1. Benjamin Evans Rector was born on November 6,1986 and is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer based in Nashville, Tennessee.
56 Facts About Ben Rector
1. 2.
Ben Rector is an independent artist, and releases music under his own label OK Kid Recordings.
3.
Ben Rector has a dedicated fanbase, regularly performing sold-out shows at amphitheaters across the United States with each album release.
4.
Ben Rector is set to perform 26 live shows nationwide throughout 2025 in conjunction with his upcoming album, The Richest Man in the World, set to release this year on May 30.
5.
Ben Rector's songs have appeared on more than 100 major television shows, ad campaigns, and movies.
6.
Ben Rector's accolades include a GMA Dove Award for a choir production of his 2022 song "Joy" and a Daytime Emmy nomination for a performance of his 2018 song "Old Friends".
7.
Ben Rector is the son of Evans Rector, a banker, and Bette Rector, a psychologist.
8.
Ben Rector did not grow up in a musical household, although Evans was a fan of Steve Winwood and Rector became a fan of his work at a young age.
9.
Ben Rector became interested in music in eighth grade, listening to the Star 103 radio station in Tulsa, which played music from the 1960s and 1970s; this is where grew fond of pop music.
10.
Ben Rector took some piano lessons as a child, and after being inspired by camp counselors at a summer camp who played acoustic guitar, he began learning the instrument at 16, which later led him to begin songwriting at 16.
11.
Ben Rector's first song, titled "Tonight", was an acoustic guitar piece about kissing a girl.
12.
Ben Rector formed a high school band, Euromart, for a Battle of the Bands competition hosted by newspaper Tulsa World.
13.
Ben Rector graduated from Tulsa's Metro Christian Academy in 2005 and resumed playing piano, and from the University of Arkansas in 2010 with a degree in business and marketing.
14.
Ben Rector met his wife Hillary at the University of Arkansas their freshman year.
15.
Ben Rector is an avid golfer, playing at private clubs and notable golf courses while on the road, and competes actively in PGA golf tournaments.
16.
Ben Rector started seriously writing songs in college and began looking at it as something that needed to be practiced.
17.
Ben Rector released his first musical effort, a self-titled extended play, in 2006.
18.
Ben Rector would perform out of town, specifically anywhere within an 8-hour radius.
19.
Ben Rector described his early impressions of the music industry as a "fish out of water"; he gained more confidence as he noticed that the people attending his performances were exclusively those he did not recognize, giving him hope that he could pursue a music career.
20.
Ben Rector released Twenty Tomorrow in 2007, his first full-length studio album.
21.
Ben Rector was particularly drawn to Nashville for its atmosphere and high level of music activity.
22.
Ben Rector was spotlighted by Amazon via their "Artist On The Rise" program throughout October and November in 2011.
23.
Ben Rector toured 32 cities for the album with The Walking in Between Tour throughout October 2013.
24.
In 2014, Ben Rector briefly took a break from songwriting to front the Huey Lewis and the News cover band Newy Lewis and the Hues, releasing a three-song EP on August 8,2014, singing and recording all parts.
25.
Ben 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.
26.
Ben Rector released his sixth studio album, Brand New, on August 28,2015, via Aptly Named Recordings.
27.
Brand New was notably successful for Ben Rector, becoming his first album to enter the top 10 on the Billboard 200, with its lead single "Brand New" peaking at No 89 on the Hot 100.
28.
Ben Rector followed the tour with The Biggest Tour I Have Done So Far Tour, aptly named, which featured an additional 20 dates and spanned the rest of 2016.
29.
Ben Rector co-headlined The Rock Boat in 2017, and supported Tim McGraw and Faith Hill on their 2017 Soul2Soul Tour.
30.
On June 22,2018, Ben Rector released his seventh studio album, Magic, his first with his founded label OK Kid Recordings.
31.
Ben Rector toured for Magic with Magic: The Tour, a headlining tour spanning 28 dates, beginning on September 19,2018, to November 17,2018.
32.
Ben Rector announced The Old Friends Acoustic Tour featuring Cody Fry in late 2019.
33.
Ben Rector began touring for the tour in February 2020; At the same time, the COVID-19 pandemic had become a national threat in the United States, and lockdowns had begun to take effect.
34.
Ben Rector had flown to perform a show in Dallas, Texas, but was forced to return home.
35.
In October 2020, Ben Rector released an acoustic version of the song featuring Ingrid Michaelson.
36.
On March 11,2022, Ben Rector released his eighth studio album, The Joy of Music.
37.
Ben 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.
38.
Ben Rector continued his collaboration with Cody Fry, appearing with orchestras around the country including the National Symphony, the Nashville Symphony, the Pacific Symphony, the Dallas Symphony, the Minnesota Orchestra, and the Cincinnati Pops, among others.
39.
Since The Joy of Music Ben Rector released several individual singles and collaborations.
40.
Ben Rector performed the song as part of his Grand Ole Opry debut on August 9,2022.
41.
On February 2,2024, Ben Rector released a cover of "It's a Great Day to Be Alive" by Darrell Scott, a song he played every show throughout the 2023 revival of The Old Friends Acoustic Tour.
42.
In March 2024 Ben Rector released "Color Up My World" featuring country musician Hailey Whitters.
43.
Ben Rector wrote the song knowing he and Whitters were scheduled to open for Dan + Shay in the spring of 2024 with their Heartbreak On the Map Tour, and the two would duet the song live throughout it; the song received airplay on Sirius XM and The Bobby Bones Show.
44.
Ben Rector's music is dominantly within the pop genre, typically blending additional themes of rock and folk music.
45.
Ben Rector has been featured, and contributed to music, by Terri Clark, Christina Perri, Devin Dawson, and Cory Wong.
46.
Ben Rector has many recurring musicians to both his studio recordings and live performances, such as Cody Fry, Jordy Searcy, guitarists Austin Goodloe and Nathan Dugger of Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors, bassist Kevin Lee MacIntire, saxaphonist David Besonen, and drummers Steve Goold and Jared Kneale.
47.
Ben Rector has since performed on Today, The Bobby Bones Show, Bachelor in Paradise, and Good Morning America.
48.
In 2021, Ben Rector was a mentor for two contestants on season 19 of American Idol, alongside Ryan Tedder, Jason Aldean, and Jimmie Allen.
49.
Ben Rector performed duets of two of his songs live on the show: "Love Like This" with Graham DeFranco and "Brand New" with Wyatt Pike.
50.
Ben Rector's music has been licensed in over 100 major movie, television, and ad placements.
51.
Ben Rector's songs have appeared on television shows including America's Got Talent, American Idol, Ellen DeGeneres Show, World of Dance, Heartland, Hawaii Five-O, Pretty Little Liars, and Castle.
52.
Ben Rector has spent significant time playing in and performing at PGA golf tournaments across the continent.
53.
Ben Rector played at the BMW Charity Pro-Am in 2024.
54.
Ben Rector has been touring actively since college; as he became an established artist, each album release was backed with a tour across the United States, beginning with the Good Time Tour in 2012.
55.
Ben Rector frequently sells out amphitheaters while on tour, such as the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, the Ascend Amphitheater, and three consecutive nights at the Ryman Auditorium.
56.
Ben Rector himself has performed as an opening act for Needtobreathe and Dan + Shay, and Tim McGraw and Faith Hill for Soul2Soul: The World Tour in 2017.