Singer
Bart Millard

Bart Marshall Millard (born December 1, 1972 in Greenville, Texas) is an American contemporary Christian singer-songwriter. Millard released the album Hymned No. 1 in 2005, which was his first solo album apart from MercyMe, but he is still a member of that band. His second studio album release came in 2008 called Hymned Again, and this garnered him a solo Grammy nomination in the category of Best Southern, Country, or Bluegrass Gospel Album. In ... high school, Millard wanted to become a football player, which ended when he injured his ankles at a high school football game. As a result, Millard took choir as an elective. Millard's father died during his freshman year of college, and his youth pastor invited him to work with the church's youth group worship band. Millard accepted and worked with the video and audio systems for the group. James (Jim) Bryson played piano for that band and later went on to play with Bart Millard and the worship band on a trip to Switzerland. This trip inspired Millard to pursue a full-time musical career. Millard and two of his friends moved to Oklahoma City, and formed MercyMe. Since then, the band has recorded six Independent, Seven Studio, two Exclusive, one Christmas, and one Compilation album. Millard made a promise to his grandmother to record a hymns album before his grandmother died, which he did with Hymned No. 1, and he shared the story of his grandmothers faith that inspired him. Millard did the second of his two hymn albums because he realized that the church he was attending did not sing hymns, so he made it so his children would have them be a part of their lives. Millard said his dad heavily influenced him in his musical direction with respect to the hymns albums, which those influences are Willie Nelson and Louie Prima. These influences would not be appropriate for MercyMe Millard said. Because MercyMe is similar to Coldplay, while these hymned efforts are more in the vein of a Frank Sinatra. This was the reason he started his solo effort in an attempt to let that side of him show that would have ruined MercyMe if he did it together with them. Millard said in his church growing up they sang Hank Williams song "I Saw the Light". The Hymned Again album was titled to refer "tongue-and-cheek" to the first album. The first album was an effort to make songs that he did not particularly care about more cool, and the second album was created to achieve a Kansas City swing/shuffle mood in the vein of a Louie Prima, Harry Connick, Jr. and Jamie Cullum, which is what was achieved. According to Greer, this album was very reminiscent to She by Connick, which was done five or six time according to Millard. Millard said he accomplished the by listening to a stack of albums by these musicians. Millard said the songs on the album Hymned Again are in the Great Revival era musically, but this was not done on purpose. Millard said the one original song entitled "Jesus Cares for Me" was written by Thad Cockrell, which according to the singer "could’ve been written 50, 60 years ago." Millard asked Vince Gill to participate on the album, which was done very nervously by Millard. On the subject of another hymned effort, Millard said "Man, I hope so." Millard is featured as a vocalist on "I See Love," a 2004 single by Third Day and Stephen Curtis Chapman. He is also featured as a backing vocalist on Phil Wickham's 2009 single "Safe." See more [+]