14 BaylorProud artists who you should be listening to
If you’re on the lookout for some new music, why not check out some artists who have something in common with you? These singers and bands are fellow Bears who have made names for themselves in various genres in recent years.
If you love country music, Holly Tucker, BA ’15, and SaraBeth Swagerty, BBA ’09, are your girls. Holly competed on NBC’s The Voice back in 2013, and made it as far as the top 6 contestants. She even got country superstar Blake Shelton to do a “sic ’em” on national TV! SaraBeth (as she’s known professionally) is a singer-songwriter who has used her entrepreneurship degree from Baylor to help her find her way in the world of country music; her first single, “Nowhere With You,” hit airwaves last fall. Josh Grider, BA ’02, has made a name for himself on the Texas country circuit.
Our favorite wild-haired, folktronica-singing alum has to be David Crowder. After helping start Waco’s University Baptist Church as worship leader, he and his bands (first with the David Crowder*Band, now just Crowder) have sold millions of CDs and reached No. 1 on both the iTunes and the U.S. Billboard Christian album charts. In 2010, he wrote an anthem for Baylor Football (“Rise Up“), and and of course he has returned to his alma mater for shows and clinics over the years with friends like Robbie Seay and Shaun Groves, BM ’97.
Nor surprisingly, contemporary Christian music is where many Baylor alums have found a home. Many of the members of the David Crowder*Band now make up The Digital Age, keeping much of that distinctive DCB sound — infusing melody and hooks with expressions of deep faith. The quartet — Baylor alums Jeremy Bush, Mike Dodson (BA ’99), Jack Parker (BBA ’96) and Mark Waldrop — have released three albums since 2012. David Phelps, BM ’92, has put together a solo Christian music career in addition to two stints with the legendary Gaither Vocal Band.
Into pop music? There’s some serious talent in this genre coming from the Baylor family. Erin McCarley, BBA ’01, had her song “Pony (It’s OK)” featured on iTunes in 2009, and its album, “Love, Save the Empty,” was one of the 10 most popular in the nation that week. Jenny Simmons, BA ’03, began with the band Addison Road and is now a singer-songwriter and writer; Trannie Stevens, BBA ’15, is following a similar path after performing as an Uproar Records artist at Baylor.
For a more soulful sound, we’ll point you to Clinton Washington, BBA ’11, another Baylor alum who made a name for himself on The Voice. [YouTube channel]
And for something totally unique, we suggest you check out Savion Wright, who advanced on not one but two seasons of American Idol. Savion’s style of music is “nothing trendy – something real,” as he describes it. Even more unusual is ColorBox, a band comprised of Baylor alumni and professors, with a sound reminiscent of rock, jazz and soul. [Free EP download]
Sic ’em, Baylor musicians!
[Who’s missing from our list? Let us know!]