Ben Rector

Ben Rector's blend of sharp songwriting and pop/rock production became a hit during the 2010s, with the Oklahoma native regularly cracking the Top 10 of Billboard's rock, adult contemporary, and Americana charts. He was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on November 6, 1986, and later moved to Arkansas to attend college. His self-titled debut EP, Ben Rector, was released in 2006, followed by the albums Twenty Tomorrow in 2007 and Songs That Duke Wrote in 2008. Moving to Nashville, he reached Number 11 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers with 2011's Into The Morning, a feat he reported with Something Like This in 2011. Something Like This was also his first album to appear on the Billboard 200, where it peaked at Number 41. Two years later, The Walking in Between brought him even more commercial success in America, reaching Number 16 on the Billboard 200, Number 2 on Americana/Folk Albums, Number 5 on Top Rock Albums, and Number 4 on Independent Albums. Rector peaked at Number 1 on Billboard's Americana/Folk Albums chart with his next two releases — Brand New (2015) and Magic (2018) — before releasing a holiday album, A Ben Rector Christmas, in 2020. The Joy of Music followed in March 2022, featuring appearances from Snoop Dogg, Taylor Goldsmith, and Kenny G. The singles "Sunday" and "Thank You" both became Top 40 hits on Billboard's Christian charts, contributing to Rector's reputation as a genre-breaking crossover artist.