Timing is everything. Sometimes a successful career can actually be a prelude to an artist’s true calling, but it’s a process that can’t be rushed. It has to happen in God’s perfect time. Just ask Tim Rushlow. In a career already populated with hit songs and numerous accolades, the former Little Texas front man has long held a desire to share his faith through music. With the release of “Rain Down on Me,” the time has finally come.
“I’ve been really, really wanting to do this for years and it just wasn’t time,” Rushlow says of recording his Christian debut. “I’ve been a believer for years. This is not a genre hop that’s convenient for me. I’m not doing a one off record in the Christian industry and cutting a pop/country record next year. This is a career move that I felt called to do. It’s about ministry and being able to touch lives with this music. I had some growing up to do over the past few years to get to this place I’m at now as a husband, as a father, as a man, as a singer and as a believer. I’m excited to see where it goes.”
Rushlow has already achieved more than most aspiring musician’s dream of accomplishing. Born in Oklahoma and raised in Texas, Rushlow catapulted to fame as lead singer for the country band Little Texas. Between 1991 and 1997, the group charted 15 singles on Billboard’s country chart, including the upbeat “God Blessed Texas” and the poignant ballad “What Might Have Been.” When the group disbanded, Rushlow embarked on a successful solo career, teaming with Jeff Foxworthy on the title track of the comedian’s album “Totally Committed” and scoring a top ten with “She Misses Him.” When Atlantic closed its country division, Rushlow formed a six-piece band and signed with Lyric Street Records.
“When Little Texas ended, I wanted to cut a Christian record and I felt like I had consulted everybody but God on it,” Rushlow says with a self-effacing smile. “I started to write and record only to feel like God was saying ‘Hey, I put you where I wanted you. I needed a salt shaker over there and that’s where I want you to stay.’ So I backed up. I had a solo career on Atlantic, and then my band Rushlow on Lyric Street, and I did a tour with Toby Keith in 2007, opening for him with my cousin as the duo Rushlow Harris.”
Yet even as he maintained his busy tour schedule as a country artist, he was hungry for a change. “I knew on stage in front of 15,000 in an amphitheater that something was missing,” he shares. “That’s when I knew I was done. So I backed up and came home for three years and just waited, listened and prayed. I started to hear the Lord tell me what it was that he wanted me to do. That’s what I’m doing now and I feel amazing about this. I don’t have any expectations. I just know that what I’m doing is what I’ve been called to do and it feels wonderful.”
Released on Nashville-based Liquid Spins, Rushlow’s Christian debut is a collection of well-crafted pop/ rock songs that run the gamut from the hard rocking “Back to You” to the potent pop anthem “Freedom” and “Unfinished Symphony,” a stirring number that prompts listeners to examine how their lives are impacting others. The album was produced by Ian Eskelin, winner of the Gospel Music Association’s Producer of the Year Dove Award in 2008 and 2011. Eskelin is known for his work with Francesca Battistelli, Sidewalk Prophets and Stellar Kart, among other top Christian acts.
Eskelin and Rushlow met in church and the producer didn’t know about Tim’s stellar country music past. “We just hit it off and what was great about Ian is he had no clue who I was or what I’d done,” Rushlow says. “One day I came by to write with him and his wife came out and said, “We heard one of your songs on the radio today. I was telling Ian that was you and he was like, “That’s Tim??!!” I love that he didn’t know, but he knows now. He called me up and said, ‘Dude, you had a mullet!’ and we laugh about it. It’s refreshing that he didn’t know, but one thing he did know was he knew my heart for the Lord. He knew that I wanted to reach people that hadn’t been reached.”
During the session when they recorded the lead single, “Rain Down on Me,” Eskelin stopped and called Rushlow into the control room. “We got through the first verse and he said, ‘Do you know why this will work?’ I said, ‘No, but you’re going to tell me. Right?” Rushlow asked. “He said, ‘The way you’re singing this, I can tell you’ve lived it and it just really hit me. You’ve lived it and that matters. It matters on tape and it matters to the listener. I think we’re onto something great. Don’t change a thing, go back in and keep singing.”
Though he made his mark in country music, listeners expecting to hear a bit of twang in Rushlow’s Christian debut will be surprised. “I was never really a country singer,” says the vocalist who has long been known for his rich, velvety tone. “I’ve always been more of a pop singer who just happens to front a band in country, who just happened to sell a lot of records. If my past in country music or country pop has opened a door for me to be able to be heard by somebody who normally wouldn’t be listening, then I take that as a blessing. I want to use it and give God the glory.”
When it comes to the lyrics and the messages, Rushlow says these aren’t songs he could have written a decade ago. “God knew what he was doing. He was holding me back for a reason,” he says. “He had to grow me up a little bit to get me to this place. I’m committed now. This is about getting to people’s hearts through music and sharing my stories through songs that have shaped who I am and I think could shape other people.”
Rushlow became a born again believer at age 14, but these days he’s deeply involved in his church and Bible study. His new music reflects this closer walk. “God is in the restoration business,” Rushlow says. “I don’t care how messed up somebody is or how many wrong choices they think they’ve made, God is in the restoration business. All he is doing is waiting for you to come to him and say ‘Hey, I need you’ and he’s there. That’s the deal. We all need to open up to that and it’s been a walk for me to figure that out. I’ve never been happier in my life than I am right now. My wife Mary Jane and I have been married almost 20 years. I gotta tell you, she has been an amazing constant star and prayer warrior for me through out all the chapters of my career and my life. It all changed the day I met her and I do mean for the better... Ha. She has been my best friend and walked with me through all the ups and downs. I do not know what I would do without her. We’ve got three beautiful kids and I feel so blessed to have them all in my life.”
He’s excited about the reception his songs are getting from Christian radio programmers because he’s a big fan of today’s Christian music and Christian radio. He moves closer to the edge of his chair, his voice rising with excitement as he discusses Casting Crowns and the impact their songs have had on him. He enthusiastically talks about how he loves Third Day, Switchfoot, Chris August, Gungor, tobyMac and Brandon Heath. He’s also a big fan of the new Building 429 album.
“I immensely respect all the artists in Christian music and I respect the industry as a whole, I just want to find my spot,” he says candidly. “There’s lots of great music on Christian radio without Tim Rushlow. I just want to contribute my part. I feel like I’m being obedient to what I’m called to do. I’ve heard God say, ‘Tim, it’s time.’”