John Austin (songwriter)
Encyclopedia
Background
Austin was born in the Blue Ridge MountainsBlue Ridge Mountains
The Blue Ridge Mountains are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. This province consists of northern and southern physiographic regions, which divide near the Roanoke River gap. The mountain range is located in the eastern United States, starting at its southern-most...
of Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
and grew up as the son of an ordained minister in Fairfax, Virginia. At age 19 he moved to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and began performing his songs in the city's subway stations, coffee houses and nightclubs.
In 1992 John Austin recorded his debut, The Embarrassing Young, produced by the late Mark Heard
Mark Heard
John Mark Heard was a record producer, folk-rock singer, and songwriter originally from Macon, Georgia, USA....
.
A sort of wandering songwriter, Austin has recorded his studio albums in Chicago, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, and Manassas, Virginia
Manassas, Virginia
The City of Manassas is an independent city surrounded by Prince William County and the independent city of Manassas Park in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Its population was 37,821 as of 2010. Manassas also surrounds the county seat for Prince William County but that county...
.
As a writer, co-producer and collaborator, he has worked with artists including Shawn Mullins
Shawn Mullins
Shawn Mullins is an American singer-songwriter who specializes in folk rock, instrumental rock, adult alternative, and Americana music. He is best known for the 1998 single, "Lullaby", which hit number one on the Adult Top 40 and was nominated for a Grammy Award.-Career:Mullins was born in...
, Buddy Miller
Buddy Miller
Buddy Miller is a country singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist and producer, currently living in Nashville, Tennessee...
, Randall Bramblett
Randall Bramblett
Randall Bramblett is an American musician and singer-songwriter, whose career as a solo artist, session player, and touring musician, has spanned more than three decades. He has worked with such notable performers as Gregg Allman, Bonnie Raitt, Robbie Robertson, Elvin Bishop, Steve Winwood,...
, Pat Terry, and musicians from the bands Train
Train (band)
Train is an American pop rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1994. The band currently comprises a core trio of Patrick Monahan , Jimmy Stafford and Scott Underwood ....
, Marshall Tucker Band, Steve Winwood Band, Ocean blue, Better Than Ezra
Better Than Ezra
Better Than Ezra is an American alternative rock trio based in New Orleans, Louisiana.-Formation and early success:Better Than Ezra was formed in 1988 by its four original members - vocalist and guitarist Kevin Griffin; Joel Rundell, the lead guitarist; bassist Tom Drummond; and drummer, Cary...
, Sugarland, The Innocence Mission
The Innocence Mission
The Innocence Mission is an American alternative rock band centered on husband-and-wife singer-songwriters Karen and Don Peris. The original group, including Mike Bitts and Steve Brown , was formed in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in the early 1980s when the members met during a Catholic school...
, John Mayer Band, Zac Brown Band and Vigilantes of Love
Vigilantes of Love
Vigilantes of Love is a rock band fronted by Bill Mallonee with a large number of secondary players drawn from the musician pool in and around Athens, Georgia...
. He has also recorded albums with his wife, Erin Echo.
Appearances in media
As a fictional characterA fictional tribute to John Austin appears in Joe Schreiber's horror novel,
"No Doors, No Windows"http://www.amazon.com/dp/0345510135 (Del Rey Books/Random House, 2009):
"What are you drinking? " Red asked. "Let me guess: Budweiser with a Jack Daniel's back."
But Owen didn't answer, and he didn't take the stool next to Red's. For an instant, he seemed conflicted about which way to go, and then he turned and walked up to the little stage in front of the bar, where the three-piece country bands sometimes played on Friday and Saturday nights. Tonight there was just an acoustic guitar up there, property of a local troubadour named John Austin, currently parked at the other end of the bar nursing a Maker's Mark over crushed ice. The singer wasn't even watching as Owen climbed up onstage, but Sonia was, and so was Red.
"Whoa, buddy," Red said, half smiling, approaching Owen slowly, like an animal he didn't quite trust. "I don't think you wanna do this, do you?"
Owen ignored him and looked out at the crowd of curious faces gazing up at him. The pool game had paused, and the players were watching with morbid curiosity as Owen picked up John Austin's guitar and leaned in toward the mike.
(ND,NW pp. 180–81)
Discography
- The Embarrassing Young, 1992 album
- Authorized Unauthorized Bootleg, 1994 album
- Byzantium, 1996 album
- Orphans of GodOrphans of GodOrphans of God is a 2 CD compilation of songs performed by various artists in tribute to songwriter Mark Heard.Recorded and released after Heard's death in 1992, proceeds benefit the Heard Family Fund....
, tribute to Mark HeardMark HeardJohn Mark Heard was a record producer, folk-rock singer, and songwriter originally from Macon, Georgia, USA....
, 1996 - If I Was a Latin King, 1998 album
- Erin Echo (Songwriter/Producer/Performer), 1998 album
- Hymns (w/Erin Echo), 2000 album
- Busted at the Pearly Gates, 2002 album
- Austin Echo, 2004 album
- John Austin Collection One, 2006 album
- Satellite Blvd, 2008 album
- Nothing More To Say, 2010 album
External links
- Official John Austin website
- Paste music site website
- MySpace site website