Needtobreathe
Needtobreathe (stylized as NEEDTOBREATHE) is an American rock band from Seneca, South Carolina. The group first gained fame for their Christian themes, eventually reaching crossover success.[1][2] The band is composed of Bear Rinehart (lead vocals, guitar, piano), Seth Bolt (backing vocals, bass), Josh Lovelace (backing vocals, keys), Randall Harris (drums, percussion) and Tyler Burkum (guitar).[3] To date, the band has released ten studio albums: The Feature[4] (2001), Daylight (2006), The Heat (2007), The Outsiders (2009), The Reckoning (2011), Rivers in the Wasteland (2014), HARD LOVE (2016),[5] Out of Body (2020), Into the Mystery (2021), and Caves (2023); five of those albums have reached No. 1 on the Christian Albums chart.[1] The band has also charted with a number of singles, including "Washed by the Water" (2007), which reached No. 1 on the Hot Christian Songs chart;[6] the Grammy-nominated "Multiplied" (2014);[7][6] "Brother" (2015), which charted on the Top 100 and reached No. 1 on the Hot Christian Songs chart;[8] and "Who Am I" (2020), which reached No. 14 on the Hot Alternative Songs chart.[9]
Needtobreathe
Seneca, South Carolina, U.S.
2001–present
- Bear Rinehart
- Seth Bolt
- Josh Lovelace
- Randall Harris
- Tyler Burkum
- Joe Stillwell
- Bo Rinehart
History[edit]
Beginnings (1998–2006)[edit]
Brothers William Stanley "Bear" Rinehart III and Nathaniel Bryant "Bo" Rinehart were raised in Possum Kingdom, South Carolina. The brothers started performing in Seneca after moving there.[10][11][12] The Rinehart brothers grew up attending a church camp that their father, who was a pastor, ran.[13] The brothers first performed in front of coffee house audiences at Furman University, where Bear, who was named after University of Alabama football coach Bear Bryant, was a wide receiver for the Furman Paladins football team, winning the 2002 Banks McFadden trophy for South Carolina football player of the year.[14] After graduation, Bear, Bo and Joe Stillwell joined with Seth Bolt, producing independent releases that were recorded in Bolt's Plantation Studios.[15]
NEEDTOBREATHE was formed in 1998.[16] The name of the band is based on a Greek demonstrative parable of Socrates about seeking direction in life, and Bear Rinehart indicated that it was better than other names that the band had at the time.[17]
In 2001, the band independently released their first album, The Feature.[4] In 2003, they released a three-song EP: Soulrock Review.[18] In 2004, they followed with two four-song EPs: Fire and Turnaround.[19] These brought the band to the attention of Lava Records, owned by Universal Music Group, who signed the band in 2005.[10][11]
After signing with both Atlantic Records and Sparrow Records, the band went to the UK to record their second studio album, Daylight, with producer Andy Green.[20] Its first radio single "You Are Here", previously released on the Fire EP in 2004, was released early in 2006.[20] Just prior to their debut release, the band was featured on the cover of CCM Magazine—an unprecedented new artist endorsement by the national publication.[21] Daylight was released on April 4, 2006.[22]
Categorization[edit]
NEEDTOBREATHE self-identifies as a rock band, but is often categorized as a Christian rock band as well. The band has been signed to mainstream labels, formerly to Atlantic Records, and releasing their latest record under the Elektra Records label. The band experiences success on contemporary hit radio stations, Christian adult contemporary stations, and at the Gospel Music Association Dove Awards, despite releasing a number of songs with no direct mention of their Christian faith.[56][57] The band has also toured with artists outside of the Christian rock genre, including Train, Taylor Swift, and Tim McGraw.[1]
The band has resisted labels as specific as such in the past, explaining to Rolling Stone in 2016 in the following statement, "any label is limiting. That one in particular is especially limiting. To me, I think people pass over the band all the time because they read that....I hate the idea that they somehow feel like I didn't make the music for them, that we didn't play music for everyone. Christian record deals came and we said no to all of them. Waited a couple years until the right record deal came, which was Atlantic, which we've been on ever since. But we just said to them in passing when we first started, we want the records to be available to everyone."[56]