Chris Rice

Chris Rice, a leading gospel composer, stepped into the role of performer upon signing with Rocketown Records—the label founded by Michael W. Smith—in 1996 and issuing his first album, Deep Enough to Dream. Raised in Maryland by parents who owned a Christian bookstore, Rice absorbed the gospel world from an early age while also absorbing influences from nearby relatives and peers. He started crafting songs in the mid-1980s, and that effort led a decade later to his selection as 1995 Christian Songwriter of the Year by American Songwriter magazine after penning Kim Boyce’s “By Faith,” which was named Song of the Year. The same accomplishment positioned him as the first act signed to Rocketown Records. Producer Monroe Jones delivered a demo to label president Don Donahue, who quickly offered a contract to the new recording artist. Working under Jones’s direction, Rice finished Deep Enough to Dream for release in September 1997. Past the Edges appeared the next year, followed by Smell the Color 9 in fall 2000. The following year Rice turned to piano with his debut instrumental set, The Living Room Sessions, and closed the year with The Living Room Sessions: Christmas. After a two-year gap he returned with Run the Earth, Watch the Sky. Fans were sustained by the anthology Short Term Memories and the concert recording Snapshots until Amusing surfaced on Sony in 2005.