Hey y'all, welcome to Biscuits & Jam from Southern Living.

I'm your host, Sid Evans, and today I'm joined by a Nashville-based singer-songwriter,

who's known for looking more like a dad than a rock star.

Ben Rector grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a place he says has its own brand of

Southern. He first picked up a guitar after watching counselors play at a summer camp, but it was a

praise and worship class in high school led by a teacher who encouraged students to really

run with their talent that set him on his path.

After studying at the University of Arkansas, Ben built a career on his own terms,

going from playing college shows to selling out amphitheaters,

performing at venues like the Kennedy Center,

and releasing chart-topping albums like brand-new magic and the joy of music. His songs often celebrate

what he calls the Other 99, finding beauty in everyday life. These days, fatherhood has shifted

the way he thinks about success. Ben still wants to make great music, but he's also focused on

being present for his wife and their three young children.

On today's episode, we'll talk about his hometown of Tulsa, life in Nashville, his family,

and what it's been like to play with a symphony.

All that and more on this week's Biscuits and Jam. Ben Rector, welcome to Biscuits and Jam.

Thanks for having me.

Where am I reaching you right now?

I'm in my, I would say studio, it's really kind of like my office.

It's a space that is attached to my house, but you can only get in from the outside, which

is nice, because otherwise I'd just be running back and forth, and my kids would also. So you really got to want it. You've got to want to come out and say hi, or I have to want to go inside. But it's great. This is Nashville, right? Yeah, yeah, Nashville. Sorry, though. So you've been in Nashville for a while now.

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