NEEDTOBREATHE

The band began life after two brothers, William Stanley "Bear" Rinehart III (lead vocals, guitar, piano, organ, harmonica) and Nathaniel Bryant "Bo" Rinehart (lead guitar, banjo, mandolin, backing vocals) started performing together in their hometown, mostly at coffee houses at Furman University. Soon they were joined by Seth Bolt (bass, mandolin, backing vocals), who had studied recording engineering at Full Sail University, using his home studio to record the band's first releases. The album, "The Feature" and EPs "Fire" and "Turnaround" helped gain the band attention, alongside their extensive touring, eventually attracting the attention of Atlantic/Lava Records, an affiliate with Universal, signing the band in 2005.

The band recorded their first album, "Daylight" in the UK, released on April 4th, 2006. Their first radio single was "You Are Here" which was originally featured on their "Fire" EP. This was followed by 2007's "The Heat," which pushed Needtobreathe's music to a wider audience and also receiving critical acclaim. They were nominated for two Dove Awards in 2009 for their song "Signature of Divine (Yahweh)" for Rock/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year, as well as for Rock/Contemporary Album of the Year. In 2009, their song "Washed by the Water" went on to win the award for Rock/Contemporary Song of the Year. This success helped to establish the band as one of the biggest new names in the christian rock scene.

It was with their third album that Needtobreathe cemented their place in the scene, with 2009's "The Outsider" reaching number 20 on the Billboard 200. 2011's "The Reckoning" took this further, peaking at number six on the Billboard 200. The first single from the album, "Slumber" reached number 26 on the Christian Rock Chart. Following this release, "Rivers in the Wasteland" came out in April, 2014, debuting at number three in the Billboard 200 and number one on the Christian Albums Chart, selling 49,000 copies in the first week.

The Memphis, TN (US) native didn’t pick up the guitar until he began attending the University of Tennessee, quickly taking to the instrument in between his studies, soon writing his own songs. In 2004, Holcomb had recorded his first EP, “Lost & Found,” which impressed the label Istra. The following year, Holcomb had completed his debut album, “Washed in Blue,” which dropped in May.

Holcomb’s next effort was the live album, “Live in Memphis,” in 2007, capturing his sauntering americana. After a relocation to Nashville, Holcomb assembled a backing band, becoming the act, Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors, with the first release credited to this new group of musicians being the independently released “A Neighborly Christmas,” also in 2007.

Holcomb’s Neighbours featured Nathan Dugger (guitar), Rich Brinsfield (bass) and Jon Radford (drums), as well as wife Ellie Holcomb, who contributed backing vocals. Drew holcomb & The Neighbours then returned in 2008 with “Passenger Seat,” released on Magnolia Music. Success was building for the band, finding chart success in 2011 after the release of “Chasing Someday,” which reached 183 on the Billboard 200.

This taste of chart success was not about to end for Holcomb and his band, finding their 2013 release, “Good Light,” peaking at number 84 on the Billboard 200. Continuous touring has certainly helped the band’s popularity, playing alongside the likes of Ryan Adams, Needtobreathe, The Avett Brothers and Los Lobos, also appearing at festivals such as Bonnaroo. With 2015’s “Medicine,” Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors found their record shooting to number 47 on the Billboard 200, further cementing their rise to success.