Dave Barnes is a Nashville-based singer/songwriter who has found sustained success both as a recording artist and songwriter for multiple acts across pop, CCM, and country music. Having already established himself with several well-received independent albums, Barnes made his major-label debut in 2008 with Me and You and the World. His easygoing style blended mainstream rock with singer/songwriter storytelling and spiritual themes, helping 2010's What We Want, What We Get, notch prominent placements on Billboard's pop, rock, and Christian charts. The following decade saw Barnes win a Dove Award, launch his own label, and release a pair of Christmas albums. He has remained prolific with albums like 2020's Dreaming in Electric Blue and 2023's Featherbrained Wealth Motel, and he hosts his own podcast.

Born in South Carolina, Barnes spent most of his childhood in Mississippi, where he formed an early attachment to hip-hop but was also exposed to classic soul, blues, and R&B by his parents. He later enrolled at Middle Tennessee State University and began writing songs for other artists. Barnes also played solo shows on campus, and by the time he graduated with a degree in recording industry management, he'd decided to pursue his own music career. Barnes moved to Nashville and gravitated toward the city's acoustic folk scene, releasing a 2000 collection of demos called Little Fist, Big Hurt. The desire to make more groove-oriented music led him to assemble a full band, and he signed with adult-alternative specialists Aware Records for 2004's Brother, Bring the Sun, produced by Ed Cash. Barnes' soulful pop songs won him the support of artists like John Mayer (his labelmate on Aware Records), while the spiritual tone of his lyrics earned some support from the Christian music scene. Often touring with fellow up-and-comer Matt Wertz, he built a significant word-of-mouth fan base, and after 2006's Chasing Mississippi, he signed with the Universal-owned Razor & Tie imprint for 2008's Me and You and the World and 2010's What We Want, What We Get. The latter album became a surprise Christian hit, debuting in the Top Five on the Christian charts thanks in part to the single "God Gave Me You." It also reached number 59 on the Billboard 200 and cracked the Top 20 of the rock chart, further revealing Barnes' range.

A year later, Blake Shelton recorded "God Gave Me You" on his Red River Blue album and his version topped the country chart, earning Barnes a Grammy nomination in the process.

Following the 2011 holiday set Very Merry Christmas, Barnes returned with Stories to Tell in 2012, working with producer John Fields in Los Angeles. The singer's second holiday outing, A December to Remember, was released in late 2013, followed a few months later by Golden Days, both of which arrived via Barnes' new label, 50 Year Plan. For his next studio release, 2016's Carry on, San Vicente, Barnes channeled a sunny, '70s-inspired Southern California vibe. A similar laid-back pop approach continued on 2018's Who Knew It Would Be So Hard to Be Myself. That same year, Barnes won a Dove Award for his song "Washed by the Water."

His tenth album, 2020's Dreaming in Electric Blue, was his first entirely self-produced set. That same year he teamed up with neighbor and fellow songwriter Jon McLaughlin to create the comic podcast Dadville, where they explored their lives as parents and musicians. His 2023 album, Featherbrained Wealth, explored his power pop side and was influenced by the Beatles. ~ Steve Leggett & Timothy Monger