Portrait of Ben Rector

Birthday profile

Ben Rector

Ben Rector, American singer, songwriter and musician

Born
November 6, 1986
Age in 2026
40
Zodiac sign
Scorpio
Birth year
1986

About Ben Rector

Benjamin Evans Rector (born November 6, 1986) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer based in Nashville, Tennessee. He is an independent artist, and releases music under his own label OK Kid Recordings. Rector's career has with RIAA Gold and RIAA Platinum certifications, including his 2015 album Brand New and 2018's Magic which both peaked at No. 1 on Billboard US Folk and No. 2 on Billboard US Rock and US Indie charts. Since 2011's Something Like This, most albums debuted on the Billboard 200. His songs have received airplay on Hot AC, Top 40, Country, AAA, and Christian radio stations. Rector has a dedicated fanbase, regularly performing sold-out shows at amphitheaters across the United States with each album release. In addition to album-backed tours he completed The Old Friends Acoustic Tour spanning 2020 to 2024, and a run of symphonic performances with Cody Fry in 2023 to 2024 that premiered with two sold out nights at the Kennedy Center. He recently headlined 26 live shows nationwide throughout 2025 in conjunction with his album The Richest Man in the World; his final show at the Delta Center was his largest ever. Televised credits include appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Conan, The Today Show, Good Morning America, Live With Kelly and Ryan, the 2017 Stanley Cup Finals, the 2025 NBA playoff finals, The Kelly Clarkson Show, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, season 19 of American Idol as a celebrity mentor, and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. His songs have appeared on more than 100 major television shows, ad campaigns, and movies. Rector's accolades include a GMA Dove Award for a choir production of his 2022 song "Joy" and a Daytime Emmy nomination for a performance of his 2018 song "Old Friends". He did not grow up in a musical household, although Evans was a fan of Steve Winwood and Rector became a fan of his work at a young age.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

The world when Ben Rector was born

Ben Rector was born in 1986. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1986

  • #1 song"That's What Friends Are For" – Dionne Warwick & Friends
  • Top moviePlatoon
  • Top TV showThe Cosby Show
  • Best-selling bookIt – Stephen King

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentMaradona's "Hand of God" goal at the World Cup
  • Top headlineSpace Shuttle Challenger disaster
  • Technology milestoneChernobyl nuclear disaster in Soviet Ukraine
  • Defining fadTop Gun aviator sunglasses
  • Notable inventionDisposable camera
  • World population4.94 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderRonald Reagan
  • Sports championNew York Mets (World Series)
  • Also wonBoston Celtics (NBA)
  • U.S. population240.1M

1986 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Ben Rector's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19862026
Gas$0.93$3.45/gal
Average home$80,300$435,000
Average income$29,458$67,500
Minimum wage$3.35$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$3.71$11.95
Postage stamp$0.22$0.73
Population240.1M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, MusicBrainz. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.