A few weeks ago, we caught up with John King before one of his shows. His song “Tonight Tonight” had just entered the Top 40 on the Mediabase Chart, and was receiving wide airplay across the country. King, a Georgia native, told us at the time that “Right now I feel like every night is the best night of my life! I’m getting to perform almost every night for the best fans in the world, tour around seeing the country and meeting wonderful people. I’m just living the dream!"
Since that interview, it seems every night indeed gets better and better for King. “Tonight Tonight” has entered the Top 20 on the Billboard Chart and the Top 40 on the Music Row Chart. It has also been heard by millions of NFL fans as the soundtrack for highlights from weekly football games. To date it has been featured four times this year on live NFL broadcasts during their in-game coverage, most recently on CBS Thursday Night Football Giants vs. Redskins matchup on September 25.
"The first time I heard "Tonight Tonight" featured on CBS' broadcast of the Thursday Night Football, I literally jumped up and down for 5 minutes straight! Ever since I was a kid I have loved the NFL. To have one of my songs featured during the games is a huge honor and a dream come true for me," King said.
It seems King is only beginning to see a number of dreams coming true in his life. On September 27, King found himself in the spotlight of a lifetime – on stage at the Grand Ole Opry, the dream of every country music artist, performing his song “Tonight Tonight”. “Y’all this is an absolute honor to stand in this circle,” stated an emotional John King as he took the legendary stage. “The Opry, this band behind me, everyone is just amazing. I want to give them a hand before I even start.”
The first of two songs performed by King was befitting the crowd’s make up of countless familiar faces including numerous friends, his wife, brother, parents and grandparents as well as his label partners. “Something In The Water,” a tribute to his upbringing in Georgia, was the first song King wrote with legendary songwriter Doug Johnson and is set to be included on his debut album.
Adding to the excitement of the evening was the night’s lineup including Jonathan Jackson from the cast of the hit ABC series NASHVILLE and Opry members Vince Gill and Steve Wariner.
We talked to King after his Opry performance, and he seemed overwhelmed to say the least. “It was so amazing. It was an absolute honor to stand in that circle and sing where so many legends have stood. It will forever be one of my favorite memories,” he said.
King was extremely honored to be introduced by country music icon Steve Wariner. “I grew up listening to Steve Wariner music. He is an amazing singer and guitar player and an equally amazing guy. So humble and kind. I could not have asked for a better person to bring me on stage,” he added.
Besides the country music fans and other artists, King was grateful to have so many friends and family in the audience for his Opry Debut. And family is one thing King does not take for granted.
“My family has been there since day one for me. My mom and dad are huge music lovers and have supported this dream since I decided I wanted to be a rock star around the age of 11! I remember my mom let me set my first drum set up in the living room. Can you imagine how annoying that had to be? And she was always so supportive and just encouraged me to work hard for my dream. In addition to my parents, my wife is also so supportive. She is my number one fan and even sells merchandise at my shows sometimes. I'm so blessed to have my family. I couldn't do it without them,” King reflected.
King’s younger brother Andrew plays in his band with him as his drummer, an opportunity both King brothers are grateful for and consider each other best friends. “Andrew is my drummer and has been since he was 12. I’m very proud of him. He is so talented and it’s just so much fun to get to share this experience with my brother.” His other band members include Parker Smith and Mikei Gray on guitars and Bobby Pinkston on bass guitar.
“I've got one of the best bands in the world. They are an amazing group of players and even more importantly, an amazing group of guys. Parker has been playing guitar with me for 4 years (I found him on Craigslist!) and he is amazing. Bobby is super hard working and talented, as is our newest addition, Mikei. I'm a lucky guy!” King says of his band.
King learned of his invitation to play on the Opry at a show he played in Albany, New York through a prank played on him by the local disc jockeys. They gave him the names of four major male country recording artists, and King guessed that they had all played at this venue. The dj’s added Garth Brooks, then Johnny Cash, and he was stumped. He was completely in shock when they added his name, and proceeded to announce that he was going to play on the Opry. “This is the greatest day of my life! And it happened totally by surprise,” King exclaimed. Immediately following the show, King placed a call to his Mom at home to share the good news with her.
King’s influences are varied: from the edgy rock of AC/DC and Led Zeppelin to the Black Crowes, and the gritty Southern rock sounds of the Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd as well as the gospel music he sang growing up in a country church in Habersham County, Georgia, music has played an important role in King’s life as long as he can remember. As country music took a huge leap forward in the 1980s, King found himself in awe of the energy and showmanship of another major influence, Garth Brooks. “I want to treat my fans the way Garth treats his, like royalty. Like Kenny Chesney does. If you have a long career in country music it’s because your fans love you,” King stated.
King’s fans can look forward to more music in the near future with the forthcoming release of his debut album, which will feature both songs performed on the Opry, his hit "Tonight Tonight" and "Something in the Water." King wrote or co-wrote more than half the songs for the album, which will be released in 2015 by his label, Black River Entertainment.
King's Upcoming Tour Dates:
Upcoming Tour Dates:
10/01/14 - Cowboys w/ WOGK - Ocala, FL
10/02/14 - Georgia State Fair @ Atlanta Motor Speedway - Hampton, GA
10/03/14 - University of Clemson - Clemson, SC
10/04/14 - Farm Fest w/ Chris Young and Brett Eldredge - Selma, NC
10/07/14 - The Tin Roof w/ WDXB - Birmingham, AL
10/09/14 - Kappa Sigma - Statesboro, GA
10/10/14 - WSLC Pajama Jam w/ Kristian Bush and Canaan Smith - Roanoke, VA
10/11/14 - Signma Delta Tau - Athens, GA
10/23/14 - Rhodes College - Memphis, TN
10/24/14 - LSU - Baton Rouge, LA
10/25/14 - WTQR BBQ Fest - Greensboro, NC
10/26/14 - WJVC presents Craig Morgan with John King - Long Island, NY
10/31/14 - Jax Tailgate w/ Florida Georgia Line - Jacksonville, FL
11/02/14 - Piedmont College - Demorest, GA
11/06/14 - Limelight Event Complex - Peopira, IL
11/07/14 - Neon Cactus - West Lafayette, IN
11/08/14 - Delta Gamma - UGA - Athens, GA
11/15/14 - KMLE Country Thunder Launch Fest w/ Lucy Hale & Cassadee Pope - Wild Horse Hotel & Casino - Phoenix, AZ
11/26/14 - Club Rodeo - Wichita, KS
12/12/14 - Throwdown by the Bay w/ Brantley Gilbert & Colt Ford - Tampa, FL
12/20/14 - Bluestone hosted by WCOL - Columbus, OH
Download Tonight Tonight on iTunes, Amazon or John’s web site, and follow him on Social Media to keep up with the latest news:
Johnkingcountry.com youtube.com/user/thejohnkingband Facebook: facebook.com/johnkingcountry
Twitter: @johnkingcountry
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