Sidewalk Prophets was formed by lead singer Dave Frey and rhythm guitarist Ben McDonald when the two were attending Anderson University in Indiana. Unknown to them, a demo they recorded was taken to a campus recording contest, which earned them a performance slot. That in turn, led to radio program directors, record labels, and a chance encounter with Audio Adrenaline’s Will McGinnis, who gave Dave the opportunity to sing in front of 20,000 people. In 2007 the band set off to Nashville, TN with the hopes of furthering their musical aspirations. The following year brought an unexpected meeting between the band’s newly acquired bassist Cal Joslin, and record executive Susan Riley at a Belmont University music business lecture. This opened the door for the band to present their music, and eventually sign a record deal with Word Records. The band’s first radio single “The Words I Would Say” released in 2009 and catapulted the band to the forefront of Christian music. That single paved the way for several more hit songs such as: “You Love Me Anyway”, “Live Like That”, “Come To The Table”, and more.
In 2014, the band added guitar virtuoso Dan Macal to their roster, and he quickly earned the nickname “Big Dan” due to the large sounds he could generate on the guitar. In 2016, band founder Ben McDonald stepped off the stage to fulfill a management roll. Currently, Frey, and McDonald continue their co-writing partnership for all of the band’s material . Sidewalk Prophets has always had great honor in taking care of their fans, and in 2022 the band gifted them a 4th of July sold out free concert at historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. The band loves Christmas, and they are currently entering the 6th year of hosting their joy-filled Christmas tour the “Great Big Family Christmas”. Sidewalk Prophets spent 2023, and 2024 in the studio self-producing (Joslin/Macal) their highly anticipated 5th studio album “Looking Up” available now.
