Bio

In an industry where style typically trumps substance, songwriter James Tealy is a refreshing exception to the rule. Tealy has a knack for writing about deeper things with the effortless panache of a pop music craftsman—a rare combination that inevitably connects with a broad audience.
As an educator, James Tealy has taught Commercial Songwriting in the Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business at Belmont University, as well as music industry, songwriting and worship ministry leadership courses as an adjunct faculty member and curriculum design consultant at Lipscomb University, Trevecca Nazarene University, and Truett McConnell University. He is also a creative director for Kingdom Songs and you can join a songwriting course with James at Kingdom Songs University. Tealy is also a regularly featured keynote for worship and songwriting workshops and conferences like Centric Worship, GMA Immerse, the Canadian Christian Songwriters Summit, and others.
Currently, James Tealy serves as the worship pastor with The Met Church in Houston, TX.
As a professional songwriter, James’ deep list of cuts across several genres includes a BMI award winner, three #1’s at Christian radio and songs on several Dove Award and Grammy Award winning gold and platinum albums. His songs have been recorded by Kari Jobe, Lauren Daigle, Shannon Labrie, Josh Wilson, Unspoken, Chris August, and more than 100 others. James’ songs have been featured in both film and TV globally including networks NBC, CBS, Fox Sports, ABC Family, UPN and more. Tealy continues writing for a diverse group of country, pop and gospel artists.
Once people find out James writes songs for a living, the next inevitable question is, “have you written anything I would know.” In the sea of over 45 million songs on iTunes, the safest answer is “probably not.” Most of the songs James has written have stayed in relative obscurity. And depending on the musical “pool” you normally swim in, some of these songs may surprise you.
Here are some of the songs James Tealy has written or co-written. They’re in alphabetical order by Artist with links to iTunes.
- Abandon – “Known” [VIDEO]
- Andy Needham Band – “You Are My Joy”
- Anthems Rise – “Come Rescue”
- Anthems Rise – “Great and Glorious”
- Anthems Rise – “No Turning Back” [VIDEO]
- Anthems Rise – “Overcome” [VIDEO]
- Chris August – “I Believe” [VIDEO]
- Rob Blackledge – “Your City My City”
- Aaron Blanton – “We Are the Hands” [VIDEO]
- Brad + Rebekah “The Heart of the Father” [VIDEO]
- Branch – “Louder”
- Branch – “Up, Down or Inbetween”
- Branch – “Sink My Heart”
- Centric Worship – “All the Saints (Holy, Holy Holy) [VIDEO]
- Centric Worship – “Come Lord Jesus”
- Chris and Caleb -“Unstoppable”
- Chris and Caleb -“Yesterday’s Rain”
- Chris and Caleb -“How Great a Love”
- Church of the Highlands – “God Is With Us” [VIDEO]
- CityAlight – “Jesus Is Alive” [VIDEO]
- CityAlight – “God Is For Us” [VIDEO]
- CLife Worship – “Open Hands”
- Seth Condrey “Your Kingdom”
- Cortni – “God Knows”
- Crossing Worship – “Count it Joy” [VIDEO]
- Crossing Worship – “Power of the Cross”
D – K
- Lauren Daigle – “I Am Yours” [VIDEO]
- Jonny Diaz “Live Like He’s Alive” [VIDEO]
- Josh Fox – “King of Glory”
- Gold City – “Never Too Broken to Belong” [VIDEO]
- Grace Community Church – “Bless the Lord”
- Goup 1 Crew – “Best is Yet to Come”
- Ernie Halter – “Brave Enough”
- Imperials – “Wrap My Arms Around the World”
- Alexa James – “More Than More”
- Jaime Jamgochian – “God Unchanging” [VIDEO]
- Kari Jobe – “We Are” [VIDEO]
- Kari Jobe – “We Are” (acoustic sessions) [VIDEO]
- Kari Jobe – “Somos La Luz” [VIDEO]
- Kari Jobe – “What Love Can Do” [From the feature film “NOT TODAY”]
- KTunez Praise – “As Long As I Have Breath”
- KTunez Praise – “Come to Me”
- KTunez Praise – “Jeremiah 29:11″
- KTunez Praise – “Keep Alert”
- Shannon Labrie – “Then There’s You” feat. Gabe Dixon [VIDEO]
- Shannon Labrie – “Ain’t Just A Feeling”
- Shannon Labrie – “Some Kind of Rescue”
- Shannon Labrie – “I Remember A Boy” [VIDEO]
- Shannon Labrie – “Headlines”
- Shannon Labrie – “Homeland”
- Shannon Labrie – “Lion’s Cage” [VIDEO]
- Shannon Labrie – “Love Somebody”
- Shannon Labrie – “Muddy Water”
- Shannon Labrie – “My Snow Angel”
- Shannon Labrie – “Slow Dance” [VIDEO]
- Shannon Labrie – “The Way She Loves Him” [VIDEO]
- Amy Lambert – “Never Too Broken to Belong” [VIDEO]
- Chris Lee – “Braid”
- Adam Levy – “Jukebox”
- Lifeway Worship – “God Unchanging”
- Me In Motion – “Yes We Can” [VIDEO]
- The Met Collective – Louder Still [VIDEO]
- The Met Collective – Goodness
- The MET Worship – “Awake My Soul (and With the Sun)” [VIDEO]
- The MET Worship – “Never Get Over You” [VIDEO]
- The MET Worship – “Visible” [VIDEO]
- North Point Live – “God Is With Us”
- Michael Olson -“If You Can Stop The World”
- Michael Olson -“God Is With Us”
- Michael Olson -“Tell Me Again” [VIDEO]
- Michael Olson -“Look Among the Lowly”
- Jeannie Ortega – “Everybody Somebody”
- Jeannie Ortega – “Makes Me Wanna”
- Matt Papa – “Keep Running”
- Matt Papa – “The Ocean”
- Matt Papa – “One Thing” [VIDEO]
- Matt Papa – “Open Hands” [VIDEO]
- People of the Earth “Wake Up My Soul”
- Dave Pittman (feat. Seth & Nirva) – “Different Kind of Love” [VIDEO]
- Praize Jamz – “Everywhere”
- Praize Jamz – “Hallelujah Always”
- Cindy Cruse Ratcliff – “Always Only Love”
- Redemption City Church – “Return” [VIDEO]
- Redemption City Church – “O Bride of Christ” [VIDEO]
- Redemption City Church – “Faith of Our Fathers” [VIDEO]
- Redemption City Church – “Speak” [VIDEO]
- Redemption City Church – “The Power of the Cross” [VIDEO]
- Rhett Walker Band – “Murderer”
- Satellites & Sirens – “Breakthrough”
- Alvin Slaughter – “Tell Me Again” [VIDEO]
- Songs of Redemption City – “All the Saints (Holy, Holy, Holy)” [VIDEO]
- Songs of Redemption City – “Come Lord Jesus” [VIDEO]
- Songs of Redemption City – “Have No Fear” [VIDEO]
- Songs of Redemption City – “My Refuge” [VIDEO]
- SonPower 2012 – “We Are” [VIDEO]
- Stand & Shout – “God Unchanging”
- Summit Worship – “Behold” [VIDEO]
- Arkin Terrel – “Strength to Surrender”
- The Ridge – “Be Here Now”
- Nick Thurmond – “You Alone Can Save (Unrelenting Love)”
- Unspoken – “In Your Hands” (EP version) [VIDEO]
- Unspoken – “In Your Hands” (Album Version) [VIDEO]
- Unspoken – “Tomorrow” (Album Version and Radio Version) [VIDEO]
- Vineyard Cincinnati – “We Are”
- Sammy Ward – “Right On Time”
- Heather Waters – “Jukebox”
- Waves of Grace – “Beautiful Redeemer”
- Josh Wilson – “Pushing Back the Dark” [VIDEO]
- Josh Wilson – “This Is the Day” [VIDEO]
- Josh Wilson – “Borrow (One Day At A Time)”
- Josh Wilson – “Self Less”
- Worship Kidstyle – “We Are”
- Cammie York – “Down”
- Cammie York – “Parachute”
- Julianna Zobrist – “Always the Same”
- Julianna Zobrist – “Shatterproof”
- Julianna Zobrist – “The Dawn”[VIDEO][ACOUSTIC VID]