# Dave Barnes

David Mckee Barnes (born June 20, 1978) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter from Nashville, Tennessee. He has released eight studio albums, including two Christmas albums. His most recent full-length album, Featherbrained Wealth Motel, was released in 2023.

## Early life

The eldest of three children, Barnes was born in South Carolina in 1978, the son of a pastor who relocated his family to Kosciusko, Mississippi when Barnes was six years old. The Barnes family then moved to Knoxville, Tennessee the summer during his junior year of high school, where he graduated from Farragut High School in 1996. Barnes went to college at Middle Tennessee State University and graduated with a degree in Recording Industry Management. While there, he began playing guitar and writing songs for fun. He was initially only interested in writing material for other performers but was later encouraged by his peers to perform his works himself. Barnes took their advice and began performing within the campus, and then performed at various nearby universities in regional centers as well as his own.

## Musical career

Barnes released a 10-track demo album, "little fist big hurt," around 2000. After graduating from Middle Tennessee State University, he began touring and in 2002 released his five-song EP Three, Then Four, as purely a guitar-and-vocals release. With this release and the touring performed around it, Barnes' fan following expanded, with the assistance of internet promotion. Barnes toured heavily for over a year after that. During this period, Barnes met Ed Cash, a record producer who had worked with Bebo Norman, who Barnes had previously met in 1998 at Windy Gap, a Young Life camp in North Carolina.
At the suggestion of Cash, Barnes recorded a full-band studio LP. Barnes released Brother, Bring The Sun in September 2004. This album was critically acclaimed for Barnes' songwriting and overall high-quality presentation for an independent release. Also through its release, Barnes gained notability among singers Amy Grant (who later performed on Barnes' wedding song "I Have and I Always Will"), Vince Gill, and John Mayer. In 2005, Barnes co-produced the five-song EP Today & Tomorrow for his friend Matt Wertz. Barnes also contributed his songwriting to one of its songs.
In 2006, Barnes released his second full band studio album Chasing Mississippi. In mid-to-late 2006, Barnes toured with Matt Wertz with songs from both albums and some newly written material as well. In early 2007 Barnes began experimenting with stand-up comedy and, with support from friends, put together a routine which he performed in Nashville, Tennessee.
In June 2007, Barnes re-entered the studio to record his third album. In April 2008, having signed to the record label Razor and Tie, he released his major-label debut, Me and You and the World. In promotion of the album, the song "Until You", which was previously on Brother, Bring the Sun, was re-recorded and released as a single on February 19, 2008.
In late 2008, Barnes was one of the opening acts for the shows from Orlando through Chicago on Hanson's "The Walk Around the World Tour".
Barnes' songs were also featured on the show What I Like About You, including his song "On a Night Like This", which was featured on the "Three Little Words" episode. They were sung by the main character's, Holly's, English boyfriend named Ben, and are usually serenades.
On February 3, 2009, Barnes released a Valentine's Day EP titled You, the Night, and Candlelight.
In April 2010, Barnes released his fourth full band studio album What We Want, What We Get after having released his single "God Gave Me You" from the same album. The single rose into the top-five Contemporary Christian music chart by June. Barnes appeared on the U.S. soap opera All My Children as himself and performed the song on June 10, 2010.
Blake Shelton released Barnes' song "God Gave Me You" as his second single on his album Red River Blue in fall of 2011. It became Blake's fifth number one song on country radio and has sold over one million units. In 2012, Dave Barnes was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Country Song for writing the song "God Gave Me You". In an interview with American Songwriter, Dave stated that "I honestly didn't know I could write songs that could be that universal. Songs that could be that successful. I think one of the things about that song, as I have looked back on it and sort of examined under the hood, is that the sentiment is pretty universal... The beauty of "God Gave Me You" was that I finally saw what I had done and it opened this really cool door to me being more conscious about writing songs that appeal to more people, and this new record Stories to Tell really showcases that." Stories to Tell, Dave's fifth full studio album, was released on March 13, 2012.
Dave Barnes' second Christmas collection, A December to Remember, was released on October 29, 2013. It is the follow-up to his successful 2010 holiday project Very Merry Christmas. Barnes co-produced A December to Remember, which features six originals, four written and two co-written, such as "So, Santa" and "Better Than Christmas Day". The 11-song line-up also includes five Christmas classics, from "White Christmas" to "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year".
On January 28, 2014, he released Golden Days with the album's first single, "Good".
Barnes released a second Valentine's Day EP on February 10, 2015, consisting of six acoustic songs and titled Hymns for Her.
He released his seventh full-length album, Carry On, San Vincente, in 2016.
In 2018 he released the album Who Knew It Would Be So Hard To Be Myself.
In 2020 he released his new album Dreaming in Electric Blue.

## Songwriting

As a songwriter, Barnes has both written and co-written songs with Joey Humke for Carrie Underwood, Thomas Rhett and Maren Morris, Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Hunter Hayes, Marc Broussard, Bebo Norman, Matt Wertz, Andrew Ripp, Billy Currington, Tim McGraw, Danielle Bradbery, Francesca Battistelli, Bethany Dillon, Lady A, Maddie & Tae, and Ingrid Michaelson.

### Written and co-written songs

| Year | Artist | Album | Song | Co-written with |
| 2004 | Bethany Dillon | Bethany Dillon | "All I Need" | Bethany Dillon, Ed Cash |
| 2004 | Marc Broussard | Carencro | "Lonely Night in Georgia" | Marc Broussard, Martin Sexton |
| 2004 | Marc Broussard | Carencro | "Gavin's Song" | Marc Broussard |
| 2005 | Bethany Dillon | Imagination | "All That I Can Do" | Bethany Dillon, Ed Cash |
| 2006 | Bebo Norman | Between the Dreaming and the Coming True | "The Way We Mend" | Bebo Norman |
| 2010 | Billy Currington | Enjoy Yourself | "Until You" |
| 2011 | Blake Shelton | Red River Blue | "God Gave Me You" |
| 2011 | Francesca Battistelli | Hundred More Years | "Emily (It's Love)" (featuring Dave Barnes) | Francesca Battistelli |
| 2011 | Matt Wertz | Weights & Wings | "Somebody Like You" | Matt Wertz |
| 2013 | Danielle Bradbery | Danielle Bradbery | "Daughter of a Workin' Man" | Nicolle Galyon, Clint Lagerberg |
| 2013 | Andrew Ripp | Won't Let Go | "Someone to Love You" | Andrew Ripp |
| 2015 | Hunter Hayes | The 21 Project | "Young and in Love" | Hunter Hayes |
| 2017 | Thomas Rhett | Life Changes | "Craving You" (featuring Maren Morris) | Julian Bunetta |
| 2018 | Carrie Underwood | Cry Pretty | "Kingdom" | Carrie Underwood, Chris DeStefano |
| 2019 | Lady A | Ocean | "Be Patient with My Love" | Charles Kelley, Ben West |
| 2019 | Lady A | Ocean | "On a Night Like This" |
| 2020 | Maddie & Tae | The Way It Feels | "My Man" | Taylor Dye, Maddie Marlow, Jordan Reynolds |
| 2020 | Maddie & Tae | The Way It Feels | "Ain’t There Yet" | Taylor Dye, Maddie Marlow, Ben West |
| 2020 | Maddie & Tae | The Way It Feels | "Lay Here with Me" (featuring Dierks Bentley) | Taylor Dye, Maddie Marlow, Josh Kerr |
| 2021 | Ingrid Michaelson | Songs for the Season | "Christmas Valentine" (featuring Jason Mraz) | Ingrid Michaelson, Jason Mraz |
| 2021 | Ingrid Michaelson | Songs for the Season | "Merry Christmas, Happy New Year" (featuring Zooey Deschanel) | Ingrid Michaelson, Zooey Deschanel |

## Personal life

Barnes and his wife, Annie, have three children - Ben, Suzanna, and Sam.

## Discography
### Studio albums

| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions |
| Title | Details | US | US Christ | US Rock |
| little fist big hurt | Release date: ~2000 Label: independent release Formats: CD | — | — | — |
| Brother, Bring the Sun | Release date: September 21, 2004 Label: No Gang Music Formats: CD, music download | — | — | — |
| Chasing Mississippi | Release date: March 21, 2006 Label: No Gang Music Formats: CD, music download | — | — | — |
| Me and You and the World | Release date: April 1, 2008 Label: Razor & Tie Formats: CD, music download | 94 | — | — |
| What We Want, What We Get | Release date: April 6, 2010 Label: Razor & Tie Formats: CD, music download | 59 | 3 | 17 |
| Stories to Tell | Release date: March 13, 2012 Label: Razor & Tie Formats: CD, music download | 59 | 3 | — |
| Golden Days | Release date: January 28, 2014 Label: 50 Year Plan Records Formats: CD, music download | 169 | 9 | — |
| Carry On, San Vicente | Release date: March 18, 2016 Label: 50 Year Plan Records Formats: CD, music download, LP | — | — | – |
| Who Knew It Would Be So Hard To Be Myself | Release date: February 9, 2018 Label: 50 Year Plan Records Formats: CD, music download, LP | — | — | — |
| Dreaming in Electric Blue | Release date: April 3, 2020 Label: 50 Year Plan Records Formats: CD, music download, LP | — | — | — |
| Notes from Paris | Release date: September 10, 2021 Label: 50 Year Plan Records Formats: Music download, LP | — | — | — |
| Featherbrained Wealth Motel | Release date: October 20, 2023 Label: 50 Year Plan Records Formats: Music download, LP | — | — | — |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart |||||

### Extended plays

| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions |
| Title | Details | US | US Christ | US Rock |
| Three, Then Four | Release date: January 12, 2002 Label: No Gang Music Formats: CD, music download | — | — | — |
| You, the Night, and Candlelight | Release date: February 9, 2009 Label: Razor & Tie Formats: CD, music download | 158 | — | — |
| Hymns for Her | Release date: February 10, 2015 Label: 50 Year Plan Records Formats: CD, music download | — | 12 | — |
| Who Knew (Vol. 1) | Release date: December 12, 2017 Label: 50 Year Plan Records Format: Music download | — | — | — |
| Who Knew It Would Be So Hard (Vol. 2) | Release date: January 12, 2018 Label: 50 Year Plan Records Format: Music download | — | — | — |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart |||||

### Compilations

| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions |
| Title | Details | US | US Christ | US Rock |
| Remembering: Greatest Hits Acoustic | Release date: August 12, 2022 Label: 50 Year Plan Records Formats: Music download, LP | — | — | — |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart |||||

### Christmas albums

| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions |
| Title | Details | US | US Christ | US Holiday | US Rock |
| Very Merry Christmas | Release date: November 9, 2010 Label: Razor & Tie Formats: CD, music download | 80 | 6 | 13 | 15 |
| A December to Remember | Release date: October 29, 2013 Label: 50 Year Plan Records Formats: CD, music download | — | 18 | 22 | — |

### Christmas extended plays

| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions |
| Title | Details | US | US Christ | US Holiday | US Rock |
| I Wish It Would Snow | Release date: November 19, 2021 Label: 50 Year Plan Records Format: Music download, LP | — | — | — | — |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart ||||||

### Singles

| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Album |
| Year | Single | US AC | US Christ | Album |
| 2004 | "Crazyboutya" | — | — | Brother, Bring the Sun |
| 2004 | "Grace's Amazing Hands" | — | — | Brother, Bring the Sun |
| 2006 | "Miles to Go" | — | — | Chasing Mississippi |
| 2006 | "Everybody But You" | — | — | Chasing Mississippi |
| 2008 | "Until You" | — | — | Me and You and the World |
| 2008 | "Brothers & Sisters" | — | — | Me and You and the World |
| 2008 | "Good World Gone Bad" | — | — | Me and You and the World |
| 2009 | "Nothing Else" | — | — | Me and You and the World |
| 2009 | "Since You Said I Do" | — | — | Me and You and the World |
| 2009 | "Loving You, Loving Me" | — | — | You, the Night & Candlelight |
| 2010 | "God Gave Me You" | 21 | 13 | What We Want, What We Get |
| 2010 | "Little Lies" | — | — | What We Want, What We Get |
| 2010 | "Look So Easy" | — | — | What We Want, What We Get |
| 2010 | "Family Tree" | — | 25 | Very Merry Christmas |
| 2010 | "I Pray on Christmas" | — | 37 | Very Merry Christmas |
| 2010 | "Christmas Tonight" (featuring Hillary Scott) | 9 | — | Very Merry Christmas |
| 2011 | "The Christmas Song" | — | 45 | Very Merry Christmas |
| 2011 | "What I Need" (featuring Jonny Lang) | — | 40 | What We Want, What We Get |
| 2012 | "Hey Now" | — | — | non-album single |
| 2012 | "White Flag" | — | — | Stories To Tell |
| 2012 | "Love Will Be Enough For Us" | — | — | Stories To Tell |
| 2013 | "Good" | — | 50 | Golden Days |
| 2014 | "Somehow Saving You" | — | — | non-album single |
| 2020 | "Dreaming in Electric Blue" | — | — | Dreaming in Electric Blue |
| 2020 | "Sorry's So Hard To Say (Remix)" (featuring The Shadowboxers) | — | — | Dreaming in Electric Blue (Reimagined) |
| 2020 | "Love Somebody (Josh Kerr Remix)" | — | — | Dreaming in Electric Blue (Reimagined) |
| 2020 | "Sing Me Home" | — | — | Notes from Paris |
| 2020 | "We're Gonna Miss These Days" | — | — | Notes from Paris |
| 2020 | "You to Me" | — | — | I Wish It Would Snow |
| 2020 | "Go Tell it on the Mountain" | — | — | I Wish It Would Snow |
| 2021 | "My Love Will Follow You" | — | — | Notes from Paris |
| 2021 | "Only Good Will Come of This" | — | — | Notes from Paris |
| 2021 | "Everytime She Falls in Love" | — | — | Notes from Paris |
| 2021 | "The Lord Ain't Let Me Down Lately" | — | — | Notes from Paris |
| 2021 | "June" (featuring Suzy Jones) | — | — | Notes from Paris |
| 2021 | "Christmas Back Home" | — | — | I Wish It Would Snow |
| 2023 | "Sunshine" | — | — | Featherbrained Wealth Motel |
| 2023 | "Hayley With a Heart" | — | — | Featherbrained Wealth Motel |
| 2023 | "Yearslong" | — | — | Featherbrained Wealth Motel |
| 2024 | "Better Woman" | — | — | Featherbrained Wealth Motel (Deluxe) |
| 2025 | "Some People's Kids" | — | — | non-album single |
| 2025 | "Symphony" | — | — | non-album single |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart |||||

## Awards and nominations

CMA Awards
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
| 2012 | "God Gave Me You" | Song of the Year | Nominated |
Dove Awards
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
| 2018 | "Washed By the Water" | Southern Gospel Recorded Song of the Year | Won |
Grammy Awards
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
| 2012 | "God Gave Me You" | Best Country Song | Nominated |