Dave Barnes

Although born in South Carolina, singer/songwriter Dave Barnes spent most of his childhood in Mississippi, where he formed an early attachment to hip-hop but was also exposed to classic soul, blues, and R&B by his parents. He later enrolled at Middle Tennessee State University and began writing songs for other artists. Barnes also played solo shows on campus, and by the time he graduated with a degree in recording industry management, he'd decided to pursue his own music career. Barnes moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and gravitated toward the city's acoustic folk scene, though, the desire to make more groove-oriented music convinced him to assemble a full band. Barnes' soulful pop songs won him the support of artists like John Mayer, while the spiritual tone of his lyrics earned some support from the Christian music scene. Dave has had over 100 songs recorded by other artists such as Florida Georgia Line, Tim McGraw, Reba McEntire, Dan + Shay, Carrie Underwood, NEEDTOBREATHE, Billy Currington, and countless more. Of those songs, he has landed two #1's with "God Gave Me You" (Blake Shelton) and “Craving You” (Thomas Rhett and Maren Morris), a #2 with “You” (Dan + Shay), and a #13 with “Like a Lady” (Lady A). His past collaborations include artists Lindsey Stirling, Ingrid Michaelson, and Ben Rector, just to name a few.