Dave Barnes

American singer and musician David Mckee Barnes, known professionally as David Barnes was born in South Carolina. He spent the majority of his childhood in Mississippi, where he grew up listening to hip-hop, soul music, blues and R&B. While at Middle Tennessee State University, Barnes took up the guitar and started writing material for other performers. After being advised by his peers to perform his songs himself, he began giving solo performances on campus and was willing to pursue a career in music by the time he graduated with a degree in Recording Industry Management. His first full-length album, Brother, Bring the Sun, released independently in 2004, received critical acclaim for his writing and production quality. It also won him the support of artists like Vince Gill, Amy Grant and John Mayer. Barnes second album Chasing Mississippi was issued in 2006. That same year, he went on tour with Matt Wertz, where he performed songs from both LPs and fresh material. He signed with Razor and Tie in 2008 and his first major-label release, Me and You and the World, featured a re-recorded version of his song "Until You." What We Want, What We Get, Barnes' fourth album, was a success on Christian music charts thanks to the success of the single "God Gave Me You." Country singer Blake Shelton's rendition of the single for his 2011 album Red River Blue topped country charts, earning Barnes his first Grammy nomination in the Best Country Song category. He later went on to consistently release albums over the years and has Christmas albums such as Very Merry Christmas and A December to Remember to his name.