As far as music industry award ceremonies go, none are bigger or more prestigious than The Grammy Awards. The Grammy’s, as they are affectionately known, take place annually in cities…
Needtobreathe
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Image Courtesy of: GMA
Into The Mystery
Quick facts about Needtobreathe
CAREER
Needtobreathe is an American rock band composed of Bear Rinehart , Seth Bolt, Josh Lovelace, Randall Harris and Tyler Burkum. The band is exceptionally popular within the Christian music industry and has even branched out and fostered a following in the mainstream music market.
ACTIVE FROM
2001 - Present
CAREER ACHIEVEMENTS
15 x GMA Dove Awards, 1 x Grammy Award nomination, 1 Billboard Music Award nomination, 5 x No 1 Albums on Christian Albums Chart
GENRE
Alternative Christian Rock / Country Christian Rock
PLACE OF ORIGIN
Seneca, South Carolina, United States of America
ALBUMS
8 x studio albums
Early Days of Needtobreathe
William Stanley “Bear” and Nathaniel Bryant “Bo” Rinehart are brothers who grew up in South Carolina. The two spent a great deal of their childhood at the church camp their father ran and performed in their local area. After they graduated high school, the brothers were joined by Joe Stillwell and Seth Bolt and wrote and released their first independent album and EPs. They decided on the name “Needtobreathe” which originates from a Greek parable about Socrates seeking God.
The band’s first album, “The Feature”, was released in 2001 and contained 11 songs. During 2003 and 2004, they released three EPs: “Soulrock Review”, “Turnaround”, and “Fire”, respectively. In 2005, the Christian rock band was noticed by Lava Records, who they eventually signed with. The band were originally very selective about which contract they decided to sign. They received several Christian offers when they first released their music and wanted to make sure they would be able to retain their creative independence. Needtobreathe also signed with Atlantic Records and Sparrow Records, before going to the UK to record their debut album, “Daylight”, which was released in 2006.
Needtobreathe's Growth as a Band
In 2007, the band released their second studio album, “The Heat”. With this album, the group established themselves as one of the most promising newcomers to the Christian rock scene, receiving nominations and winning several awards that year. In 2009, the band released their third studio album, “The Outsiders”, which became a major success, peaking at No. 20 on Billboard’s Top 200 and No. 2 on the Hot Christian Albums charts. Several of the singles from the album also charted incredibly well that year. In 2011, Needtobreathe released “The Reckoning”, which charted at No. 6 on Billboard’s Top 200. That year, they also went on Taylor Swift’s “Speak Now World Tour”, as the opening act.
In 2014, they released “Rivers in the Wasteland“, taking its name from Isaiah 43:19. The album was one of the most difficult albums to put together in the band’s discography, and they felt that it took much longer than it should have. Tensions within the band rose and in 2014 Bear and Bo Rinehart went through a period of conflict that eventually led to a fistfight and subsequent hospitalization. Later, the brothers rekindled their relationship and were able to move on from it. Despite this, the album was widely successful, debuting at No. 3 on Billboard’s Top 200, No. 1 on the Top Christian Albums, and No. 1 on the Top Rock Albums charts.
In 2016, the band released their sixth studio album, “Hard Love”, which went on to become the band’s highest-charting album yet. In 2020, Bo Rinehart decided to part ways from the band and take on a new journey. Later that year, the band signed to Elektra Records and released their seventh studio album, “Out of Body”. This was also the band’s first album without Bo. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the band was unable to go on tour, and instead decided to hold a ticketed live streamed concert on the day of its release called “Celebrating Out of Body”.
...who we are is not defined by what we've done. Rather, who we are is defined by whose we are in light of our faith." - Josh Lovelace
Relationship with God
The band, Needtobreathe, doesn’t like to label itself as a Christian band, because they feel it might alienate non-evangelical listeners of their music. Many of their songs, especially those on “Hard Love”, have a message of overall hope and joy rather than seeming religious. The band has worked hard at creating music for everyone, not just Christians.
Despite this, the members of the band are Christians and are incredibly thankful to God for putting the gift of music in their hearts. During a dark period for the band, when the Rinehart brothers were at odds, they realized, in retrospect, that God had accompanied them during that time. God had been continuing to minister through their music. It was during this time that several people came forward to share how the band’s music had helped them. After the conflict had been resolved, the band members were able to reflect on how God had used the experience as a reminder to trust in Him, as the fight had only hindered the band’s ability to share music with others.
Image Courtesy of: Needtobreathe Facebook Page
The Latest from Needtobreathe
The band’s most recent album was their 2021 release of “Into the Mystery“. The group had decided to make this new album as they were unable to go on their “Out of Body”‘ tour. The band spent the time living together and recording “Into the Mystery” over a period of 21 days. They collaborated with several other artists including Jon Foreman from Switchfoot, Natalie Hemby, and Carrie Underwood. The album peaked at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Christian Albums chart and No. 9 on the Top Rock Albums chart.
Hang On
Banks
Into The Mystery
Forever On Your Side
Something Beautiful
I Am Yours
Multiplied
Brother
Happiness
Washed By The Water
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