Bethany Dillon
Encyclopedia
Bethany Dillon is a Contemporary Christian music
artist. She is now married to contemporary Christian recording artist Shane Barnard of Shane & Shane
.
serving as an early influence. Dillon’s musical career began at age 13, recording an independent album (Vulnerable) that ended up in the hands of EMI
executive Brad O’Donnell. Audiences connected with her first record almost immediately, and the results included several hit singles, multiple Dove nods, critical acclaim, and an exponentially increasing grassroots fan base that propelled her career forward in great leaps.
nominations for both Female Vocalist and New Artist of the Year. The radio single All I Need reached the number one position on the U.S. charts.
to label her as the ‘future’ of contemporary Christian music.
Ed Cash
teamed up with Dillon yet again to produce an eleven track album, all of which were written or co-written by Dillon. The result was her 2007 album, Waking Up
released on April 3. “Waking Up is the most joyful record I’ve made,” Bethany explains, “even though it revolves around themes of brokenness and this feeling of being really, really small in the presence of God. When the Lord is growing something in me, it feels like a lot of things are dying—because they really are. And when the Lord is making things soft and vulnerable in me, it’s really painful. But even so, I think this is the freest sounding project I’ve created.”
Co-produced by GMA’s 2005 Producer of the Year Ed Cash
, as well as Will Hunt and John Alagia (John Mayer, Dave Matthews Band), Waking Up embraces big questions of suffering, barrenness, vulnerability, romance, and faithfulness. Like the writers Bethany has modeled herself after, she proves herself willing to live and create in that place of ambivalent tension that inevitably comes from refusing to settle for easy, feel-good answers. And yet, like the psalmist, Bethany has a penchant for finding the redemption in the midst of the pain.
Dillon appears on the Music inspired by the Chronicles of Narnia soundtrack, singing "Hero". One track from Imagination
, entitled "Dreamer", is featured in the end credits for the film of the same name (Dreamer
starring Kurt Russell
and Dakota Fanning
). A music video was created for this song, using clips from the film. Dillon also has a track on the Bridge to Terabithia
soundtrack album, although her song - "When You Love Someone" - is not heard in the film.
In Late 2007, Dillon opened on a tour with Steven Curtis Chapman
, along with Sanctus Real
. This was Chapman's Live In The Moment Tour.
On March 29, 2008, Dillon was wed in Xenia, Ohio, to Shane Barnard of Shane & Shane
. Bethany and Shane's first child, Lucy James, was born June 30, 2010.
Contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith...
artist. She is now married to contemporary Christian recording artist Shane Barnard of Shane & Shane
Shane & Shane
Shane & Shane is a Texas based, Christian band known for acoustic praise and worship music. The band consists of Shane Barnard and Shane Everett...
.
Childhood
Bethany started playing guitar at age 10, with Jennifer KnappJennifer Knapp
Jennifer Lynn Knapp is an American-Australian folk rock, and formerly contemporary Christian musician. She is best known for her first single "Undo Me" from her debut album Kansas , and the song "A Little More" from her Grammy Award-nominated album Lay It Down . The Way I Am , was also nominated...
serving as an early influence. Dillon’s musical career began at age 13, recording an independent album (Vulnerable) that ended up in the hands of EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
executive Brad O’Donnell. Audiences connected with her first record almost immediately, and the results included several hit singles, multiple Dove nods, critical acclaim, and an exponentially increasing grassroots fan base that propelled her career forward in great leaps.
First album
Her self-titled debut album, released in 2004, was the highest selling female solo debut album for the year and attracted GMAGospel Music Association
The Gospel Music Association was founded in 1964 for the purpose of supporting and promoting the development of all forms of Gospel music. There are currently about 4,000 members worldwide...
nominations for both Female Vocalist and New Artist of the Year. The radio single All I Need reached the number one position on the U.S. charts.
Music career
Dillon released her second album titled Imagination in August 2005 – the CD which prompted CCM MagazineCCM Magazine
CCM Magazine was a monthly magazine published by Salem Publishing, a division of Salem Communications. It was first published in July 1978, and it has always been a Christian music magazine. On January 16, 2008, Salem announced that the April 2008 issue would be the final printed issue of the...
to label her as the ‘future’ of contemporary Christian music.
Ed Cash
Ed Cash
Ed Cash is a producer, songwriter, engineer, and multi-instrumentalist. He was named the “Producer of the Year” at the Gospel Music Awards for four consecutive years and gains recognition for his work with Christian singer, Chris Tomlin...
teamed up with Dillon yet again to produce an eleven track album, all of which were written or co-written by Dillon. The result was her 2007 album, Waking Up
Waking Up (Bethany Dillon album)
Waking Up is the third studio album from Bethany Dillon. It was released on April 3, 2007. It contains the singles "the Kingdom", and "When You Love Someone".-Track listing:# "The Kingdom" – 4:03# "Come Find Me" – 4:31# "Waking Up" – 4:06...
released on April 3. “Waking Up is the most joyful record I’ve made,” Bethany explains, “even though it revolves around themes of brokenness and this feeling of being really, really small in the presence of God. When the Lord is growing something in me, it feels like a lot of things are dying—because they really are. And when the Lord is making things soft and vulnerable in me, it’s really painful. But even so, I think this is the freest sounding project I’ve created.”
Co-produced by GMA’s 2005 Producer of the Year Ed Cash
Ed Cash
Ed Cash is a producer, songwriter, engineer, and multi-instrumentalist. He was named the “Producer of the Year” at the Gospel Music Awards for four consecutive years and gains recognition for his work with Christian singer, Chris Tomlin...
, as well as Will Hunt and John Alagia (John Mayer, Dave Matthews Band), Waking Up embraces big questions of suffering, barrenness, vulnerability, romance, and faithfulness. Like the writers Bethany has modeled herself after, she proves herself willing to live and create in that place of ambivalent tension that inevitably comes from refusing to settle for easy, feel-good answers. And yet, like the psalmist, Bethany has a penchant for finding the redemption in the midst of the pain.
Dillon appears on the Music inspired by the Chronicles of Narnia soundtrack, singing "Hero". One track from Imagination
Imagination (Bethany Dillon album)
Imagination is the second studio album released by Bethany Dillon. It was released on August 16, 2005.- Track listing :#"Dreamer" — 3:45#"Hallelujah" — 4:04#"All That I Can Do" — 3:37#"Airplane" — 4:20#"I Believe In You" — 4:08...
, entitled "Dreamer", is featured in the end credits for the film of the same name (Dreamer
Dreamer (2005 film)
Dreamer is a 2005 American family drama film starring Kurt Russell and Dakota Fanning, inspired by the true story of an injured Thoroughbred racehorse named Mariah's Storm. It marked the directing and screenwriting debut of John Gatins.-Plot:...
starring Kurt Russell
Kurt Russell
Kurt Vogel Russell is an American television and film actor. His first acting roles were as a child in television series, including a lead role in the Western series The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters...
and Dakota Fanning
Dakota Fanning
Hannah Dakota Fanning , better known as Dakota Fanning, is an American actress. Fanning's breakthrough performance was in I Am Sam in 2001. As a child actress, she appeared in high-profile films such as Man on Fire, War of the Worlds, and Charlotte's Web...
). A music video was created for this song, using clips from the film. Dillon also has a track on the Bridge to Terabithia
Music from and Inspired By Bridge to Terabithia
A soundtrack to the movie Bridge to Terabithia, released by Hollywood Records. Features songs from and inspired by the film, as well as four tracks composed and conducted by Aaron Zigman for the film's score.- Track listing :...
soundtrack album, although her song - "When You Love Someone" - is not heard in the film.
In Late 2007, Dillon opened on a tour with Steven Curtis Chapman
Steven Curtis Chapman
Steven Curtis Chapman is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, actor, author, and social activist.After starting his career in the late 1980s as a singer/songwriter of contemporary Christian music, Chapman has since been recognized as one of the most prolific singers in the genre,...
, along with Sanctus Real
Sanctus Real
Sanctus Real is an American Christian rock band formed in Toledo, Ohio, in 1996. The group is composed of Matt Hammitt , Chris Rohman , Dan Gartley , Pete Prevost , and Mark Graalman...
. This was Chapman's Live In The Moment Tour.
On March 29, 2008, Dillon was wed in Xenia, Ohio, to Shane Barnard of Shane & Shane
Shane & Shane
Shane & Shane is a Texas based, Christian band known for acoustic praise and worship music. The band consists of Shane Barnard and Shane Everett...
. Bethany and Shane's first child, Lucy James, was born June 30, 2010.
Discography
- Bethany DillonBethany Dillon (album)Bethany Dillon is the self-titled debut album from Bethany Dillon. It was released on April 20, 2004.- Track listing :#"Revolutionaries" - 4:17#"Great Big Mystery" - 3:47#"Beautiful" - 4:01#"Move Forward" - 3:47#"For My Love" - 3:13...
(2004) - ImaginationImagination (Bethany Dillon album)Imagination is the second studio album released by Bethany Dillon. It was released on August 16, 2005.- Track listing :#"Dreamer" — 3:45#"Hallelujah" — 4:04#"All That I Can Do" — 3:37#"Airplane" — 4:20#"I Believe In You" — 4:08...
(2005) - Waking UpWaking Up (Bethany Dillon album)Waking Up is the third studio album from Bethany Dillon. It was released on April 3, 2007. It contains the singles "the Kingdom", and "When You Love Someone".-Track listing:# "The Kingdom" – 4:03# "Come Find Me" – 4:31# "Waking Up" – 4:06...
(2007) - So Far: The Acoustic SessionsSo Far: The Acoustic SessionsSo Far: The Acoustic Sessions is a 2008 album by contemporary Christian music artist Bethany Dillon.- Track listing :#"Dreamer"#"When You Love Someone"#"We Can Work It Out"#"Top Of The World"#"Hallelujah"#"All I Need"#"The Kingdom"#"Hero"...
(2008) - In Christ Alone: Modern Hymns of Worship (with Matt Hammitt) (2008)
- Stop & ListenStop & Listen (Bethany Dillon album)Stop & Listen is the 4th studio solo album by Bethany Dillon. It reached number 29 in the US Christian Album Charts the song 'Everyone To Know' reached number 44 in the US Charts.- Critical Reception :Stop & Listen has received the following reviews:...
(2009)
EPs
| The Beautiful Sessions (released February 11, 2004) Track listing:
|
| Connect Sets (released December 13, 2005)
Track listing:
|
| Top Five Hits: Bethany Dillon (released December 5, 2006)
Track listing:
|
| So Far: Acoustic Sessions EP (released October 2, 2007 (digitally)/April 1, 2008 (physically)
Track listing:
|
Singles
- 2004 - All I NeedAll I Need (Bethany Dillon song)"All I Need" is a song by Bethany Dillon. It is the lead single on her self-titled debut album. It reached #1 on the hot Christian and Gospel, and was featured in WOW Hits 2005 as well as on a commercial for 2008 film Definitely, Maybe....
- 2004 - Beautiful
- 2004 - Lead Me On
- 2004 - O Come, O Come Emmanuel (digital only)
- 2005 - God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
- 2005 - All That I Can Do
- 2005 - Hallelujah
- 2006 - Dreamer
- 2007 - The Kingdom
- 2007 - Let Your Light Shine
- 2007 - When You Love SomeoneWhen You Love SomeoneWhen You Love Someone is the lead single off the album, Waking Up by Bethany Dillon. It was released on February 19, 2008. The song was featured in the movie Bridge To Terabithia....
- 2009 - Everyone To Know
Contributions
- 2004 - Simply Great Music - "Great Big Mystery" (from Bethany Dillon)
- 2004 - WOW Hits 2005WOW Hits 2005WOW Hits 2005 is a two-disc compilation album of hit songs that were selected to represent the best in contemporary Christian music. It was released on October 5, 2004. The album includes thirty one songs plus three bonus tracks. It features songs by Steven Curtis Chapman, Newsboys, MercyMe,...
- "All I Need" (from Bethany Dillon) - 2005 - Every Young Woman's Battle - "Exodus (Faithful)" (from Bethany Dillon)
- 2005 - Music Inspired by The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the WardrobeMusic Inspired by the Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the WardrobeMusic Inspired by The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is a collection of songs by various Christian artists with the common theme of C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia. The album was released in anticipation of the December 9, 2005 premiere of the film The Chronicles...
- "Hero" - 2005 - WOW Hits 2006WOW Hits 2006WOW Hits 2006 is a two-disc compilation album of songs that have been touted to represent the best of Christian music of 2006. It was released on October 4, 2005. It includes thirty songs plus three bonus cuts. The album features songs by Jeremy Camp, Casting Crowns, MercyMe, Third Day, and many...
- "All That I Can Do" (from Imagination) - 2005 - WOW Christmas: GreenWOW Christmas: GreenWOW Christmas: Green is the second release in the WOW Christmas series. It is the follow-up to the platinum-selling WOW Christmas: Red album. The double-disc album features 15 new tracks that are exclusive to this release. The album peaked at #54 on the Billboard 200 chart in 2005, and at #2 on...
- "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" - 2005 - Night of Joy 2005 - "Vagabond" (from Imagination)
- 2006 - Pursue Me - Jason Holdridge - "Word of Fire," "Psalm 29," "The Story"
- 2006 - Unexpected Gifts: 12 New Sounds Of Christmas - "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen"
- 2006 - WOW Worship: Aqua - "Holy Is The Lord"
- 2006 - Sing Over Me: Worship Songs And Lullabies - "How Great Is Our God", "Sing Over Me" (with Nichole NordemanNichole NordemanNichole Ellyse Nordeman is an eight-time Dove Award-winning contemporary Christian American singer–songwriter.-Biography:Nordeman was raised in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where she played the piano in church...
), "Unwavering" - 2007 - Music Inspired By the Motion Picture Amazing GraceMusic Inspired By the Motion Picture Amazing GraceMusic Inspired By the Motion Picture Amazing Grace is a soundtrack for the movie Amazing Grace starring Ioan Gruffudd. The album features new versions of old hymns recorded by some of Christian music's more prominent artists as well as one of the most popular country artists around today.- Track...
- "All Creatures Of Our God And King" (with Shawn McDonaldShawn McDonald-Childhood:As a child, McDonald lived with his grandparents because his parents could not take care of him. Not really understanding the situation, he became rebellious. He would sneak out of the house, drink alcohol, get intoxicated, and later use drugs...
) - 2007 - Music from and Inspired By Bridge to TerabithiaMusic from and Inspired By Bridge to TerabithiaA soundtrack to the movie Bridge to Terabithia, released by Hollywood Records. Features songs from and inspired by the film, as well as four tracks composed and conducted by Aaron Zigman for the film's score.- Track listing :...
- "When You Love SomeoneWhen You Love SomeoneWhen You Love Someone is the lead single off the album, Waking Up by Bethany Dillon. It was released on February 19, 2008. The song was featured in the movie Bridge To Terabithia....
" (from Waking Up) - 2007 - WOW Hymns - "All Creatures Of Our God And King" (with Shawn McDonaldShawn McDonald-Childhood:As a child, McDonald lived with his grandparents because his parents could not take care of him. Not really understanding the situation, he became rebellious. He would sneak out of the house, drink alcohol, get intoxicated, and later use drugs...
) - 2007 - Worship Together Favorites - "Holy is the Lord"
- 2008 - The Daraja Children's Choir of Africa - "Everlasting God"
- 2009 - You'll Be Whole - Lindsey Kane - "It Is Well" duet with Lindsey Kane
- 2009 - Glory Revealed II - The Word of God in Worship - "Never" with Shawn Lewis
- 2011 - Lift Up The Light - Oaks Worship - "I Want Your Presence"
GMA Dove Awards
Bethany Dillon has been nominated for a Dove Award for Female Vocalist of the Year twice (at the 36th and 37th GMA Dove Awards).| Year | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 Dove Awards of 2005 The 36th Annual GMA Dove Awards, also called the 36th Annual GMA Music Awards, were held on April 13, 2005 recognizing accomplishments of musicians for the year 2004. The show was held at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee and was hosted by Steven Curtis Chapman, CeCe Winans, Rebecca St... |
New Artist of the Year | |
| Female Vocalist of the Year | ||
| Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year (Bethany Dillon Bethany Dillon (album) Bethany Dillon is the self-titled debut album from Bethany Dillon. It was released on April 20, 2004.- Track listing :#"Revolutionaries" - 4:17#"Great Big Mystery" - 3:47#"Beautiful" - 4:01#"Move Forward" - 3:47#"For My Love" - 3:13... ) |
||
| 2006 Dove Awards of 2006 The 37th Annual GMA Dove Awards, also called the 37th Annual GMA Music Awards, were held on April 5, 2006 recognizing accomplishments of Christian musicians for the year 2005. The show was held at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee, and was hosted by Rebecca St. James and Kirk Franklin... |
Female Vocalist of the Year | |