Ben Tankard

Ben Tankard is a former professional basketball player and an American gospel, jazz keyboardist producer, songwriter and author. Ben dropped out of college after one year to play minor league pro basketball in Canada. He was invited to an NBA camp but was injured and cut. Ben "rebounded" from his basketball injury to become the world's bestselling and most popular musician in gospel jazz music. He is also a motivational speaker for the NBA, a suit designer (Big & Tall), a pastor, a record label president, an aircraft pilot/owner and now a reality TV star.

As an avid aviator and instrument rated pilot, he flies to most of his concerts on his own fleet of airplanes. His favorite aircraft is the Pilatus PC-12. Ben flies the following planes: Cessna Golden Eagle - 421C / N421AS and Cessna Skyrocket 337C / N2469S. He also has FAA registration N number reserved for the Pilatus PC12: N192PC. He makes over 100 special appearances and concerts each year including, jazz festivals, gospel explosions and corporations. He shares the joy of flight with young children through his Urban Eagles outreach program.

Ben Tankard, widely recognized as the “Godfather of Gospel Jazz,” is the recipient of twelve Stellar Awards and multiple Dove & Grammy nominations. As an artist, composer and producer, Ben has participated on 15 gold and 6 Platinum albums. He is the best selling gospel/jazz musician of all time. He has recorded 18 top instrumental solo albums and collaborated on over 300 recordings in his 20-year career. His work includes collaborations with platinum artists such as Fred Hammond, Kelly Price and Take-6. He is the producer that discovered Yolanda Adams and presented her to the world. In September of 2012, Ben Tankard / Full Tank was nominated by the Soul Train Music Awards for Best Contemporary Jazz Artist and the Stellar Awards for Best Urban Contemporary Performance.

Tankard was recently awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award for Musical Excellence as an artist, producer and songwriter by The Atlanta Gospel-fest. Tankard's 18th studio album, the highly anticipated "Ben Tankard / Full Tank" was released in 2012 on his record label Ben-Jamin’ Music & Films, which is distributed through Universal Studios / Universal Music Group. It features music from legendary producer-songwriters, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and special guest appearances by Mark Kibble / Take 6, Gerald Albright and others. Ben’s teaching ministry was jump-started by a prophetic word, and an anointing by Dr. Creflo A. Dollar Jr.

He has written four books including the bestseller, “Faith It Til You Make It” and is an author with International bible bookseller Thomas Nelson. Ben is also a motivation speaker for the National Basketball Association (NBA). Ben and his wife, Jewel, Pastor of the Destiny Center; one church in two locations and is one of the fastest growing churches in Murfreesboro, TN & Nashville, TN. The couple is internationally recognized through record and book distribution, radio and TV broadcast, and over 150 personal appearances annually. The Tankards reside in Murfreesboro, TN with their children.

On April 3, 2013 Bravo cable network announced that Ben Tankard and family had been cast for "Thicker Than Water: The Tankards," a reality show that showcases Tankard's family life, music career, business ventures, passion for aviation and his role as a motivational speaker with the National Basketball Association (NBA) and his true passion: ministry.