CHRIS RICE

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Chris Rice is an American songwriter.

He works in the contemporary Christian music, contemporary folk, and adult contemporary genres with a style similar to David Wilcox and James Taylor.

He became a recording artist as well in 1996 after signing a contract with Michael W. Smith's record label and releasing his debut album, Deep Enough to Dream.

A native of Maryland, Chris Rice grew up as the second of four sons born to bookstore owners.

His parents, and other adult mentors, influenced Rice's Christian faith and his early work with youth and college students.

Having taken only three years of piano lessons as a child, Rice did not aspire to a career in either music or student work. But frequent invitations to speak and lead music at his church's youth group events led to more such invitations throughout his college years at the University of Maryland, Grace College in Winona Lake, Indiana, and Union University in Jackson, Tennessee.

Chris Rice holds a bachelor's degree in Psychology and Communication. While leading music and coaching high school soccer teams he began writing songs.

What began as weekend and summer work with youth and college students soon turned into a full-time career during his twenties and thirties, and prompted Rice to write and perform mainly on the guitar.

For those two decades Chris Rice spent his time as an itinerant speaker and songwriter/musician, playing for high school and college conferences and camps nationwide. This schedule prepared Chris for his career as a signed recording artist, touring the country with a full band.

Rice's songwriting career began in the mid-1980s, after moving from his Washington, D.C., home to Nashville, Tenn. During that period several of Rice's songs were recorded by other artists, including Kathy Troccoli and Terri Gibbs.

Rice's "Welcome To Our World," an original Christmas song since recorded by Michael W. Smith, Amy Grant and John Tesh, moved Smith to urge his new label, Rocketown Records, to sign Rice as its first artist in 1996.

With the help of Monroe Jones' production skills, Chris Rice recorded Deep Enough to Dream for a September 1997 release. Past the Edges followed a year later.

Rice's third album, Smell the Color 9 was issued in late 2000. This album was one of his most successful. It stretched his musical boundaries, by taking him from a folk-leaning songwriter into a pop-driven artist. Most of the tracks are less folk-influenced songs than previously.

"The Face of Christ" is a shuffle-rock song about serving the less fortunate, based on Rice's encounters with the homeless. Rice talks about passing faith to the next generation in "Sailing With Russell", another song with a strong Bobby McFerrin influence on it.

Two ballad-kind songs appeared: "Belong", taps into the human desire to belong, and points the listener to consider how a connection to God can fulfill that, and "Home Tonight," which takes the prodigal son's point of view, remembering how good things were at home with his father.

The album's cover art (a man on a unicycle balancing on a high-wire) is a visual play on Rice's own balancing act, between being a well-known recording artist and an everyday person with an everyday life. The title track is an honest and thoughtful reference to the often difficult process of finding God.

In 2001, Rice surprised his fans with two piano-only instrumental releases that showcased a different side of his musical and arranging talents, not to mention his fondness for old hymns and Christmas songs.

The names of the albums were The Living Room Sessions and The Living Room Sessions: Christmas. They were given these names because their songs were recorded on Rice's own living room grand piano.

With his sixth album, Run the Earth... Watch the Sky, which was released in March 2003.

Chris Rice again joined the production talents of his longtime friend and collaborator Monroe Jones, a partnership that has achieved more than 1 million unit sales.

In this album, there were the modern folk leanings reminiscent of David Wilcox and James Taylor, but also Rice’s newfound admiration of earthy but radio-friendly pop in the vein of John Mayer and Travis.

The album’s first single, "The Other Side of the Radio" featured sports driving guitar and percussion. "Me and Becky" recalled classic rock sounds from Chris’ own adolescence.

"A lot of the record mentions my childhood or my teenage years so it fit to reach back into the earlier sounds from the ‘70s in some of the background vocals and string arrangements", he says about it.

These four studio releases (plus the two instrumental releases) fulfilled Rice's contractual commitment to Rocketown Records. Following his departure from the label, Rocketown released a couple of Chris Rice collections.

In June 2004, the hits collection Short Term Memories was released. This album chronicled his trajectory with most of Rice's hits ("Sometimes Love", "Deep Enough to Dream", "Smellin' Coffee", "The Other Side of the Radio" and others).

There were also a few other minor hits ("Face of Christ", "Home Tonight"). New studio cuts included "Go Light Your World" (a Rice original first popularized by Kathy Troccoli), a new acoustic mix of "Untitled Hymn" and "Mama Prays". A second hits collection, Snapshots: Live and Fan Favorites followed in February 2005.

The year 2005 marked a major turning point in Rice's artistry. Leaving Rocketown Records at the end of his contractual agreement, Rice signed with independent label Eb+Flo Records, and made a marketing and distribution agreement with INO Records.

INO's distribution through Sony/Columbia afforded Rice a new direction for marketing and distribution, no longer limiting his music to Christian radio format. His fifth studio release CD Amusing, released in August 2005, included love songs and other life topics, as well as some songs about his faith.

For the first time in his career, Rice released radio singles to AC and Light Rock stations around the country, the first single being a light romantic song entitled "When Did You Fall (In Love With Me?)" which reached #8 on the Pop AC radio format and enjoyed Top Ten status throughout the summer months of 2006, solidifying Rice's presence on AC radio.

A second AC hit, "Lemonade," began climbing the AC chart during the spring and summer of 2007. With his success on the AC radio format, Chris Rice released a side project hearkening back to his roots, a vocal hymns album, Peace Like a River: The Hymns Project, in November 2006.

The year 2006 proved to be a turning point in Rice's emphasis, with most of his attention and radio station visits and interviews involving pop AC stations across the United States, rather than his former attention to CCM radio.

Following the success on AC radio, Rice released in July 2007 "What A Heart Is Beating For" an album which further positioned him as a pop artist, a collection of 13 songs, with only two containing faith themes.

Some fans were intrigued with the meaning of the song title "Nonny Nonny". It is a nonsense phrase similar to "La-dee-dah!" used in old English folk songs and poems from the 15th and 16th centuries.

(Sometimes "Hey, nonny, nonny!" or "Hey, nonny, Ho!") It is also found in Shakespeare's writings, contemporary songs in folk style from the 1960s, and in one song in the musical Singin' in the Rain. Chris Rice chose the phrase to lighten the song and bring a nursery rhyme quality to the chorus. It also became the obvious title for the song.

On the July 23, 2007 episode of the American soap opera As the World Turns, Rice's "Love is Gonna Break Through" was featured as background music in a marriage proposal.

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	Peace Like a River CD By Chris Rice / Provident Music Distribution
Following up on the success of Amusing and What a Heart Is Beating For, Rice returns to his roots in this collection of favorite hymns. Savor the timeless beauty of "It Is Well with My Soul," "A Mighty Fortress," "O Love That Will Not Let Me Go," "Great Is Thy Faithfulness," "How Great Thou Art," and "Before the Throne."

The Living Room Sessions: Christmas, Compact Disc [CD] By Chris Rice / Provident Music Distribution

Christmas and music have always gone together. The angels sang at the birth of Christ, and now Chris Rice offers his part in the song. As he states in the liner, "I sat at my piano in my living room, and recorded some of my favorite Christmas songs. The songs that bring back the memories. The simple melodies that remind me that a Savior has been born. The songs that celebrate God and sinners reconciled." Includes Joy to the World, What Child Is This?, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing and ten others. Simple, joyful, and elegant, this music evokes the majesty of a candlelight service and will bring the peace of Christmas into your busy schedule.

	The Living Room Sessions CD By Chris Rice / Provident Music Distribution
Do you long to step back to simpler times when stores were closed on Sundays, Sunday dinner was a family tradition, and everybody went to church? These piano solos will take you there! Includes "Fairest Lord Jesus"; "The Church's One Foundation"; "How Great Thou Art"; "This Is My Father's World"; "Be Still, My Soul"; and "Like a River Glorious."

	Amusing CD By Chris Rice / Provident Music Distribution
Using witty lyrics, emotion, and humor, Chris takes an honest look at our humanity---and directs you to the embrace of a loving God. Includes "Prelude," "Love Like Crazy," "When Did You Fall," "Breakfast Table," "The Final Move," "Lemonade," "Sleepyhead Sun," "Tick-Tock," "I See the Moon," "The Best Song Ever," and the title track.

Living Room Sessions Piano Folio By Chris Rice / Word Entertainment Inc

There's something about those old hymns we used to sing in church when I was growing up. I don't hear them much any more, but when I do, it takes me back. Back to more innocent days when we (my brothers and my friends and I) would sit in a pew on Sunday morning, trying with everything in us not to snicker or snort during the prayer. I can still hear the offering plates being passed, and the sound of a congregation rising to their feet and sliding hymnals out of the backs of pews. Remembering warmly those days, I have arranged and performed some of my favorite hymns on my piano at home. I hope that as you spend soem time with these hymn arrangements, they will help you rewind to more innocent days and renew your spirit with the memorires and thoughts of God that molded your own heart along the way. --From the Foreword

Come To Jesus (Untitled Hymn), Accompaniment CD By Chris Rice / Provident Music Distribution

Mastertrax include lyrics and written music, original artist demonstration as well as tracks in multiple keys with and without background vocals. Key is indicated. Chris Rice is the original artist, from his album Run the Earth, Watch the Sky. Track 1. Demo Track 2. High Key without background vocals Track 3. Medium Key without background vocals (original key) Track 4. Low Key without background vocals

	Short-Term Memories, Compact Disc [CD] By Chris Rice / Provident Music Distribution
Short Term Memories is a collection of fan favorites and chart toppers from singer/songwriter Chris Rice. Nine of the seventeen album tracks were #1 hits for Chris, and he's included two new songs. Also, some songs were recorded live- and some freshly reinterpreted. All told, Short Term Memories is collection of gems for old and new fans alike.

	Welcome To Our World, Accompaniment CD By Chris Rice / Daywind Music Group
This Daywind Christmas Series soundtrack features a demonstration, and accompaniment in high (E) and low (B) ranges, without background vocals. Printed lyrics also included. Original artist listed for reference only.

	Welcome To Our World, Accompaniment CD By Chris Rice / Christian World
This Christian World Soundtrack includes printed lyrics and a demonstration, plus accompaniment in original (Eb), high (Gb), and low (C) keys, with backing vocals.

Run the Earth, Watch the Sky, Compact Disc [CD] By Chris Rice / Provident Music Distribution

It's a title that does more than simply describe the themes of the record it names. Run the Earth... Watch the Sky does an accurate job depicting how its creator, singer/songwriter Chris Rice, approaches his life, his music, and his faith. Musically this time around, there's still the modern folk reminiscent of David Wilcox and James Taylor, but fans will also notice Rice's newfound admiration of earthy but radio-friendly pop in the vein of John Mayer and Travis.

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