Artist Spotlight: John King

John King is an artist that I met in Memphis while visiting St. Jude, so it was a win-win! He’s a great guy with his head straight forward and focused on the things he wants, and so far, he’s done a pretty good job at getting them! John is originally from Georgia, but made the move to Nashville right after college. Music is something that has always run in John’s family, so music has always been his goal. John grew up in the church and his mom played piano. It wasn’t until his dad got him into rock music though that he really decided that he wanted to start writing songs.

John attended the University of Georgia, where he majored in Marketing and minored in Music Business, both of which have helped him out tremendously with his career. Before he scored his record deal, he was the one managing himself. According to John, this is one of the hardest businesses to get into just because you deal with so many different people on a daily basis. I’m pretty sure he’s right! College is actually where the band formed, and they’ve been going strong ever since. Starting out as a college band, they’ve played every type of venue you could think of. But here’s the thing, they love them all! John said that there isn’t really anywhere they DON’T feel comfortable. I asked him when he actually considered himself a professional musician, thinking that it might have been recently, but they actually had quite a bit of success while still in school. During his sophomore year in college, they were entered into a Battle of the Bands competition. Without thinking anything of it, they just kept winning! The won Atlanta, Southeast Georgia, the region and then were sent to Los Angeles for the finals.

Even though that success didn’t come until his second year in college, John never had a back-up plan for the dream to fail. Of course he had to work some odd jobs to get by, including construction and pottery… (What?!) John knew that he was working towards a bigger dream. The courage to move to Nashville and pursue the dream came from that contest in college. As soon as he graduated, he moved to Nashville and had a record deal within months! That is what John credits as being his biggest accomplishment up until this point. The goal right now, though, is to get his single to number 1. “Tonight Tonight” has been released for radio play, and is being played all over the country, so be sure to download it! John loves doing music not only because he has such a strong connection with it, but because music makes people happy. THAT is how you know he’s a great guy!

I always like to dig a little deeper, so I asked John a few off the wall questions. I asked him if he’s ever received a gift from a fan that stands out, and he actually did! A fan in Tampa, FL carved a wooden jewelry box for him, and that’s something he’ll never forget. If he were to ask for a gift though, he’d love a good pair of high heel shoes… You’ll have to listen to the audio to find out why ;) John loves being outdoors. Some of his hobbies include hunting, fishing, camping and just being in the woods in general. He’s been on a radio tour for the past few months, so he’s dying to get back out there. To John, there’s just something relaxing about lounging around with nature and I’m sure most would agree! Some favorites include black as a color, driving for travel and Bonanza as a TV show. John has three dogs that are staying with his mom while he’s out on the road and I’ve got pictures of two of them below!

CMA Fest is coming up, and this is John first year playing it. He’s really excited, so if you’re going, be sure to stop by and see him! If you want to get connected with John, you can find him on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and download his single here! Below is the music video for “Tonight Tonight”, along with the audio from our full interview. Check him out!