Ben Tankard | |
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| Background information | |
| Born | January 10, 1964 Daytona Beach, Florida, United States |
| Genres | Contemporary gospel, smooth jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instrument(s) | Keyboards |
| Years active | 1990s–present |
| Labels | Tribute, Sony Music, Verity |
| Website | bentankard |
Ben Tankard (born January 10, 1964) is an American gospel/smooth jazz musician, producer, and arranger.
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]
