Zach Williams is an American Christian singer and songwriter, born in 1978 in Pensacola and raised in Jonesboro, Arkansas. After years in rock music with Zach Williams and the Reformation, he became a solo Christian artist in 2016 with the album Chain Breaker, which won a Grammy Award. His duet with Dolly Parton, There Was Jesus, also won a Grammy.
Originally from Jonesboro, Arkansas, Zach Williams founded the southern rock band Zach Williams and the Reformation in 2007, releasing two independent albums with the group. The band split up in 2012 when Williams went through a spiritual turning point that reshaped his music and his life. He then joined Central Baptist Church in Jonesboro, where he formed the group Zach Williams and the Brothers of Grace with guitarist Robby Rigsbee, a transitional step between rock and worship that paved the way for his move into Christian music.
In 2016, Williams signed with Essential Records and released his first solo album, Chain Breaker. The title track became the number one Christian song and the album earned him the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album in 2018. Since then, his career has been built around stories of redemption set to music, with albums like Rescue Story in 2019, A Hundred Highways in 2022, and Jesus Loves in 2025.
- Origin
- Pensacola, Florida, raised in Jonesboro, Arkansas, USA
- Style
- Christian rock, country, and contemporary Christian music
- Active since
- 2016 as a solo artist, after the band Zach Williams and the Reformation starting in 2007
- Good to know
- His song There Was Jesus, a duet with Dolly Parton, won a Grammy Award in 2021
How did Zach Williams get started?
Before becoming a well-known name in Christian music, Zach Williams spent years in southern rock with Zach Williams and the Reformation, a band he led from 2007 to 2012 and with which he released the albums Electric Revival and A Southern Offering. The band's breakup coincided with a deepening of his faith. Williams then began playing at his local church, Central Baptist in Jonesboro, before forming Zach Williams and the Brothers of Grace with Robby Rigsbee, which released the EP Shine a Light in 2014.
The decisive turning point came in 2016, when Williams signed a solo deal with Essential Records and released Chain Breaker. The title single became the number one Christian song for several weeks and launched his solo career, which until then had developed in the shadow of a decade of rock and local worship ministry.
What makes Zach Williams distinctive?
His raspy voice and background in southern rock give his songs a different color from the rest of the American worship scene, closer to country and rock than to classic worship pop. His lyrics tell stories of redemption and new beginnings, in keeping with his own journey of conversion. His concerts, especially his filmed series Live From Red Rocks, capture that Christian rock energy performed with a full band.
Where should you start to discover Zach Williams?
Chain Breaker, his first single and the title track of his 2016 album, remains the most natural entry point for understanding his music. Old Church Choir, a tribute to the simple faith passed down through earlier generations, continues that discovery. There Was Jesus, his 2019 duet with Dolly Parton, is the song that introduced him to audiences beyond the Christian market.
songs
Old Church Choir
Released in 2017 and certified platinum in the United States, this song pays tribute to the simple faith passed down through earlier generations.
Chain Breaker
Williams's first single as a solo artist, released in 2016, it became the number one Christian song and gave its name to his debut album.
There Was Jesus
A duet with country singer Dolly Parton, released in 2019 on the album Rescue Story, this song won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Christian Song in 2021.
Discography
- 2025Jesus Loves
- 2022A Hundred Highways
- 2021I Don't Want Christmas to End· Christmas album
- 2019Rescue Story
- 2016Chain Breaker
Read also
Frequently asked questions
Who is Zach Williams?
Zach Williams is an American Christian singer born in 1978, from Jonesboro, Arkansas. After a career in southern rock, he became a solo Christian artist in 2016 with the album Chain Breaker and has won two Grammy Awards over the course of his career.
What is Zach Williams's best-known song?
Chain Breaker and There Was Jesus, his duet with Dolly Parton, are his best-known songs. Old Church Choir and Fear Is a Liar are also among his most-streamed and platinum-certified songs.
Is Zach Williams a Christian?
Yes. Zach Williams is an evangelical Christian artist whose entire solo career, launched in 2016, is devoted to contemporary Christian music and to songs inspired by his own journey of faith.
Where can you listen to Zach Williams?
His albums are available on the usual streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, and Deezer, as well as on his official YouTube channel, which features several concerts filmed in full.
Has Zach Williams won a Grammy Award?
Yes, twice. Chain Breaker earned him the Grammy for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album in 2018, and There Was Jesus, with Dolly Parton, the Grammy for Best Contemporary Christian Song in 2021.
What is the connection between Zach Williams and Dolly Parton?
The two artists recorded the duet There Was Jesus together, released in 2019 on Zach Williams's album Rescue Story. The song won a Grammy Award in 2021.