Ben Tankard (born January 10, 1964) is an American gospel/smooth jazz musician, producer, and arranger.
Ben Tankard | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | January 10, 1964 Daytona Beach, Florida, United States |
| Genres | Contemporary gospel, smooth jazz |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instrument | Keyboards |
| Years active | 1990s–present |
| Labels | Tribute, Sony Music, Verity |
| Website | bentankard |
Biography
edit
Tankard's father was a minister and his mother a missionary.[1] In church, he played drums at an early age.[1] He played tuba in school and received a basketball scholarship.[1] Although he was selected in the NBA draft, he hurt his knee before the season started.[1] During a period of homelessness, he went to church and was inspired by a revival service to turn his life around.[1] He began playing keyboards, recorded Keynote Speaker (1990) for Tribute, and started to learn about arranging and record production.[1] He followed with He has worked with Gerald Albright, Twinkie Clark, Fred Hammond, John P. Kee, Shirley Murdock, Kelly Price, and Take 6.[1]
Tankard discovered a third-grade school teacher named Yolanda Adams and signed her to his indy Tribute label. He produced her albums Through the Storm, Save the World, More Than A Melody, and Yolanda... Live in Washington. They collaborated on over 40 compositions. He credits her voice for helping to bring his production style and keyboard playing to a large audience.[2][3]
He won Stellar Awards' Best Instrumental Album in 2010 for Mercy, Mercy, Mercy.[4]
In 2012, Ben Tankard/ Full Tank was nominated by the Soul Train Music Awards for Best Contemporary Jazz Artist.[5]
Discography
edit- All Keyed Up (1989)[6]
- Keynote Speaker (1990)[7]
- Keys to Life (1991)[8][9]
- An Instrumental Christmas (1991)[10][11]
- Sunday Drivin (1993)[12]
- Play Me in Your Key (1994)[13]
- Instrumentally Yours (1996)[14][15]
- Git Yo Prayze On w/Tribe of Benjamin (1997)[16]
- Raize Da Praise by Tribe of Benjamin (1999)[17]
- The Minstrel (1999)[18]
- Christmas Love (2000)[19]
- Song of Solomon (2001)[20]
- Play a Lil' Song for Me (2003)[21]
- Piano Prophet (2004)[22][23]
- Let's Get Quiet: The Smooth Jazz Experience (2007)[24]
- Mercy, Mercy, Mercy (2009)[25]
- Full Tank (2012)[26]
- Thicker Than Water-The Church Picnic (2013)
- Full Tank 2 (2015)[27]
- Full Tank 3: CanTANKerous (2017)[28][29]
- Rise! (2018) [30]
- Shine! (2021)
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g Bush, John. "Ben Tankard". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 September 2018.
- ^ Mercy Mercy Mercy: The Ben Tankard Story. Ben-Jamin' Publishing. 2010. p. 40.
- ^ Davis, Doug (May 18, 2007). "Meet 'The Godfather of Gospel Jazz'". The Daily News Journal - Murfreesboro, Tenn. D1.
- ^ "25th Annual Stellar Award Results (2010)".
- ^ "Soul Train Awards 2012 Viewers Choice Awards". Archived from the original on 2012-10-23.
- ^ "All Keyed Up - Ben Tankard | Release Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
- ^ "Keynote Speaker - Ben Tankard | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
- ^ "Keys to Life - Ben Tankard | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
- ^ Tankard, Ben. "Keys to Life" (album notes). Tribute. 1991.
- ^ "Christmas - Ben Tankard | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
- ^ Tankard, Ben. "An Instrumental Christmas" (album notes). Tribute. 1991.
- ^ "Sunday Driving - Ben Tankard | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
- ^ "Play Me in Your Key - Ben Tankard | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
- ^ "Instrumentally Yours - Ben Tankard | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
- ^ Tankard, Ben. "Instrumentally Yours" (album notes). Verity / Zomba. 1996.
- ^ "Git Yo Prayze On - Ben Tankard | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
- ^ "Raize Da Praize - Tribe of Benjamin | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
- ^ "The Minstrel - Ben Tankard | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
- ^ "Christmas Love - Ben Tankard | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
- ^ "Song of Solomon - Ben Tankard | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
- ^ "Play a Lil' Song for Me - Ben Tankard | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
- ^ "Piano Prophet - Ben Tankard | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
- ^ Tankard, Ben. "piano Prophet" (album Notes). Verity. 2004.
- ^ "Let's Get Quiet: The Smooth Jazz Experience - Ben Tankard | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
- ^ Tankard, Ben. "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy". Verity / Zomba. 2009.
- ^ "Full Tank - Ben Tankard | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
- ^ "Full Tank 2.0 - Ben Tankard | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
- ^ "Full Tank 3: Cantankerous - Ben Tankard | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
- ^ Tankard, Ben. "Full Tank 3: Cantankerous". Ben-Jammin' / Universal Music. 12 May 2017
- ^ "Rise! - Ben Tankard | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 January 2021.