Nathan Jey Tingle

Intense and subdued, charismatic yet reserved, Nathan Jey Tingle is a soulful singer-songwriter whose mission is to connect with listeners through song while making the reality of God's Kingdom visible to the world. A shuffling listen through his catalogue of self-produced records opens a broken window to the soul of a singer who desires to break boundaries: musically and relationally.

Born in Greenville, SC, Nathan's earliest musical memory as a child was sitting on the floor listening to his parent's vast collection of records which included The Beatles, Neil Young, and Johnny Cash. In 1989, Nathan was invited by a youth pastor to see singer/songwriter Randy Matthews at a concert in Greenville. Nathan reflects, "This concert made a huge impact on me as I left the show wanting to learn how to play guitar and write songs and even more importantly, I wanted to know more about the God of the Bible that Randy talked about. I started my journey as a Christ follower shortly after that time. "At thirteen, the young roots-rocker started writing songs on an old, beat up Harmony six string. In high school, he played out in the community as much as he could and recorded several garage demos. After graduating high school in 1996, Nathan continued to write more songs while attending a college in upstate SC. With classes keeping him busy during the week, weekends were filled with concert dates across the Southeast.

After graduating with a B.A. in Religion in 2001, the artist moved to Nashville, TN. After embarking on a couple of lonely, solo-acoustic tours and at a time when he was in-between day jobs in Nashville, a surprising and unforeseen opportunity unfolded to go back on the road. This time it was to play guitar for the Dallas Hip-Hop duo and UpRok Recording artists known as Ill Harmonics on their 2002 Live and Direct Tour. This time on the road was marked with some intense soul-searching and much needed spiritual reflection. After the tour's completion, Nathan returned to Nashville and began working as a jr. high youth pastor at a local Nashville church. While serving on staff he met and fell in love with his wife, Crystal James. They married in Nashville on April 17, 2004.

Armed with a couple of acoustic guitars and several Blues Harps, Nathan stomps and strums, hollers and whispers as spectators listen for the story in each song. From colleges to coffee houses and from drug rehab centers to church youth camps, Nathan has played them all. "One night a few years back", he recounts, "I had a gig just outside Winston Salem, NC where I played to about sixty X-Hell's Angels who had found the Light and was walking the straight and narrow. I didn't know what to expect and really had no idea what I had got myself into. Without a doubt, one of the best times I've ever had playing out. Those guys really reached out to me with the love of the Lord. They made a lot of noise and made me feel welcome and I wish I'd recorded it."

Nathan Jey Tingle is still writing, recording and looking for new and interesting places to play and new friends to get to know. His vision is unwavering and his passion for the disadvantaged, brokenhearted and forgotten are key themes throughout his work. Nathan fervently longs to be a part of a global community of artists who work together in pushing back the effects of human depravity and suffering in the world. Reflecting on his mission, Nathan states, "My dream is to create, record and perform honest and imaginative songs that impact how listeners view and relate to God as well as their neighbor; I want to begin a musical conversation that involves a unique invitation into God's ongoing Story. I hope and pray that the wonder and mystery of God is somewhere in these songs I sing. I am excited about making records, meeting new friends and finding new places to play while participating with others in this Story that is much bigger than anything on this planet."

Nathan has just completed a new EP entitled "LOWERED WINGS" and is currently working on a full length record entitled "The Necessity Of Moving Dirt" that will be finished and released by year's end.