On July 12, 2024, Rector released ‘Wreck’, a contemplative song about the life-changing results and gratitude of having children.[119]
Rector's upcoming release, Songs From the Richest Man in the World—dubbed by Rector as a "new era" in his music career—is set to debut in early 2025. Three songs from the album were pre-released on November 15, 2024. An associated full band tour, The Richest Man in the World Tour, will also coincide with the album's release and will span 18 dates throughout 2025.[120]
A segment of Rector's song "Brand New", reflective of common themes among his music. A piano-driven pop song, it compares a true love to first-time feelings and carefree energy.
Rector's music is dominantly within the contemporary pop genre, typically blending additional themes of rock and folk music. Many of Rector's songs are piano-driven.[121][122][123] Songs such as "Extraordinary Magic" and "Love Like This" are centered around the piano with orchestrated backing, typically supplied by Cody Fry, while "Making Money" is exclusively raw piano.[7] Various influences for his music style include but are not limited to James Taylor, Paul McCartney, Randy Newman,[8]Huey Lewis and the News, and Steve Winwood.[124]
Lyrics frequently discuss themes of love, faith, and personal assessment and growth. Songs about love describe those that are true and long-lasting; songs from The Walking in Between were described as "wedding standards" by The Washington Post.[125] Most songs typically celebrate ordinary life over anything extraneous.[121] "Crazy" from 2015's Brand New, for example, praises the "crazy normal" lifestyle of his ordinary life, such as spending a quiet night at home.[126] These songs are usually influenced by his own marriage, and his children helped inspire songs discussing thoughts on fatherhood, as seen in "What Makes a Man".[112] "Daughter" from The Joy of Music features an audible cameo from his then two-year old daughter, Jane.[127]
Some songs are introspective, and reflect on past mindsets and personal assessment. "Peace" from Magic discusses finding peace through the life choices that have shaped him, rather than what's still yet to be achieved or never was.[128] "The Men That Drive Me Places" reflects on how lucky he is to have found success in his career, but primarily focuses on glorifying the inspiring lives of individuals who have driven him to concerts.[126] Other songs, such as "Sailboat", "30,000 Feet", and "Steady Love", contain general observations about self-worth and finding comfort in life.[129][127]
While Rector has professed to be a Christian, he is not considered a Christian artist. This has allowed him the freedom to write about religious themes in a way that isn't typical of traditional worship music.[130] Themes relating to his religion are also present throughout his works as seen in "When a Heart Breaks", and are sometimes the subject of songs, such as "If You Can Hear Me".[131]
Touring and live performances
Ben Rector (left) performing for The Brand New Tour, with Cody Fry (center) on piano and Cory Wong (right) on guitarBen Rector (left) performing live for The Old Friends Acoustic Tour, with Austin Goodloe (center) and Jordy Searcy (right)
As he became an established artist, each album release was backed with a tour across the United States, beginning with the Good Time Tour in 2012.[32] Opening acts for his shows include Jacob Whitesides, Tyrone Wells, The Band Camino, and most recently Jordy Searcy and Stephen Day. The touring effort following the success of Brand New spanned 73 dates total across two years, including two legs with The Brand New Tour and an additional 20 shows with The Biggest Tour I Have Done So Far Tour. Outside of album-associated tours include The Old Friends Acoustic Tour, a stripped performance of his works spanning 33 dates, and a co-headlining symphonic shows with Cody Fry, which featured orchestra renditions of some of his songs. Rector has performed as an opening act for Needtobreathe and Dan + Shay, and Tim McGraw and Faith Hill for Soul2Soul: The World Tour in 2017.
Three live-recorded albums have been released: Live in Denver in 2014,[132]Magic: Live From the USA in 2019,[133] and Live from Atlanta in 2023.[134]
ESPN used four iterations of songs from The Joy of Music, the most prominent of which was the use of “Sunday (ft. Snoop Dogg)” as the soundtrack to Sunday Night Baseball.[155] The song was inspired by a piano track Rector found while taking a break from watching the 2021 Masters to scroll through Instagram, and as such, Golf Digest has since recommended it be the new theme song for PGA Tour.[156] Another track, “Dream On", served as the soundtrack and sole audio for the 2022 advertisement of The University of Arkansas—Rector's alma mater.[157]
U.S. Soccer partnered with Rector to feature his unreleased song “New Day” as the soundtrack to promotional content for the qualification matches for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Rector headlined a pre-game performance at U.S. Soccer's first home match of the qualifying campaign in Nashville alongside Lindsay Ell.[158][159]
Rector has spent significant time playing in and performing at PGA golf tournaments across the continent. Rector played in the 2022 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am alongside Darius Rucker, Jake Owen, and Macklemore.[160] He also played in the AT&T Pro-Am in 2023,[161] and the BMW Charity Pro-Am in 2024.[162]
Personal life
Rector is a devout Christian.[9] Religion was emphasized in The Joy of Music with songs including "Supernatural" and "Thank You", where he had grown to be more comfortable discussing his faith more openly. He described his faith as "a frame or a lens that I look at the world through."[163]
Rector met his future wife Hillary at the University of Arkansas their freshman year. They married in 2009 and relocated to Nashville shortly afterward.[6][164] They had one daughter in 2017, Jane, and twin sons in 2020, Roy and Robert "Bert".[6] Rector is an avid golfer.[156]
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The Joy of Music is the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter Ben Rector, released on March 11, 2022, through OK Kid Recordings. Rector co-produced the album with John Fields. The first draft of music was recorded in January 2020, but most of the album was scrapped and recorded throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and completed in December 2020. The pandemic cancelled his ongoing tour at the time and withheld other deadlines, leaving Rector to focus exclusively on the album's creation.
1 2 Bartholomew, Dustin (April 24, 2009). "The 2009 NAMA Winners". Fayetteville Flyer. Archived from the original on September 21, 2015. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
1 2 3 4 Hizer, G.K. (March 22, 2012). "Urban Tulsa Weekly". Vol.21, no.39. p.40. Archived from the original on January 12, 2024. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
↑ Richard, Anna. "Sailboat". YouThink. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
↑ Swinarksi, Claire (May 18, 2022). "I just want to be Ben Rector". Coffee With Claire. Archived from the original on September 2, 2024. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
↑ Carter, McKenna (April 30, 2015). "Now Spinning: Ben Rector". Cardinal & Cream. Archived from the original on January 28, 2016. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
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