Being a performer was not always the plan for Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter Dave Barnes.
Barnes, who performed at Lipscomb on Tuesday night, originally just wanted to write music with no intention of performing it himself. He wanted to leave the performing up to the artists.
After some prodding from his peers, Barnes decided to give the performing artist title a try. Six albums and countless concerts later, it’s safe to say Barnes made the right decision.
Barnes is somewhat of a musical Swiss army knife. His array of talents, which includes the ability to play the guitar and drums in addition to his singing and writing skills, has proven to be a hit with audiences. Barnes’ array of musical skills gives his albums an eclectic sound. Traces of everything from pop to country to rock to soul can be heard in his songs.
Despite his success as a performer, Barnes still enjoys writing music for other artists.
“I like them both. The thing that writing has on being an artist is the lack of traveling. We have an about-to-be two-year-old little dude. As I’ve gotten older, traveling is a hard thing to do,” Barnes said. “The beauty of being a writer is you can stay at home, but you miss playing shows.”
Over the years, Barnes has shown a chameleon-like feel for music. He has written for country crooners, contemporary Christian artists, soul singers, pop stars and even fellow singer-songwriters. Barnes especially plays a big role in the Nashville music scene, having written for local artists such as Brandon Heath, Drew Holcomb and Ben Rector.
However, Barnes’ biggest writing accomplishment came in 2012, when he was nominated for a Grammy award for Best Country Song. In the fall of 2011, Blake Shelton released a cover of Barnes’ song “God Gave Me You.” The song became a massive success, which lead to the Grammy nomination.
“I’m waiting for the phone call that says there was a mistake,” Barnes said. “That is one of the biggest honors for a musician. By making it through so many rounds of votes, and to even be nominated, we’ve already sort of won.”
Whether he is performing in front of a screaming crowd or writing music at his home, Barnes’ impact on the local and national music scene can be felt.
Barnes released his new single “Good” on Tuesday, and performed it live at Alumni Auditorium later that night.