Andrew Brooks Greer (born July 10, 1982) is a touring independent singer-songwriter and writer living in Nashville,

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

Background

Greer was born in Azle,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

, on July 10, 1982, the son of Thomas and Jane Greer ('' née'', Girard), before moving to Nashville, Tennessee to attend

Belmont University Belmont University is a private Christian university in Nashville, Tennessee. Descended from Belmont Women's College, founded in 1890 by schoolteachers Ida Hood and Susan Heron, the institution was incorporated in 1951 as Belmont College. It be ...

. After graduating in 2004 with a Bachelor of Music (BM), he worked at

Michael W. Smith Michael Whitaker Smith (born October 7, 1957) is an American musician who has charted in both contemporary Christian and mainstream charts. His biggest success in mainstream music was in 1991 when " Place in This World" hit No. 6 on the '' ...

Rocketown Records Rocketown Records was an independent record label which was started in 1996 by Michael W. Smith. In the fall of 1995, met with Don Donahue, A&R director at Reunion Records, to discuss creation of the label. In 1996, Word Records bought a minorit ...

before beginning his own singer-songwriter artist career in 2009 with the release of the record, ''Open Book'', his author career in 2015 with the release of the book ''Transcending Mysteries'', and a podcast and TV show host in 2017 with the release of the show ''Dinner Conversations with Mark Lowry and Andrew Greer''.

Music career

Greer's debut album was a critical success, earning 4 out of 5 stars from '' Christianity Today'' which called ''Open Book'', "an intensely reflective record that digs deep," and 5 out of 5 stars from ''The Christian Manifesto'', which said, "Greer writes with a soul-bearing honesty refreshing to hear in an industry where cliché after cliché comes all too often. ''Open Book'' is a masterpiece." Features in other high-profile national outlets like ''

CCM Magazine ''CCM Magazine'' is a twice-monthly online magazine focusing on contemporary Christian music, published by Salem Publishing, a division of Salem Communications. History ''CCM'' was first published in July 1978, as a printed magazine. It has be ...

'' and ''Christian Musician'' followed. He was also featured as a worship leader for

Centrifuge A centrifuge is a device that uses centrifugal force to separate various components of a fluid. This is achieved by spinning the fluid at high speed within a container, thereby separating fluids of different densities (e.g. cream from milk) or ...

's national student camps in 2011. Greer will release his second album, ''Angel Band: The Hymn Sessions'' in January 2012. The recording features vintage hymns in an Americana style with a line-up of special guests like

Ron Block Ronald Franklin Block (born July 30, 1964) is an American banjo player, guitarist, and singer-songwriter, best known as a member of the bluegrass band Alison Krauss & Union Station. He has won 14 Grammy Awards, 6 International Bluegrass Music A ...

Alison Krauss & Union Station Alison Krauss & Union Station is an American bluegrass and country band associated with singer Alison Krauss. It was initially composed of Krauss, Jeff White, Mike Harman and John Pennell. Later additions included Tim Stafford, Ron Block, Ada ...

Cindy Morgan Cindy Morgan (born Cynthia Ann Cichorski; September 29, 1954) is an American actress known for her appearances as Lora/Yori in ''Tron'' and Lacey Underall in ''Caddyshack''. Life and career Morgan was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Polish and ...

Ginny Owens Virginia Leigh Owens (born April 22, 1975) is an American singer, songwriter, author, and blogger. She is known for performing Contemporary Christian music, but has more recently had her songs featured on ''WB'', ''ABC'' TV shows, and independent ...

Sonya Isaacs Sonya Melissa Isaacs (born July 22, 1974) is an American country, bluegrass gospel and Christian music singer. Isaacs grew up near Morrow, Ohio, and graduated from Little Miami High School in 1992. Her maternal grandparents are Polish Jewish ...

, Marc Scibilia,

Sandra McCracken Sandra Marie McCracken Work ID: 886831052 ISWC: T9140398330 (born June 16, 1977) is an independent singer-songwriter. She currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee. Drawing from folk, gospel, and hymn traditions, her music often weaves together ...

Julie Lee Julie Lee is a singer/songwriter originally from Maryland now living in Nashville, Tennessee. She is a member of the band Old Black Kettle, with Sarah Siskind, and has collaborated with Sarah Masen, Ron Block, Mike Farris, Vince Gill, Tim O'Br ...

and The McCrary Sisters. He has released a playlist of "Behind the Scenes" videos with select guest artists to help promote ''Angel Band''. In the fall of 2012, Andrew joined forces with 12-time Dove Award-winning singer/songwriter

for Food for the Hungry's "Hymns for Hunger" Tour, helping raise awareness and resources for local and international hunger relief organizations at tour stops across the country. The tour has visited dozens of cities within the United States and has been featured in special performances at the National Religious Broadcasters Convention, the

Billy Graham Evangelistic Association The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) is a non-profit Christian outreach organization that promotes multimedia evangelism, conducts evangelistic crusades, and engages in disaster response. The BGEA operates the Billy Graham Trainin ...

Samaritan's Purse Samaritan's Purse is an Evangelicalism, evangelical Christian humanitarian aid organization that provides aid to people in physical need as a key part of its Christian missionary work. The organization's president is Franklin Graham, son of Chri ...

and

Amy Grant Amy Lee Grant (born November 25, 1960) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. She began in contemporary Christian music (CCM) before crossing over to pop music in the 1980s and 1990s. She has been referred to as "The Queen of Christia ...

's "A Tennessee Weekend". In conjunction with the "Hymns for Hunger" tour, Cindy and Andrew were featured on the Winter 2013 cover of ''Collegiate'' Magazine. In the spring of 2013, Greer released ''All Things Bright & Beautiful: Hymns for the Seasons'', an instrumental hymns record. The record hit the #1 position on Nielsen Christian

SoundScan Luminate (formerly Nielsen SoundScan, Nielsen Music Products, and MRC Data) is a provider of music sales data. Established by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett in 1991, data is collected weekly and made available every Sunday (for albums sales) and eve ...

's Instrumental Chart for 25 weeks. ''All Things Bright & Beautiful'' received a 2013

Gospel Music Association The Gospel Music Association (GMA) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1964 for the purpose of supporting and promoting the development of all forms of gospel music. As of 2011, there are about 4,000 members worldwide. The GMA's membership co ...

Dove Award nomination for "Instrumental Album of the Year". In November 2013, Andrew released the second installment in his "Angel Band" series with "Angel Band: The Christmas Sessions", featuring collaborations with Americana and Gospel artists

Phil Madeira Philip Kamm Madeira (born 1952) is an American songwriter, producer, musician and singer. He was raised in Barrington, Rhode Island, and attended Taylor University, graduating in 1975. His songs have been recorded by The Civil Wars, Buddy Mill ...

, The McCrary Sisters, Emily Deloach, his tourmate Cindy Morgan and

Sandi Patty Sandra Faye "Sandi" Patty (born July 12, 1956) is an American Christian music singer, known for her wide soprano vocal range and expressive flexibility. Biography Early life Patty was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, into a family of musician ...

. The record reached the Top 10 on iTunes' Singer/Songwriter chart upon release. In October 2014, Greer produced and arranged "All is Calm, All is Bright: Songs of Christmas", a multi-artist compilation featuring

Jaci Velasquez Jacquelyn "Jaci" Davette Velasquez (Spanish ''Jaci Velásquez'', born October 15, 1979) is an American actress and contemporary Christian and Latin pop singer and songwriter, performing in both English and Spanish. Velasquez has sold almost ...

, Seth and Nirva, American Idol's

Melinda Doolittle Melinda Marie Doolittle (born October 6, 1977) is an American singer who finished as the third place finalist on the sixth season of ''American Idol''. Prior to her appearance on ''American Idol'', Doolittle worked as a professional back-up sin ...

and R&B superstar

Montell Jordan Montell Du'Sean Barnett Jordan (born December 3, 1968) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Best known for his 1995 single "This Is How We Do It", Jordan was the primary male solo artist on Def Jam's Def Soul imprint until le ...

. The project spent six consecutive weeks atop Parable Christian Stores National Retail chart marking Greer's second #1-selling set for the retailer. On October 23, 2015, Greer will release his first live concert project nationwide. Filmed in Nashville, Tennessee as a television special, "An Angel Band Christmas LIVE" features gospel music friends

Point of Grace Point of Grace is an all-female contemporary Christian music vocal group. The current trio consists of Shelley Breen, Denise Jones, and Leigh Cappillino. The group started out as a quartet in 1991, with original members Breen and Jones, as wel ...

, "Hymns for Hunger" tourmate

, Nic Gonzales (of the band Salvador) and Women of Faith speaker/author Patsy Clairmont.

Writing career

Greer is also known for his published commentaries and editorials in national publications like '' Christianity Today'', "In Touch" and ''ParentLife''. Thomas Nelson published his first book in the spring of 2015, ''Transcending Mysteries: Who is God, and What Does He Want from Us?'' co-written with

. Greer's second book is entitled, ''Winds of Heaven, Stuff of Earth: Spiritual Conversations Inspired by the Life and Lyrics of Rich Mullins''. The collection of essays edited and written by Greer and other contributors, including a foreword by

, was published by Worthy Publishing in September 2017 to coincide with the twentieth anniversary of legendary singer/songwriter Rich Mullins' untimely death in 1997. The book reached the #1 position on

Amazon.com Amazon.com, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational technology company focusing on e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. It has been referred to as "one of the most influential econo ...

's New Releases in Christian Literature & Art list upon release.

TV and Podcast Career

In the fall of 2017, Andrew Greer and co-host

Mark Lowry Mark Alan Lowry (born June 24, 1958) is an American singer, comedian, minister and songwriter. He is best known for co-writing the song " Mary, Did You Know?" and being a member of the Gaither Vocal Band from 1988 to 2001, and 2009 to 2013, al ...

created and released an audio and video podcast and television show called, ''Dinner Conversations with Mark Lowry and Andrew Greer''. Subtitled "Turning the Light on One Question at a Time," Season One of the podcast featured notable artists and authors

Chonda Pierce Chonda Ruth Pierce (née Courtney, born March 4, 1960), is a Christian comedian often billed as "The Queen of Clean." Background She was born, Chonda Ruth Courtney, in Covington, Kentucky, on March 4, 1960, while she was raised in South Carolina ...

Russ Taff Russell Taff (born November 11, 1953) is an American gospel singer and songwriter who grew up in Farmersville, California. He has sung a variety of musical styles throughout his career including: pop rock, traditional Southern gospel, contempor ...

Women of Faith Women of Faith is a global ministry (87 countries) Christian, providing digital media, resources and events to encourage and equip women to experience a deeper relationship with Jesus. It has staged non-denominational events across North Americ ...

's Patsy Clairmont, Anita Renfroe,

and many others, in conversations addressing topics like racism, addiction, blended families and adoption. In its first season the show reached #1 on the iTunes Video Podcast Chart (Religion & Spirituality), #7 on the overall Video Podcast chart, and #4 on the Audio Podcast (Religion & Spirituality) chart. In January 2018, the show debuted on nationwide television through a syndication partnership with Cornerstone Television Network. In 2018, Greer partnered with

to create and host ''Features on Film with Andrew Greer'', filming interviews and exclusive performances with conversational artists and authors.

Angel Band reception

''Angel Band: The Hymn Sessions'' reached #2 on

's Hot New Releases in Contemporary Folk chart. Crosswalk.com says "Greer shows that he is a rare breed of artist who has the ability to oscillate between genres effortlessly—contemporary, bluegrass, Americana, inspirational, worship—affording him creativity most artistswish they could pull off," and

adds "Despite the tremendous guest list…Greer's strong vocal styling and impeccable arrangements stand tallest—a testimony to Greer's vision for this hymns project.". Andrew also made media appearances on TV shows like "Good Day Dallas" and scored front page features in "

The Tennessean ''The Tennessean'' (known until 1972 as ''The Nashville Tennessean'') is a daily newspaper in Nashville, Tennessee. Its circulation area covers 39 counties in Middle Tennessee and eight counties in southern Kentucky. It is owned by Gannett, ...

" and

. Andrew also headlined a national tour, "Under the Radar presents The Angel Band Tour" with Nashville folk singer/songwriter,

. "Angel Band: The Christmas Sessions" received various praises. CCMMagazine.com said, “His richly passionate vocals are just as capable of volleying with the tender Sandi Patty (‘Ave Maria’) or the earthy Cindy Morgan (‘A Cradle in Bethlehem’) as they are hitting a soulful stride next to The McCrary Sisters (‘The Little Drummer Boy’), all while individually earning titles of master interpreter and emotive originator.” While ''Worship Leader'' magazine lauds Greer’s collaboration with The McCrary Sisters as “…the most evocative and captivating version of ‘The Little Drummer Boy’ ever...” Th
official music video
for Greer and

's "Ave Maria" duet premiered nationwide on

UP TV UP TV (stylized as UPtv; formerly GMC TV and originally Gospel Music Channel) is an American basic cable television network that was founded to have a focus on gospel music. It has expanded into family-friendly original movies, series, and special ...

in the fall of 2014.

Discography

*2009
Open Book
*2012:
Angel Band: The Hymn Sessions
' *2013
''All Things Bright & Beautiful: Hymns for the Seasons''
*2013
''Angel Band: The Christmas Sessions''
*2014
''All Is Calm, All Is Bright: Songs Of Christmas''
*2015
''An Angel Band Christmas LIVE''

References

External links

Official WebsiteFacebookYouTubeInstagramTwitterMyspace
{{DEFAULTSORT:Greer, Andrew 1982 births American male singer-songwriters Singer-songwriters from Texas People from Azle, Texas Christian music songwriters Performers of contemporary Christian music Living people 21st-century American singers 21st-century American male singers