Needtobreathe

Beginnings (2001–2006)

Brothers William Stanley "Bear" Rinehart III and Nathaniel Bryant "Bo" Rinehart were raised in Possum Kingdom, South Carolina, and later moved to Seneca where they started performing. 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. After graduation, Bear, Bo and Joe Stillwell joined with Seth Bolt, releasing independent albums that were recorded in Bolt's Plantation Studios.

In 2001, the band independently released an eleven-song album, The Feature. In 2004, they followed with two four-song EPs: Fire and Turnaround. These brought the band to the attention of Lava Records, owned by Universal Music Group, who signed the band in 2005.

After signing with both Atlantic Records and Sparrow Records, the band went to the UK to record their first studio album, Daylight, with producer Andy Green. Its first radio single "You Are Here", previously released on the Fire EP in 2004, was released early in 2006. 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. Daylight was released on April 4, 2006.

The Heat (2006–2008)

Needtobreathe started pre-production for their second studio album The Heat in late 2006. In 2007, the band started a six-month recording period at Rick Beato's Black Dog Studio and at Paul Diaz's Tree Sounds in Atlanta. The Heat was released on August 28, 2007 through Atlantic Records and Word Entertainment.

In 2008, Needtobreathe was nominated for two Dove Awards at the 39th GMA Dove Awards. Their song "Signature of Divine (Yahweh)" received a nomination for "Rock/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year", and The Heat was nominated for "Rock/Contemporary Album of the Year". In 2009, Needtobreathe's song "Washed by the Water" was nominated and won the Dove Award for "Rock/Contemporary Song of the Year". Marisa Brown, writing at AllMusic and Billboard, has referenced this album in helping to "establish the band as one of Christian rock's most successful newcomers."

"More Time" was included on the soundtrack for the 2007 film P.S. I Love You.

The Outsiders and The Reckoning (2009–2013)

The band's third album, The Outsiders was released on August 25, 2009, peaking at No. 20 on the Billboard 200 and No. 2 on the Hot Christian Albums. The first single for the album, "Lay 'Em Down", peaked at No. 4 on the Hot Christian Songs chart. The single "Something Beautiful" peaked at No. 12 on the Triple A chart and No. 6 on the Hot Christian Songs chart. "Hurricane" peaked at No. 29 on the Alternative chart, their first success at Alternative radio. The title song of the album, "The Outsiders", peaked at No. 11 on the Triple A chart.

The album The Reckoning was released on September 20, 2011, peaking at No. 6 on the Billboard 200. "Slumber" was the album's first single and peaked at No. 26 on the Christian rock charts while "Drive All Night" is the album's second single. The band went on tour with Taylor Swift as a featured opener artist for her Speak Now World Tour 2011.

On December 17, 2013, Eric Ryan Anderson released his film Prove the Poets Wrong, chronicling the band's 2013 tours and revisiting their origins, on YouTube.

Rivers in the Wasteland (2014–2015)

Rivers in the Wasteland was released on April 15, 2014, debuting at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, No. 1 on the Christian Albums chart, No. 1 Rock Album, and No. 6 on the Canadian Albums Chart, and selling 49,000 copies in its first week. Originally set to be titled "Wasteland", the album takes its name from Isaiah 43:19

In 2015, the band toured Australia with Third Day, before headlining their first North American tour across 40+ cities, touring with Ben Rector (leg 1), Switchfoot (leg 2), Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors, and Colony House.

Hard Love (2016–present)

On April 1, 2016, the band announced their sixth studio album, Hard Love, and its release date of July 15, 2016. Additionally, dates for the band's 2016 tour, Tour De Compadres, were announced and the album's lead single, "Happiness", was released along with another single, "Money & Fame". Hard Love debuted at No. 1 on the Top Album Sales chart and at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with 50,000 units sold, of which 46,000 were in traditional album sales, becoming the band's highest-charting album.

Band members

Discography