Benjamin Aaron Shive (born September 26, 1979) is an American

Christian music Christian music is music that has been written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life and faith. Common themes of Christian music include praise, worship, penitence, and lament, and its forms vary widely around ...

ian, keyboardist, arranger, and

music producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure.Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

, who mainly plays acoustic

Christian pop Contemporary Christian music, also known as CCM, Christian pop, and occasionally inspirational music is a genre of modern popular music, and an aspect of Christian media, which is lyrically focused on matters related to the Christian faith and s ...

and

folk rock Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers suc ...

music. He has released two studio albums, ''The Ill-Tempered Klavier'' in 2008 and ''The Cymbal Crashing Clouds'' in 2011. He is a

GMA Dove Award A Dove Award is an accolade by the Gospel Music Association (GMA) of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the Christian music industry. The awards are presented annually. Formerly held in Nashville, Tennessee, the Dove Awards ...

-winning music producer, for his production on ''Christmas Is Here'' from

Brandon Heath Brandon Heath Knell (born July 21, 1978) is an American contemporary Christian musician, singer, and songwriter from Nashville, Tennessee. He has released six studio albums: ''Don't Get Comfortable'' (2006), ''What If We'' (2008), ''Leaving Ede ...

Early and personal life

Shive was born on September 26, 1979, in

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

, Missouri, the son of a scientist. He has a brother, Joshua. He eventually relocated to

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

, where he attended

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 ...

to study music, while he was there he produced his first album. His second album produced was ''

Behold the Lamb of God ''Behold the Lamb of God'' (subtitled "The True Tall Tale of the Coming of Christ") is the fifth album by the American singer/songwriter Andrew Peterson. Released in 2004, it is a concept album that traces the Biblical story of the advent of Jesu ...

'' from Andrew Peterson. He has played three-times at the

Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a weekly American country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM. Currently owned and operated by Opry Entertainment (a divis ...

. He is married to Beth Shive and together they have a daughter, Lucy.

Music career

His music career started in 2008, with the studio album, ''The Ill-Tempered Klavier'', that was released on June 17, 2008, where ''

Christianity Today ''Christianity Today'' is an evangelical Christian media magazine founded in 1956 by Billy Graham. It is published by Christianity Today International based in Carol Stream, Illinois. ''The Washington Post'' calls ''Christianity Today'' "evange ...

'' rates the album five stars, stating, it "can't be recommended more highly, a rewarding and introspective listen from start to finish." He released, ''The Cymbal Crashing Clouds'', on September 26, 2011, while ''Christianity Today'' rates the album four stars, writing, "His lyrics are wildly creative; attentive listeners will pick up some clear nods to the biblical prophets, lending gravity to a transporting collection of songs." The song, "Listen!", was reviewed by The Sound Opinion, where they say, "There are diamonds out there, like this song, and diamond cutters, like Ben Shive." He was awarded the

for Christmas Album of the Year in 2014, for his production on the 2013 album ''Christmas Is Here'' by

Discography

;Studio albums * ''The Ill-Tempered Klavier'' (June 17, 2008) * ''The Cymbal Crashing Clouds'' (September 26, 2011)

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shive, Ben 1979 births Living people American performers of Christian music Musicians from St. Louis Musicians from Nashville, Tennessee Songwriters from Missouri Songwriters from Tennessee