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Chris Rice is an American singer and songwriter who works in the contemporary Christian music, contemporary folk, adult contemporary and adult album alternative genres. He became a recording artist in 1996 after signing a contract with Rocketown Records and releasing his debut album, Deep Enough to Dream. He released six albums between 1996 and 2007, before entering a 12-year hiatus. In 2019, he ended his hiatus and released a joint album with gospel artist Andrew Ripp. In 2020, Rice was accused of sexual assaulting a minor between 1995 and 2003, while Rice led worship at retreats for a church. An independent report found the allegations to be credible.

Early life and education

Chris Rice, a native of Clinton, Maryland, grew up as the second of four sons born to bookstore owners. His parents, and other adult mentors, influenced Rice's Christian faith and his early work with youth and college students.

Having taken only three years of piano lessons as a child, Rice did not aspire to a career in either music or student work. But frequent invitations to speak and lead music at his church's youth group events led to more such invitations throughout his college years at the University of Maryland, Grace College in Winona Lake, Indiana, and Union University in Jackson, Tennessee. He holds a bachelor's degree in Psychology and Communication. While leading music and coaching high school soccer teams he began writing songs. What began as weekend and summer work with youth and college students soon turned into a full-time career during his twenties and thirties, and prompted Rice to write and perform mainly on the guitar.

For those two decades, Rice spent his time as an itinerant speaker and songwriter/musician, playing for high school and college conferences and camps nationwide. This schedule prepared Chris for his career as a signed recording artist, touring the country with a full band.

Career

As a songwriter

Rice's songwriting career began in the mid-1980s, after moving from his Washington, D.C., home to Nashville, Tenn. During that period several of Rice's songs were recorded by other artists, including Kathy Troccoli and Terri Gibbs. Rice's "Welcome to Our World", an original Christmas song since recorded by Michael W. Smith, Amy Grant and John Tesh, moved Smith to urge his new label, Rocketown Records, to sign Rice as its first artist in 1996.

Solo artist

With the help of Monroe Jones' production skills, Chris Rice recorded Deep Enough to Dream for a September 1997 release. Past the Edges followed a year later. Rice's third album, Smell the Color 9, was issued in late 2000.

In 2001, Rice released two piano-only, instrumental releases, The Living Room Sessions and The Living Room Sessions: Christmas, recorded on Rice's own living room grand piano.

His sixth album, Run the Earth... Watch the Sky, released in March 2003, Chris again joined the production talents of his longtime friend and collaborator Monroe Jones. The album's first single was "The Other Side of the Radio".

These four studio releases (plus the two instrumental releases) fulfilled Rice's contractual commitment to Rocketown and they issued several compilation albums, Short Term Memories and Snapshots: Live and Fan Favorites, following his departure in June 2004 and February 2005 respectively.

New record label

Rice signed with independent label Eb+Flo Records, and made a marketing and distribution agreement with INO Records who had distribution through Sony/Columbia removed the limitation of catering his music to Christian radio formats.

His fifth studio album, Amusing, released in August 2005. For the first time in his career, Rice released radio singles to AC and Light Rock stations around the country, the first single being a light romantic song entitled "When Did You Fall (In Love With Me?)" which reached No. 8 on the Pop AC radio format and enjoyed Top Ten status throughout the middle of 2006. A second AC hit, "Lemonade", began climbing the AC chart in 2007.

With his success on the AC radio format, Rice released a side project hearkening back to his roots, a vocal hymns album, Peace Like a River: The Hymns Project, in November 2006.

Rice released What a Heart Is Beating For in July 2007, further positioning him as a pop artist. Only 2 of its 13 songs contained overt faith themes.

Other

Since 2007, Rice has branched out in the visual arts, including photography and painting. In 2016, he self-published Widen, a book of poetry.

In December 2018, Rice and Andrew Ripp pre-released an album, Songs We Wrote on Tuesdays, as Ripp+Rice as well as a single "This Ain't No Love Song" from that album. The album, a mix of adult contemporary and country music and was officially released on January 4, 2019.

Sexual assault allegations

On October 15, 2020, Relevant reported that a young man made allegations of sexual assault against Rice. He claimed that they had occurred several times between 1995 and 2003 when Rice led worship at retreats for the youth and college students of Tates Creek Presbyterian Church in Lexington, Kentucky. The church's statement stated that the church elders had voted unanimously to initiate an independent investigation with an outside organization, GRACE, "that investigates allegations of abuse in Christian institutions." The church pastor said that although Rice was never an employee of the church, they felt responsible for investigating the matter because “if this individual had not been involved in our youth ministry, he would not have been exposed to Mr. Rice.”

In June 2022, Tates Creek Presbyterian Church released GRACE's report which found the allegations to be credible.

Discography

Studio albums

EPs and other releases

Singles

Awards

• 1998 – Nominated for six Dove Awards, including New Artist of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, Songwriter of the Year and Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year
• 1999 – Dove Award winner for Male Vocalist of the Year and for participation in Special Event Album of the Year – Exodus
• 2000 – Dove Award nominee for Recorded Music Packaging
• 2002 – Dove Award nominee for Instrumental Album of the Year – Living Room Sessions: Hymns

References

1. "Chris Rice on Walking Away From the Spotlight — And His Sneak Return". Billboard. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
2. Geil, Mark (January 17, 2019). "Andrew Ripp Discusses His New Project with Chris Rice". CCM Magazine. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
3. "BIO". CHRISRICE.COM. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
4. "ART ORIGINALS". CHRISRICE.COM. Archived from the original on April 2, 2019. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
5. "Chris Rice on Walking Away From the Spotlight -- And His Sneak Return". Billboard. May 17, 2019. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
6. Rice, Chris (March 2, 2016). Widen: A Collection of Poems. Chris Rice Books. p. 164. ISBN 978-0997323108.
7. Rice, Chris (March 1, 2016). Widen: A Collection of Poems by Chris Rice. Chris Rice Books. ISBN 9780997323108. Retrieved September 12, 2019. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
8. "RIPP+RICE". CHRISRICE.COM. Archived from the original on December 16, 2018. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
9. "An Investigation Has Been Launched to Allegations Against CCM Artist Chris Rice". October 15, 2020. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
10. Shellnutt, Kate; Fowler, Megan (June 23, 2022). "Report Backs Abuse Allegations Against Chris Rice". News & Reporting. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
11. "A Public Statement about the Chris Rice Report". Tates Creek Presbyterian Church. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
12. "Chris Rice Chart history: Top 200 Albums". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
13. ^ "Chris Rice Chart history: Top Christian Albums". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
14. "Chris Rice – Chart history (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
15. "Chris Rice – Chart history (Hot Christian Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
16. "Chris Rice – Chart history (Christian AC)". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
17. "About.com Gospel Biography". Christianmusic.about.com. July 13, 2013. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved July 31, 2013.

External links

• Official website
• Thought Quotient – Interview with Chris Rice
• CCMagazine.com's Live Chat Transcript with Chris
• "Chris Rice Hits Mainstream Top 20". The Christian Post. March 24, 2006. Archived from the original on January 19, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
• "Chris Rice Seeks Broader Audience With 'Amusing'". The Christian Post. August 20, 2005. Archived from the original on January 19, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
• Growthtrac Music article titled, "Chris Rice: Straight from the Heart"
• Christianity Today's June 2005 Interview with Chris
• Living the Solutions Music Review of Run the Earth...Watch the Sky

• 20th-century births
• Living people
• People from Clinton, Maryland
• American children's musicians
• American performers of Christian music
• Singers from Maryland
• Union University alumni
• 20th-century American singers
• 21st-century American singers