John Wesley Tibbs (born March 22, 1990) is an American Christian musician, who showcases his signature

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heartland Heartland or Heartlands may refer to: Businesses and organisations * Heartland Bank, a New Zealand-based financial institution * Heartland Inn, a chain of hotels based in Iowa, United States * Heartland Alliance, an anti-poverty organization i ...

roots rock sound, with biblically-based autobiographical lyricism. He has released three independently-made extended plays, ''Origins'' in 2010, ''Swallowing Death, Breathing Life'' in 2012, and ''Anchor'' in 2013. His first major-label release, '' Dead Man Walking'', is released by

Fair Trade Services Fair Trade Services, formerly known as INO Records, is an American record label based in Brentwood, Tennessee, specializing in Contemporary Christian music (CCM). History The label was founded in 1999 as INO Records, a division of M2 Communica ...

, in late October 2015. The single, "Dead Man Walking", featuring

Ellie Holcomb Elizabeth Asher HolcombASCAP IPI #584603533 (née Bannister; born September 12, 1982) is an American Contemporary Christian music, CCM-folk music, folk singer-songwriter raised in Nashville, Tennessee. Her father is noted music producer Brown B ...

, has broken through on the ''Billboard'' magazine Christian Airplay chart. His first studio album, '' Dead Man Walking'', was released on February 5, 2016, from Fair Trade Services alongside

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

. He released his independent project, ''

Heartland Heartland or Heartlands may refer to: Businesses and organisations * Heartland Bank, a New Zealand-based financial institution * Heartland Inn, a chain of hotels based in Iowa, United States * Heartland Alliance, an anti-poverty organization i ...

'', in October 2017.

Early and personal life

Tibbs was born, John Wesley Tibbs on March 22, 1990 in Lexington, Kentucky. Tibbs attended Anderson University, located in

Anderson, Indiana Anderson, named after Chief William Anderson, is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Indiana, United States. It is the principal city of the Anderson, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses Madison County. Anderson is ...

, where he led worship at Madison Park Church, for a four-year stint. Tibbs would date and eventually marry

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

-native, Emily Suzanne Tibbs (''

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

'', Stottlemyer), in 2011. In the early-to-mid 2010s, they would leave Anderson to move to

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

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 ...

. He is an avid fan of the

Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team The Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team is an American college basketball team that represents the University of Kentucky. Kentucky is the most successful NCAA Division I basketball program in history in terms of all-time winning percentage ...

Music career

His music recording career started in 2010, with the extended play, ''Origins'', that was independently released. He would release two more extended plays independently, ''Swallowing Death, Breathing Life'' in 2012, and ''Anchor'' in 2013, where Matt Conner in a four star review wrote, "It's astounding that a label hasn't swept up the bright young star in the worship universe known as John Tibbs." Upon demand, Tibbs began to tour his music full-time in 2013. In addition to touring consistently, he amassed an online community of more than 100,000 fans who helped crowd-fund two breakout independent recordings which earned national notoriety on NoiseTrade. This influence led him to tour independently with Audrey Assad, and open for acts like Gungor and Tenth Avenue North. Tibbs would go on to sign with

, where they are releasing, '' Dead Man Walking'', on October 30, 2015. Earlier this year, audiences across the country were introduced to Tibbs' compelling live performance as a special guest on Newsboys' "We Believe...God's Not Dead" Spring Tour. His single, "Dead Man Walking", featuring

, has broken through on the ''Billboard'' magazine Christian Airplay chart, becoming a Top 20 AC song at Christian radio. The song and the entire EP was produced by

Ben Shive Benjamin Aaron Shive (born September 26, 1979) is an American Christian musician, keyboardist, arranger, and music producer, who mainly plays acoustic Christian pop and folk rock music. He has released two studio albums, ''The Ill-Tempered Klavie ...

. His first studio album, '' Dead Man Walking'', was released on February 5, 2016, from Fair Trade Services alongside

. Tibbs released his independent eight-song album, ''

'', October 2017.

Discography

;Studio albums * '' Dead Man Walking'' (February 5, 2016,

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Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region in ...

) ;EPs * ''Origins'' (2010) * ''Swallowing Death, Breathing Life'' (2012) * ''Anchor'' (2013) * '' Dead Man Walking'' (2015) * ''Wilder Years'' (2020)

References

External links

Official website

New Release Today profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tibbs, John 1990 births Living people American performers of Christian music Columbia Records artists Fair Trade Services artists Musicians from Lexington, Kentucky Musicians from Indianapolis Songwriters from Kentucky Songwriters from Pennsylvania Songwriters from Illinois Songwriters from Indiana Songwriters from Tennessee Singers from Kentucky Singers from Pennsylvania Singers from Illinois Singers from Nashville, Tennessee 21st-century American singers