Tamplin began playing guitar at age six and singing at age nine. Despite being raised in a Christian home, he was not openly Christian until some time before he began his musical career.[1]
Career
Tamplin is one of the founding members of the group Shout, along with Chuck King. He is also the winner of four GMA Dove Awards, including Hard Music Album of the Year at the 25th GMA Dove Awards in 1994, for his album Tamplin; and received 12 nominations.[2][3]
Tamplin is married and has two children.[2][4] He also has a brother, Lance, who is a pastor, and with whom he started Living Stones Fellowship in 2001,[4] which was based at the La Tierra Elementary school in Mission Viejo, where he served as a worship director.[5]
Tamplin is a cousin to former Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar.[6] Hagar said of Tamplin in an interview: "I've only met him once. But you know, he sends me his records and all that stuff."[6]
On August 31, 2024, Ken Tamplin and his band, Shout, performed a live concert at the BMI Event Center in Versailles, Ohio.[9] During one of the songs, Tamplin noticeably missed a vocal line. Shortly afterward, he announced that his microphone had been cut off. However, when he tested it on the spot, no technical issues were apparent.[10]
The incident sparked controversy online, with several YouTube channels analyzing the concert footage, among them popular YouTuber Fil Henley, aka Wings of Pegasus.[11] After hundreds of thousands of views of the original video and Tamplin's response in which he denied lip-syncing, but confirmed backing tracks were used,[12] Henley made a follow-up video about Tamplin.[13]
The analyses provided data and evidence suggesting that the high parts of the vocal performance, in particular the song "Living For My Lord", had been lip-synced from studio recordings, such as the first two Shout albums from the 1980s. Additionally, Tamplin’s YouTube channel, Ken Tamplin Vocal Academy, removed the original video of the performance and re-uploaded it, editing the parts where it appeared he was mimicking his vocals.[14]
