Bear Rinehart

American singer-songwriter

Bear Rinehart

Rinehart in 2008

Background information
Birth name| William Stanley Rinehart III
Also known as| Wilder Woods
Born|  (1980-09-06) September 6, 1980 (age 44)
Greenville, South Carolina
Genres|

* soul[1][2]
* pop[3]
* folk[2][3]
* R&B[4]
* contemporary R&B[1]
* roots rock[2]
* Americana[2]
* rock[3]
* gospel[3]

Instruments|

* Guitar
* piano
* harmonica

Years active| 1998–present
Labels| Atlantic
Member of| Needtobreathe
Spouse| Mary Reames
Website| iamwilderwoods.com

Musical artist

William Stanley "Bear" Rinehart III[5] (born September 6, 1980; also known by the stage name Wilder Woods) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist who is a founding member and lead singer of the rock band, Needtobreathe. In 2019, he announced the launch of a solo career under the name Wilder Woods. His debut solo album was released on Atlantic Records in August 2019.[6]

## Career

[edit]

In April 2019, Rinehart began releasing music under the name Wilder Woods, starting with the songs "Someday Soon" and "Sure Ain't". The stage name comes from the names of Rinehart's two oldest sons, Wilder and Woods.[4] His debut solo studio album was released in August 2019 by Atlantic Records.[7] The album debuted at No. 20 on Billboard Emerging Artists and No. 2 on Top Heatseekers. The album single "Supply & Demand" peaked at No. 27 on Adult Alternative Songs chart.[7] He has also been a featured artist on a variety of songs for acts like American Authors and others.[8][9]

In December 2019, Norwegian DJ Matoma, Michigan-born producer Petey Martin,[10] and Wilder Woods debuted the single "Keep It Simple".[11] An acoustic version and remix with Rayet followed in 2020.[12][13]

In February 2021, Rinehart independently released "sink our love now (work tape)" under his Wilder Woods moniker.[14] The demos "man made weather" and "heavenly light" debuted in the following months.[15][16] In April 2021, Rinehart released the work tapes ep which included the three songs.[17] Rinehart recorded each of the demos by himself in his home studio in Franklin, Tennessee.[18]

As a member of NEEDTOBREATHE, Rinehart was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2015.

## Personal life

[edit]

Rinehart is married to Mary Reames, with whom he has three sons.[4][19] Rinehart was also an accomplished college football wide receiver. A teammate of quarterback and current University of Florida head coach Billy Napier, the pair set numerous school records together at Furman University between 1999 and 2002.[20]

## Discography

[edit]

### Albums

[edit]

#### As Wilder Woods

[edit]

Studio Albums  Title  | Album details

|

Wilder Woods[21] |

* Release date: August 9, 2019
* Label: Atlantic
* Format: Digital download
* 10 Songs; 34 minutes and 33 seconds

FEVER / SKY |

* Release date: March 24, 2023
* Label: Dualtone Music Group
* Format: Digital download
* 11 Songs; 41 minutes

CURIOSO | February 07, 2025

#### As a member of Needtobreathe

[edit]

Main article: Needtobreathe discography

* Daylight (2006)
* The Heat (2007)
* The Outsiders (2009)
* The Reckoning (2011)
* Rivers in the Wasteland (2014)
* Hard Love (2016)
* Out of Body (2020)
* Into the Mystery (2021)
* Caves (2023)

### Singles

[edit]

#### As Wilder Woods

[edit]

List of singles, showing year released and album name  Title  | Year  | Peak chart positions  | Album

|
|
|

AAA
[22]
"Supply & Demand"  | 2019  | —  | Wilder Woods
"Electric Woman"  | —
"Supply & Demand (Oliver Nelson & Tobtok Remix)"  | —
"Supply & Demand (Jean Tonique Remix)"  | —
"Someday Soon (Single Version)"  | 2020  | —
"Keep It Simple"  | 2019  | —  | non-album single
"sink our love now (work tape)"  | 2021  | —  | the work tapes ep
"man made weather (work tape)"  | —
"heavenly light (work tape)"  | —
"Maestro (Tears Don't Lie)"  | 2023  | 12  | FEVER / SKY
"Get It Back"  | —
"Patience"  | —
"Maestro (Tears Don't Lie) [Stripped Sessions]"  | —
"Be Yourself (Stripped Sessions)"  | —
"Make Your Own Mistakes (Stripped Sessions)"  | —
"Bring It On Home To Me"  | —  | Discovered & Covered (Compilation Album by Various Artists)

### Music videos

[edit]

Year  | Song  | Director

|
|

2019  | "Someday Soon"  | Gus Black
"Sure Ain't"  | Gus Black
"Electric Woman"  | ?
"Supply & Demand"  | Gus Black
"Light Shine In"  | ?
2023  | "Maestro (Tears Don't Lie)"  | Elliott Eicheldinger

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Strogatz, Jen (September 4, 2019). "Interview with Bear Rinehart aka Wilder Woods". IndependentPhilly.com. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
2. ^ a b c d Bjorke, Matt (April 11, 2023). "Album Review: Wilder Woods - "Fever/Sky"". RoughStock. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
3. ^ a b c d "Wilder Woods with special guest Abraham Alexander at The Vogue in Indianapolis on Wednesday, April 26, 2023!". Vogue. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
4. ^ a b c Warren, Bruce (May 22, 2019). "NEEDTOBREATHE's Bear Rinehart Reveals Himself To Be Wilder Woods". NPR. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
5. ^ Lanham, Tom (July 8, 2015). "Needtobreathe ends family feud". San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
6. ^ "Needtobreathe's Bear Rinehart on Soulful Solo Project Wilder Woods". Retrieved August 12, 2019.
7. ^ a b Zellner, Xander (August 21, 2019). "K-Pop Group X1 Excels On Emerging Artists Chart, Despite Not Having Released Any Music Yet". Billboard. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
8. ^ Evans Price, Deborah (October 2, 2010). "New Day Dawning". Billboard. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
9. ^ "John Mark McMillan Partners with Ray Dalton, Bear Rinehart and Kim Walker-Smith for New Project". New Release Today. September 10, 2014. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
10. ^ Hastings, Nancy. "'Hometown boy' records hit song". Hillsdale Daily News. Retrieved December 4, 2023.
11. ^ Keep It Simple (feat. Wilder Woods) - Single by Matoma & Petey Martin, December 6, 2019, retrieved December 4, 2023
12. ^ Keep It Simple (feat. Wilder Woods) [Acoustic] \- Single by Matoma & Petey Martin, January 17, 2020, retrieved December 4, 2023
13. ^ Keep It Simple (feat. Wilder Woods) [Rayet Remix] \- Single by Matoma & Petey Martin, March 4, 2020, retrieved December 4, 2023
14. ^ Sink Our Love Now (Work Tape) by Wilder Woods, February 5, 2021, retrieved December 4, 2023
15. ^ Man Made Weather (Work Tape) - Single by Wilder Woods, February 5, 2021, retrieved December 4, 2023
16. ^ Heavenly Light (Work Tape) - Single by Wilder Woods, March 26, 2021, retrieved December 4, 2023
17. ^ The Work Tapes EP by Wilder Woods, April 9, 2021, retrieved December 4, 2023
18. ^ Wilder Woods. "happy new year". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved December 4, 2023.
19. ^ "Mary Reames Rinehart on Instagram: "Big boy made a big entrance last night. Waters Bear Rinehart 8lbs 10oz, 20 inches, and almost born in the car. He is squishy, soft, and…"". Instagram. Archived from the original on December 25, 2021. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
20. ^ Cridlin, Jay (January 6, 2017). "College Football Playoff: Needtobreathe's Bear Rinehart talks about his band's Alabama-Clemson divide". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
21. ^ Graff, Gary (July 26, 2019). "Needtobreathe's Bear Rinehart Shares 'Light Shine In' From New Project Wilder Woods: Premiere". Billboard. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
22. ^ "Adult Alternative Airplay: Week of June 17, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved June 17, 2023.

## External links

[edit]

* Wilder Woods official website
* Needtobreathe official website

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF

National|

* Germany
* United States

Artists|

* MusicBrainz
* Grammy Awards