Zach Williams (musician)
American singer-songwriter (born 1978)
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Zachary Stephen Williams (born June 27, 1978) is an American Christian rock singer-songwriter from Bono, Arkansas. From 2007 through 2012 he was lead vocalist and played acoustic guitar and harmonica for Zach Williams & The Reformation. He was also the lead singer of the Christian group Brothers of Grace, renamed as Zach Williams and the Brothers of Grace. In 2016, he went on to a solo career.
Zach Williams | |
|---|---|
| |
| Background information | |
| Born | Zachary Stephen Williams June 27, 1978 |
| Origin | Bono, Arkansas |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Label | Essential |
| Formerly of | Zach Williams & The Reformation |
| Website | zachwilliamsmusic |
Beginnings
Zachary Stephen Williams was born in Pensacola, Florida, on June 27, 1978, but grew up in Jonesboro, Arkansas.[1]
Music career
Zach Williams & The Reformation
Williams was the lead singer in Zach Williams & The Reformation,[2] an American rock band formed in Jonesboro, Arkansas, in 2007 by the group of Zach Williams (acoustic guitar, harmonica and vocals), Red Dorton (bass guitar and vocals), Robby Rigsbee (slide guitar and rhythm guitar), Josh Copeland (lead guitar, rhythm guitar and vocals) and Evan Wilons (drums). The band took their name from the desire to reform or revitalize the southern rock sound. The band released two independent albums, Electric Revival in 2009 and A Southern Offering in 2011. In 2012, Williams disbanded The Reformation due to his newfound Christian beliefs.
The Brothers of Grace / Zach Williams and the Brothers of Grace
After Zach Williams and The Reformation disbanded, Williams and guitarist Robby Rigsbee dedicated their lives to Christ and began playing music in their church, Central Baptist in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Church band the Brothers of Grace became Zach Williams and the Brothers of Grace. Shaun Kirby, who had previously been part of southern rock band Further Down with Rigsbee, was the drummer. The group also included Bruce Ford (bass) and Kevin Rouse (keyboard). They independently released an EP, Shine a Light, in 2014.
Solo career
In 2016 Williams signed to Sony Music's Provident Label Group - Essential Records as a solo artist,[3] four years after Zach Williams & The Reformation disbanded, and released his first solo single, "Chain Breaker",[4] which reached No. 1 on the Hot Christian Songs Chart and the Top 10 on Christian radio.[5] Following the single, Williams released a five-song EP, Chain Breaker, with producers Jonathan Smith and Colby Wedgeworth.[6] Williams also led worship at the Refuge Campus of Central Baptist Church in Jonesboro, Arkansas, where he was on staff from 2014 to 2017.[7]
On December 14, 2016, Williams digitally released his full-length album, Chain Breaker, and announced a release date of January 27, 2017, for the CD.[8]
On October 4, 2019, Williams released his second album, Rescue Story. It includes the single "There Was Jesus", with Dolly Parton.
On September 30, 2022, Williams released his third album, A Hundred Highways. It includes the single "Heart of God". His song "Up There, Down Here", from the same album, was covered by contestant Warren Peay on season 21 of American Idol.[relevant?]
Discography
Albums
As Zach Williams & The Reformation
- Electric Revival (independent, 2009)
- A Southern Offering (independent, 2011)
Solo
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [9] |
US Christ [10] |
US Folk [11] |
US Rock [12] | |||
| Chain Breaker | 174 | 2 | 4 | 28 | ||
| Rescue Story |
|
111 | 2 | 5 | 21 |
|
| A Hundred Highways |
|
—[A] | 2 | 9 | — | |
| Jesus Loves |
|
—[B] | 10 | — | — | |
Holiday albums
EPs
As Zach Williams and the Brothers of Grace
- Shine a Light EP (2014)
Solo
| Title | EP details | Peak chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US Christ [10] |
US Folk [11] |
US Rock [15] | ||
| Chain Breaker |
|
—[C] | 20 | 23 | — |
| Survivor: Live from Harding Prison |
|
—[D] | 26 | —[E] | 34[F] |
Singles
As lead artist
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Bub. [19] |
US Rock [20] |
US Christ [21] |
US Christ Airplay [22] |
US Christ AC [23] |
US Christ Digital [24] | ||||
| 2016 | "Chain Breaker" | — | 9 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Chain Breaker | |
| 2017 | "Old Church Choir" | — | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| |
| 2018 | "Fear Is a Liar" | — | — | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| |
| "Survivor" | — | — | 11 | 3 | 4 | — | |||
| 2019 | "Rescue Story" | — | — | 5 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
|
Rescue Story |
| "There Was Jesus" (featuring Dolly Parton) |
8 | — | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| ||
| 2020 | "Empty Grave" | — | — | 41 | — | — | 19 | Rescue Story (Deluxe Edition) | |
| "Go Tell It on the Mountain" | — | — | 17 | 3 | 2 | — | Non-album single | ||
| 2021 | "Less Like Me" | 25 | — | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
|
Rescue Story |
| "Heaven Help Me"[G] | — | 23 | 15 | 10 | 11 | 19 | |||
| "I Don't Want Christmas to End" | — | — | — | 18 | 10 | — | I Don't Want Christmas to End | ||
| 2022 | "Heart of God" | — | 26 | 6 | 11 | 8 | 1 | A Hundred Highways | |
| "Big Tent Revival" | — | — | 47 | — | — | — | |||
| "Looking for You" | — | — | 25 | 30 | — | 7 | |||
| 2023 | "Sunday's Comin" | — | — | 29 | 17 | 16 | — | ||
| 2024 | "Friend in High Places" | — | — | 18 | — | — | — | Jesus Loves | |
| 2025 | "Jesus Loves" | — | 41 | 11 | 3 | 3 | — | ||
| "If God Lives Here" | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | ||
| 2026 | "Wait For Me" (with Ben Fuller) |
— | — | 10 | 1 | 2 | — | ||
As featured artist
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Christ [21] |
US Christ Airplay [22] | ||||
| 2017 | "The First Christmas" (Tenth Avenue North featuring Zach Williams) |
35 | 20 | Decade the Halls, Vol. 1 | |
| 2020 | "Rattle!" (Essential Worship featuring Zach Williams and Steven Furtick) |
46 | — | Non-album singles | |
| 2021 | "Rise Up (Lazarus)" (Cain featuring Zach Williams) |
— | — | ||
| 2023 | "Cornerstone" (TobyMac featuring Zach Williams) |
2 | 1 |
|
Life After Death |
| 2025 | "Get Behind Me" (with Emerson Day) |
— | — | Non-album single | |
| "Stranger No More" (with Big Daddy Weave) |
— | — | Let It Begin | ||
Promotional singles
Other charted songs
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Christ [21] |
US Christ Airplay [22] |
US Christ AC [23] | |||
| "The Call of Christmas" | 2017 | 49 | 31 | 6 | WOW Christmas |
Awards and nominations
American Music Awards
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Zach Williams | Favorite Artist – Contemporary Inspirational | Nominated |
| 2021 | Zach Williams | Favorite Artist – Contemporary Inspirational | Nominated |
Billboard Music Awards
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Zach Williams | Top Christian Artist | Nominated |
| "Old Church Choir" | Top Christian Song | Nominated | |
| 2019[25] | Zach Williams | Top Christian Artist | Nominated |
| 2021 | Zach Williams | Top Christian Artist | Nominated |
| Rescue Story | Top Christian Album | Nominated | |
| "There Was Jesus" (with Dolly Parton) |
Top Christian Song | Nominated |
Grammy Awards
| Year | Nominee/work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | "Chain Breaker" | Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song | Nominated |
| 2018 | Chain Breaker | Best Contemporary Christian Music Album | Won |
| 2019 | Survivor: Live From Harding Prison | Best Contemporary Christian Music Album | Nominated |
| 2020 | "Rescue Story" | Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song | Nominated |
| 2021 | "There Was Jesus" (featuring Dolly Parton) |
Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song | Won |
GMA Dove Awards
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Zach Williams | New Artist of the Year | Won |
| Contemporary Christian Artist of the Year | Nominated | ||
| "Chain Breaker" | Song of the Year | Nominated | |
| Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year | Won* | ||
| Chain Breaker | Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year | Nominated | |
| 2019 | Zach Williams | Contemporary Christian Artist of the Year | Nominated |
| Survivor: Live From Harding Prison | Long Form Video of the Year | Nominated | |
| 2020 | "Rescue Story" | Song of the Year | Nominated |
| Zach Williams | Contemporary Christian Artist of the Year | Nominated | |
| Artist of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Rescue Story | Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year | Nominated | |
| Recorded Music Packaging of the Year | Won | ||
| 2021 | "There Was Jesus" | Song of the Year | Nominated |
| Zach Williams | Contemporary Christian Artist of the Year | Nominated | |
| Artist of the Year | Nominated | ||
| "Stand My Ground" | Rock/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year | Nominated | |
| "There Was Jesus" (featuring Dolly Parton) |
Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year | Nominated | |
| 2022 | Zach Williams | Artist of the Year | Nominated |
We Love Awards
- * Was a joint win alongside Ryan Stevenson's "Eye of the Storm".
Notes
- A Hundred Highways did not enter the Billboard 200, but peaked at No. 19 on the Billboard Top Album Sales chart.
- Jesus Loves did not enter the Billboard 200, but peaked at No. 44 on the Billboard Top Current Album Sales
- Chainbreaker did not enter the Billboard 200, but peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers
- Survivor: Live from Harding Prison did not enter the Billboard 200, but peaked at number 96 on the Top Current Albums chart.[17]
- "Heaven Help Me" was released as a promotional single in 2019, prior to Rescue Story's release. It was not released as a radio single until 2021.