Ryan Dale Stevenson (born January 21, 1979) is an American

Christian music Christian music is a genre of music that has been written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christianity, Christian life and faith. Common themes of Christian music include praise, worship, penitence and lament, and its f ...

singer, musician and guitarist, who primarily plays a

contemporary Christian music Contemporary Christian music (CCM), also known as Christian pop, and occasionally inspirational music, is a genre of modern popular music, and an aspect of Christian media, which is lyrically focused on matters related to the Christianity, Chri ...

and

worship Worship is an act of religious devotion usually directed towards a deity or God. For many, worship is not about an emotion, it is more about a recognition of a God. An act of worship may be performed individually, in an informal or formal group, ...

style of music. He is signed to

Gotee Records Gotee Records is a record label of Christian hip-hop, based in Franklin, Tennessee in the United States. History The label was founded in 1994 by TobyMac, Todd Collins and Joey Elwood. The first album produced is Out of Eden's '' Lovin' th ...

and

TobyMac Kevin Michael McKeehan (born October 22, 1964), better known by his stage name TobyMac (styled tobyMac), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. His road band is known as Diverse City. Widely regarded as one of the most ...

is a co-owner of the label. Stevenson released three extended plays, ''Yesterday, Today, Forever'', with

BEC Recordings Tooth & Nail Records is a record label founded by Brandon Ebel in California in November 1993. The label later moved to Seattle where it is today. History Brandon Ebel and Michael Knott conceived the label as a joint venture, before Knott back ...

; ''Champion of the World'', independently; and ''Hold Nothing Back'', with Gotee Records. His first studio album, '' Fresh Start'', was released on September 18, 2015, with Gotee Records. He's had five songs chart on the ''Billboard'' charts, "Holding Nothing Back", "The Human Side", "Not Forgotten", "All Yours" and " Eye of the Storm".

Early life

Ryan Dale Stevenson Work ID No. 885930844 ISWC No. T9134401960 was born on January 21, 1979 in

Bonanza, Oregon Bonanza is a city in Klamath County, Oregon, United States, near Klamath Falls. The population was 415 at the 2010 census. Geography Bonanza is at an elevation of in southern Klamath County near the Oregon–California border. The town i ...

, to James and Phyllis; he has an older sister, Janay. He grew up in the church singing hymns. He was given his first guitar when he was 18. Stevenson credits his mother as the one who fostered his musical skills while growing up, through her prayers and support for his chosen profession. His mother died of bone cancer on October 3, 2009, at 58 years old. He attended

Northwest Christian College Bushnell University is a private Christian university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. It is historically affiliated with the Christian churches and churches of Christ. History The school was founded as a divinity school in 1895 by Chri ...

Eugene, Oregon Eugene ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lane County, Oregon, United States. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie River (Oregon), McKenzie and Willamette River, Willamette rivers, ...

where he honed his musical talent with his roommate, Paul Wright. They formed a small band, primarily focusing on

acoustic music Acoustic music is music that solely or primarily uses instruments that produce sound through acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means. While all music was once acoustic, the retronym "acoustic music" appeared after the a ...

and performing at local restaurants in and around Eugene.

Music career

His music career commenced in 2003. However, his first release, an independently made album, ''Running to You'', was not released, until June 12, 2007, by Off the Vine Music. He released, ''The Undiscovered'', independently in 2010. The first extended play, ''Yesterday, Today, Forever'', was released on February 15, 2011, with

. He released, a second extended play, ''Champion of the World'', independently, on July 1, 2012. His third extended play, ''Holding Nothing Back'', was released on September 10, 2013, from

. Stevenson's songs have appeared on the ''Billboard'' magazine charts six-times, with two placing on two charts the

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 ...

and

Christian Airplay Christian Airplay is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States since June 21, 2003. This chart lists the 50 most-listened-to records played on multiple Christian radio stations across the country as monitored by Ni ...

, and those songs are "Holding Nothing Back", "The Human Side", "Not Forgotten", and "All Yours". The first studio album, '' Fresh Start'', was released on September 18, 2015, by Gotee Records and featured the 15-week No. 1 single "Eye of the Storm". In 2018, he also released ''No Matter What''.

Personal life

Ryan Stevenson is married to Kim. He was the worship minister at Vertical Church. Before his music career began, Stevenson had been a paramedic for seven years.

Discography

Independent albums

* ''Running to You'' (June 12, 2007, Off the Vine) * ''The Undiscovered'' (2010)

Studio albums

Extended plays

* ''Yesterday, Today, Forever'' (February 15, 2011, BEC) * ''Champion of the World'' (July 1, 2012, independent) * ''Holding Nothing Back'' (September 10, 2013, Gotee)

Singles

Other charted songs

Awards and nominations

GMA Dove Awards * * Was a joint win alongside Zach Williams' 'Chain Breaker'.

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stevenson, Ryan 1979 births Living people American performers of Christian music Musicians from Oregon Musicians from Boise, Idaho Songwriters from Oregon Songwriters from Idaho Bushnell University alumni People from Klamath County, Oregon