Tree63 is a South African three-piece rock band from

Durban Durban ( ; , from meaning "bay, lagoon") is the third-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the largest city in the Provinces of South Africa, province of KwaZulu-Natal. Situated on the east coast of South ...

, South Africa.

History

1996 - 2000: Formation and initial years

The band was formed in 1996 and originally, it was unnamed. In 1997, the band had to come up with a name before performing at North Beach,

, and came up with "Tree". They added the "63" part of their name in 2000 due to a naming conflict with an American band.Christian Music Daily
. Interview with John Ellis of Tree63, 2007. Retrieved 2009-11-25. ''63'' had been the name of their second album, which was named in reference to

Psalm The Book of Psalms ( , ; ; ; ; , in Islam also called Zabur, ), also known as the Psalter, is the first book of the third section of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) called ('Writings'), and a book of the Old Testament. The book is an anthology of H ...

63.

2001 - 2009: Popularity and Move to America

Their first album released in the United States, ''

Tree63 Tree63 is a South African three-piece rock band from Durban, South Africa. History 1996 - 2000: Formation and initial years The band was formed in 1996 and originally, it was unnamed. In 1997, the band had to come up with a name before perfo ...

'', won the

GMA Dove Award A Dove Award is an accolade by the Gospel Music Association (GMA) of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the Christian music industry. The awards ceremonies presented annually and have been held in Nashville, Tennessee exce ...

for Rock Album of the Year in 2001.Dove Award Recipients for 2001
". Published by the

Gospel Music Association The Gospel Music Association (GMA) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1964 for the purpose of supporting and promoting the development of all forms of gospel music. As of 2011, there are about 4,000 members worldwide. The GMA's membership c ...

. Retrieved 2007-02-21. Tree63's recording of

Matt Redman Matthew James Redman (born 14 February 1974) is an English Christian worship leader, singer-songwriter and author. Redman has released 16 albums, written 8 books, and helped start three church-plants. He is best known for his two-time Grammy A ...

's "Blessed Be Your Name" peaked at number 2 on the US Billboard

Christian Songs Hot Christian Songs is a music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It ranks the popularity of Christian songs using the same methodology developed for the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, the magazine's flagship songs c ...

chart, and helped to spark the song's popularity. This recording was featured on the 2005 edition of WOW Hits and was nominated for two

Dove Awards A Dove Award is an accolade by the Gospel Music Association (GMA) of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the Christian music industry. The awards ceremonies presented annually and have been held in Nashville, Tennessee excep ...

. On a 2 February 2007 broadcast of 20, The Countdown Magazine (special edition, Praise and Worship), guest

Chris Tomlin Christopher Dwayne Tomlin (born May 4, 1972) is an American contemporary Christian music singer, songwriter, and worship leader from Grand Saline, Texas. He is signed to Universal Music Group, Universal's Capitol Christian Music Group. Some of h ...

described Tree63's rendition of "Blessed Be Your Name" as "...the definitive recording of one of the most all-encompassing songs in the entire world of Christian music." The song was then announced as the number 3 Praise and Worship song of all time. Tree63 parted ways in 2009, and John Ellis returned to South Africa, where he started his solo career. His debut solo album, ''Come Out Fighting'', was released in June 2010.

2014 - 2015: Reunion with Ornellas and Swart

Splashy Fen Established in 1990, Splashy Fen is South Africa's longest-running music festival, which every Easter attracts thousands of people to a farm near Underberg, KwaZulu-Natal for a unique outdoor music experience. Also present are arts and crafts s ...

Music Festival announced that Tree63 would be part of their line-up in 2014. In November 2014, Tree63 released previously unreleased songs from 2006 which were recorded during the sessions for their ''Sunday! ''album. After reconvening in 2014 for a series of celebratory South African concerts, talk of a new album and resumed live work resurfaced and the band began work on their new album in Nashville in November 2014. Land was released in November 2015

2024 - 2025: New Members, Shows and Recording

In 2024, John Ellis relaunched the Tree63 brand with new members Angus Warden (drums, vocals) and Deon Knipe (bass, vocals), both accomplished and seasoned musicians. The band is touring through 2025 and plans to record new material for global release in 2025-26.

Band Members

Current * John Ellis — vocals, guitar, piano * Angus Warden — drums, backing vocals * Deon Knipe — bass, backing vocals Former * Darryl Swart — drums * Daniel Ornellas — bass * Thinus Odendaal — drums * Jon Randall — bass * Martin Engel — bass

Discography

Studio albums

EP

* '' UNFINISHED DREAM – Songs from the Sunday Sessions''

Singles

Awards

'', won the

for Rock Album of the Year in 2001.

References

{{Authority control South African rock music groups Performers of contemporary worship music Christian rock groups Inpop Records artists