Jimmy Needham (born August 22, 1985) is an American contemporary Christian musician signed to

Inpop Records Inpop Records is an independent contemporary Christian music record label based in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. It was launched in July 1999 by Australians Peter Furler, Dale Bray, and Wes Campbell. The name was derived from the idea of wanting t ...

. He released debut album, ''For Freedom'', an independent release, in 2005, and after signing with the Christian record label Inpop in 2006, a series of albums: '' Speak'' (2006), '' Not Without Love'' (2008), '' Nightlights'' (2010), ''

Clear the Stage ''Clear the Stage'' was the fourth studio album from Christian contemporary Christian musician Jimmy Needham, which was released on March 27, 2012 by Inpop Records, and was produced by Ed Cash and Jimmy Needham. The album has seen commercial cha ...

'' (2012), and '' Vice & Virtue'' (2015).

Background

He is a graduate of

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

, where he studied history and philosophy, and also a graduate of

Tomball High School Tomball High School is an accredited public high school in the city of Tomball, Texas. It was the only high school in the Tomball Independent School District before the construction of Tomball Memorial High School in 2011. The high school was rem ...

. Needham's first album, ''For Freedom'', was independently released in 2005, with the help of Troy Warren Jr. He signed with the Christian record label Inpop in 2006, and released his major label debut album, '' Speak'', later that year. In late 2007, Needham toured with NewSong, Echoing Angels and Nate Sallie. His second major album, '' Not Without Love'', was released on August 19, 2008. He was also a guest on the ''Relentless'' tour with

Natalie Grant Natalie Diane Grant (born December 21, 1971) is an American singer and songwriter of contemporary Christian music. She received the Gospel Music Association's Dove Award for Female Vocalist of the Year four consecutive years (2006, 2007, 2008 an ...

. On May 18, 2010, Needham released '' Nightlights'', on Inpop records. ''

'', released on March 27, 2012 reached No. 128 on ''Billboard'' 200 chart on the week of April 14, 2012, and to No. 9 on the

Top Christian Albums Top Christian Albums is a weekly chart published in ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the best-performing Christian albums in the United States. Like the ''Billboard'' 200, the data is compiled by Nielsen Soundscan based on each album's weekly ...

chart. It briefly appeared at No. 59 on Sverigetopplistan on July 6, 2012. The title song, "Clear the Stage", is a contemporary Christian song written by Ross King. On September 10, 2013, Jimmy Needham released the ten-track, '' The Hymns Sessions, Vol. 1'', containing eight contemporary interpretations of traditional hymns, like "Christos anesti", "

How Great Thou Art "How Great Thou Art" is a Christian hymn based on an original Swedish hymn entitled "" written in 1885 by Carl Boberg (1859–1940). The English version of the hymn and its title are a loose translation by the English missionary Stuart K. Hine ...

" featuring

Trip Lee William Lee Barefield III (born December 17, 1987), better known by his stage name Trip Lee, is an American Christian rapper and singer. Signed to Reach Records, he has recorded both as a solo artist and as a founding member of the 116 Clique. ...

and " Holy Holy Holy" featuring

Shane & Shane Shane & Shane is a Texas-based contemporary worship music band known for acoustic praise and worship music. The band consists of Shane Barnard (vocals, acoustic guitar) and Shane Everett (vocals). They are often joined by their drummer and manag ...

, and two originals: "The Gospel" and "It Is Finished". The follow-up album, ''Vice & Virtue'', his sixth, was released on May 5, 2015.

Personal life

He is married to his wife Kelly, for whom he has written two songs that appeared on '' Not Without Love''. They are "Firefly", a lighthearted, "ragtime style" song about marriage, and "Unfailing Love (Kelly's Song)", a ballad that Needham sang at his wedding, originally written as a proposal to Kelly.

Discography

Albums

Singles

(charting) * "Dearly Loved" (ranked No. 11 on the "Top Contemporary Hit Songs" list by ''Christian Radio & Retail Weekly'', April 27, 2007) * "Fence Riders" (ranked No. 14 on '' R&R''s magazine's December 15, 2007 chart)December 15, 2007
'' R&R''s magazine's chart as reported at the

Weekend 22 The ''Weekend 22'' (abbreviated as ''W22'') is a Christian music countdown. It is a syndicated show that is broadcast nationwide in the United States and heard in over 150 cities across the country. The show is produced and syndicated worldwide ...

. Retrieved December 29, 2007 * "A Breath or Two" (No. 8 on the Christian AC

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 ...

and Overall Christian Digital charts. Also reached No. 13 on '' R&R''s Christian CHR radio chart)

Guest appearances

* 2010: "Yours to Own" (

) * 2012: "Take Me There" (Trip Lee)

Compilation appearances

* 2007: ''iPop 2008'', "Lost at Sea" ( Inpop) * 2009: '' WOW Hits 2010'', "Forgiven and Loved" (Inpop)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Needham, Jimmy Living people American performers of Christian music Performers of contemporary Christian music Inpop Records artists Texas A&M University alumni 1985 births People from Tomball, Texas