‘The Singing Contractors’ unexpected climb to fame

Two general contractors working in and around Indianapolis, Indiana have taken social media by storm, not by displaying teaching videos on contracting techniques, but by singing.

Aaron Gray, 39 and Josh Arnett, 40, have been friends since childhood. Today, they work as contractors — pounding a hammer. Living about an hour apart outside Indianapolis, they often work together on projects.

Initially they started out singing together while they worked, but at one point they decided to record the songs on their phones. All their songs are ‘a cappella’ but often have a cathedral type sound as they sing in empty homes.

Both Arnett and Gray come from Christian homes, but neither of them had sang professionally.

The turning point came last year when pastor Paul Biggar joined them in singing “How Great Thou Art.” They sang it in three-part harmony in the basement of a home they were working on.

They shared it on Facebook and within a few weeks the video was viewed 19 million times.

Because of their almost instantaneous climb to fame, they have appeared on a number of media sites including on Fox news’ — Fox and friends. Last year, the two were also invited to sing at the state’s governor’s mansion and the Indiana State House.

They often take requests for songs via Facebook and when someone requested “Mary Did You Know” last Christmas, they were hesitant because they were not familiar with the words. After checking over the song, they decided to release it this year.

After one practice run, they sang the song in the garage of a home they were renovating. They displayed the words of the song on their cell phones as they sang.

This could be their biggest hit so far. Released on December 3, 2016, it already has 18 million Facebook views.

They have since started their own website and produced their first CD with nine songs on it, including: How Great Thou Art, Power in the Blood, Come Holy Spirit and Victory in Jesus.