Bob Bennett

“To me, my primary goal is to communicate truthfully with people. If I can communicate truthfully the life of the spirit and the always-accompanying struggle along the way, then ministry happens as a natural result of that.”

Bob’s ability to write songs about other than typical “spiritual” topics has always made him stand out.  He sees spiritual themes everywhere, even in the least holy of circumstances. His approach to ministry also follows the same line of reasoning – that our lives are intricately woven with the sacred and the human, and that honest communication is ultimately most effective.

If you tell Bob Bennett his songs don’t sound much like religious music, you’re likely to evoke a smile. After all, he has always lurked outside the fringes of Contemporary Christian Music, crafting songs that detail not only his joys and victories, but also his disappointments, struggles and failures.

Bob’s acoustic folk-style recordings have honestly confronted the messy side of human existence over the years. But those who have discovered his depth, wit, honesty and musicianship consider him to be one of Christian  music's foremost songwriters. His classic tunes “Matters of the Heart,” “Come and See,” “A Song About Baseball,” and many others reveal a songwriting proficiency unmatched among his peers.

Bob was born in Downey, California, in 1955. He picked up his first guitar at age nine and formed a rock ‘n’ roll band in high school. In the late seventies he converted to Christianity and his songwriting began to reflect his newfound faith. His career was launched with the release of his 1979 folk-style debut recording First Things First. Three years later came Matters of the Heart, a recording Contemporary Christian Music Magazine voted 1982’s “Album of the Year,” ranking it among the top 20 Contemporary Christian Albums of all time.

Soon after the release of his next recording, Non-Fiction, he served as opening act on Amy Grant’s Unguarded Tour. Lord of the Past: A Compulation followed, with its title song reaching number one on the Christian radio charts in early 1990, followed by his second number one song, “Yours Alone.” Later that year Bob joined Michael Card on his Way of Wisdom tour, performing in front of sold-out audiences  across the country. Songs from Bright Avenue was released in 1991, a collection of songs he wrote while struggling with the dissolution of his marriage. The years that followed were a time of emotional healing, regrouping and moving forward with his life. 1997's Small Graces reflected some of that progress.