Chris Rice

In pen, voice, instrument and spirit, Chris Rice is a fountain of creativity. With a twist of tone he jumps from the joy of pure comedy in "Cartoons" (a song he jokingly wrote as a skit, which took off like wildfire, admittedly to the author's dismay) to intimate missives like "Come to Jesus." But this craftsman singer-songwriter and all-around "fun guy" didn't start out with designs on making it in the music industry. Piano lessons as a teen equipped him t! o lead worship in college (Union University in Jackson, Tennessee) while pursuing his primary passion which was mentoring and ministering to students. His unique talents were recognized by genre-giant Michael W. Smith, who signed Rice as the first-ever artist on Smitty's self-started label, Rocketown Records. Debut Deep Enough to Dream garnered six Dove noms, trumped by his sophomore release which won him the Male Vocalist of the Year. In late 2005, after his seventh release, Rice moved to INO's Ebb + Flo, looking to broaden his reach and stretch his artistic boundaries. The resulting project, Amusing, instantly proved the benefits of giving this minstrel the creative freedom to speak his merry mind.