Needtobreathe

Needtobreathe Artistfacts

  • 2000-
    Bear RinehartLead vocals, guitar, piano
    Bo RinehartGuitar2001-2020
    Seth BoltBass
    Joe StillwellDrums2001-2012
    Josh LovelaceKeys
  • Needtobreathe is an American band from South Carolina. The band is a rarity: a mainstream Rock/Pop charting act with success also on Christian music registers. The Rinehart brothers were named after famed University of Alabama football coach Bear Bryant. Their pastor father oversaw a church camp in their homeplace, Possum Kingdom. Raised in a Christian home, they discovered Christian rock bands DC Talk and Switchfoot. Their interest soon spread out to secular acts including Pearl Jam and the Black Crowes. With a basic knowledge of piano and guitar, Bear went to Clemson University, where he formed the base of what would become Needtobreathe.
  • Bolt, with a recording engineering degree, helped the band gain finesse in his Plantation Studios. Extensive live work gelled the group's sound. Needtobreathe were signed by Atlantic Records in 2005. A debut album, Daylight was released the next year. The quartet toured with such notables as Train and Collective Soul. That December, recordings started and the sophomore effort Heat followed in the summer of 2007. Fans and programmers took note of the spiritual lyrics and the album received two Dove Award nominations. In 2009, another Dove nomination followed, for the tune "Washed by the Water." The song won for Rock/Contemporary Song of the Year.
  • Needtobreathe songs have heard widespread use in television and film: "More Time" appeared in the soundtrack of the film P.S. I Love You; ESPN played "Streets of Gold" during the network's coverage of the 2007 Ford 400 race. The Hills TV show featured "We Could Run Away." Fox TV promoted its Monday night shows with "Nothing Left to Lose." Fox Sports used "Don't Wait for Daylight" during their coverage of the 2006 World Series. "Hurricane" was played in commercial break transition for The NFL on CBS.
  • According to Bear Rinehart, a big musical moment came when his father played him the James Taylor song "Steamroller Blues." He says he looks to create these moments in his songs that will have a similarly powerful effect on the listener.
  • Regarding the band's religious beliefs and how they play into their songs, Bear Rinehart told titletrakk.com: "Christianity is something that is important in our lives. It's not the only thing that's important in our lives, but then we wouldn't be relevant to society if that was the only thing we talked about. I don't think the band struggles with it that much. Sometimes the thing we struggle with the most is the Christian media."

Comments: 1

  • Grandmabig60 from West VirginiaLove this band.
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