Ben Rector

During his first year at the University of Arkansas, Rector released a self-titled EP that featured the song "Conversation", which went on to win the Grand Prize in the Pop category of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest in 2006.[5] He is the youngest person ever to win the award for the pop category.[6] The EP grew popular in surrounding states, and Rector began touring frequently on weekends and during breaks in the school year.[7]

Rector released his first full-length album Twenty Tomorrow in 2007 and its follow-up Songs That Duke Wrote in 2008.[8]

In April 2009, he was given the Northwest Arkansas Music Award (NAMA) for best male singer-songwriter in Northwest Arkansas.[9] Later that year, he moved to Nashville to pursue songwriting and to continue his career as an artist.[8]

Rector posing for the album cover of Into the Morning (left), and Rector performing in 2014 (right)

Rector's third studio album, Into the Morning, was released on February 16, 2010, and reached No. 11 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers chart.[7][10] 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.[7]

In early 2011, Rector headlined a tour in the Midwest, supported fellow Nashville artist Matt Wertz's Weights & Wings national release tour, and performed on the VH1 Best Cruise Ever with artists including Train, The Script, Colbie Caillat and Lifehouse.[11]

Rector's fourth studio album Something Like This was released on September 13, 2011, reaching No. 41 on the Billboard 200.[7] In mid-2011, Rector co-produced Steve Moakler's Watching Time Run. Following the release of Something Like This Rector headlined the Good Time Tour which spanned 25 cities with Andrew Belle and Graham Colton as support. Rector supported Needtobreathe during their The Reckoning tour in early 2012, which continued until May 2013.[12]

The Walking in Between was released on August 20, 2013.[13] Produced by Rector, Jamie Kenney and Charlie Peacock, it was the first release on Rector's own Aptly Named Recordings label. The album debuted at No. 16 on the Billboard 200 chart.[14]

In 2014, Rector briefly took a break from songwriting to front the Huey Lewis and the News cover band Newy Lewis and the Hues.[15] On August 8, 2014, Rector released an EP, singing and recording all parts titled Newy Lewis and the Hues: Greatest Hits highlighting three of the band’s greatest hits.[16]

Rector performing live in 2016

Rector toured with Needtobreathe, Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors, and Colony House for the first leg of the "Tour De Compadres" tour in early 2015.[17]

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.[18] 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.[19][20]

In January 2016, he was picked as Elvis Duran's Artist of the Month[21] 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.[21][22] "Brand New" was his first single to enter the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 82.[23] The song also reached No. 6 on the Billboard Adult Top 40,[24] No. 7 on Hot Rock Songs,[25] and No. 10 on the Adult Contemporary chart.[26]

He co-headlined The Rock Boat in 2017,[27] and supported Tim McGraw and Faith Hill on their 2017 Soul2Soul Tour.[28]

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".[29] The album debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Americana/Folk Albums chart,[3] and peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Independent Albums chart[30] and No. 44 on the Billboard 200.[31] In September 2018, Rector embarked on his nationwide tour, Magic: The Tour, that continued into early 2019.[32] In 2019, Rector was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Best Performance for his appearance on Pickler and Ben in 2018.[33]

A live album, Magic: Live From the USA, was recorded during Magic: The Tour in various locations and was released on June 21, 2019.[34] In 2020, Rector headlined The Old Friends Acoustic Tour, performing acoustic versions of his songs and featuring Cody Fry.[35] When the COVID-19 pandemic hit that spring, Rector, alongside hundreds of thousands of other performers, was forced to cancel remaining tour dates. With this newfound spare time, he poured all of his creative energy into songwriting. The first distributed project from this period was a single, “It Would Be You”, which sparked an online sensation as fans partook in “The Coffee Dad Shuffle”. In October 2020, Rector released an acoustic version of the song featuring Ingrid Michelson.[36]

In November 2020, Rector debuted “The Thanksgiving Song” — the leading song off his forthcoming holiday album that celebrates the familial Thanksgiving experience. Rector has since been dubbed “The Mariah Carey of Thanksgiving”.[37] On November 13, 2020, Rector released his first holiday album, “A Ben Rector Christmas”, which features joyful renditions of Christmas classics such as “Frosty the Snowman”, “The Christmas Song”, and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”. The album was followed by an additional rendition of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” in the following year.[38]

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.[39]

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".[40] 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 brought to life with stunning cinematography by his new friend Joy — a muppet monster he created in collaboration with Jim Henson’s Creature Shop.[41]

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.[42]

On August 5, 2022, Rector released "What Makes a Man", a new single featuring Thomas Rhett. He performed the song as part of his Grand Ole Opry debut on August 9, 2022.[43] On September 23, 2022, Rector released his most recent work to date, "Wonderful World", as a reflection on fatherhood and the things that matter most.[44]