Today we’d like to introduce you to J.K. Coltrain.
Hi J.K., so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
J.K. Coltrain Biography
J. K. Coltrain was born in Columbus, Ohio. He spent his early childhood days between there and West Virginia where his parents operated a small Mom & Pop grocery store. His Dad also was an excellent auto mechanic and in fact owned a number of repair shops over the years and was a weekend stock car racer. That’s one reason why J. K. is a Nascar fanatic to this day:)
J.K. grew up surrounded by music & musicians. His cousin, Buddy Starcher was a professional recording artist on Columbia Records and was a regular performer on the then popular Midwestern & Louisiana Hayrides. He also introduced the late Keith Whitley who first appeared on Buddys weekly radio show in Charleston, West Virginia when he was 8 years old. J. K. made his own first appearance on radio at age 12 and first TV appearance at age 14.
His Uncle & Grandpa performed together at churches throughout the South. That’s where J. K. made his first appearance singing in church at the ripe old age of 11. His first professional job was at age 14 when he began singing with The Pleasant Hill Quartet. A well-known gospel group at the time.
Of course in his teens he had to try his hand in high school dance bands like Fire n’ Ice and The Four Aces but by age 20 he had returned to his first love country music. At that time J. K. helped form a 7 piece country rock group called ‘The Southern Express’. They garnered a great deal of regional success and opened for many popular groups at that time such as Pure Prairie League, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Poco & The Marshall Tucker Band.
In 1983 he left The Southern Express to pursue a solo career as his heart was with more traditional country music. He appeared to be taking the music business by storm as he was often the featured artist on Ernest Tubbs Midnight Jamboree and many popular Nashville nightclubs and was dubbed The Star of Tomorrow by Country Music News.
He first cracked the country music charts in 1987 with a self-penned song, West Virginia You’re Still My Home on the Studio 7 label. Since then he had enjoyed a number of chart successes including being shown in the Top 40 in Europe for 41 straight weeks. He also has made many appearances on radio & TV including The Nashville Showcase, The Midnight Jamboree, Nashville On Stage, The Jerry Lewis Telethon & Stars of Tomorrow Show. J. K. has toured worldwide and worked with some of the greatest names in country music including Jerry Reed, Loretta Lynn, The Bellamy Brothers, Conway Twitty, Buck Owens, George Jones, Tammy Wynette & Jerry Lee Lewis to name just a few.
In addition to still recording and performing on his own J. K. is now helping the new up & coming young artists serving as the President of Colt Records Nashville, Chairman of The Traditional Country Opry and hosting The Country Star Showcases. He was recently awarded The Texas CMA Entertainer and Best Country Album of The Year awards.
J. K. Coltrain is a member of:
Traditional Country Music Hall of Fame
Country Music Association
Academy of Country Music
Country Legends Association
Americana Music Association
Roots Music Association
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Well in the early years there were plenty of challenges. Trying to move 8 people and a truckload of gear back and forth across the country and the setting up and tear down could be a real adventure. Along about 2001 though I quit carrying around all of that sound and lighting gear and started leasing as needed.
The music business has always been very competitive and I think even more so today because of the sheer numbers of folks trying to build a successful music career. Back in the 1980’s when I first started out I felt like I was competing with hundreds instead of thousands for jobs and radio airplay. The internet has opened up a whole world of competition.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I started Colt Records back in 1998 when I was having no luck attracting a major label so I decided to do it on my own. At first it was just me but over time we have grown to the point where we now have 17 artists and major label distribution through Sony Orchard. We have also managed to win a few awards along the way. In addition to Colt Records I also head-up Nashville Radio Promotions where we get new talent on radio.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
To me the most important thing I have learned is that one should only pursue a career in music if it is all about the music and being creative. Those who are out there seeking fame & fortune usually don’t last long because fame is hard to achieve and even harder to hold onto and very few ever see that fortune 🙂
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.coltrecords.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jkcoltrain
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/colt-records/about/
- Twitter: https://x.com/JKColtrain
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/jkcoltrain
- Other: http://www.nashvilleradiopromotions.com
