About J.R. 

 

J.R. Hood is one of the most prolific songwriters of Christian music today.   As a writer, he has a unique way of taking life events that happen to most of us, creating a story, and making it into a song that grips your heart and takes you on emotive journey of joy and hope.

 

As far back as he can remember his family’s home was filled with great music from Southern Gospel to jazz with blues, pop, beach and country thrown in the mix. Hood’s grandfather, Oliver Hood, wrote “You Are My Sunshine” – one of the most [i]commercially programmed numbers in American popular music. It was in this melting pot of music that this Southern gentleman fell in love with singing and writing.

 

After a rather tumultuous youth, J.R. settled down with the love of his life, Linda, who encouraged him to pursue a career in the music business.  Through the influence of such artists as Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, Wilson Pickett and Van Morrison showing up in his powerful voice, it didn’t take long before he was the front man for the Atlanta based – Southern Rock group, Stonewall Tell.  During the 1970s, J.R. also was the lead singer for Teaze and Blue Jay and the DT’s.

 

Hood soon migrated to Nashville in the 1980s becoming a popular Music Row session singer working on numerous demos for Wrensong Studio’s hit songwriters, Jon Vezner and Mark Henley.  With his soulful, confident, take-no-prisoners vocals, it didn’t take long for Wrensong’s President, Rey Guyer to “discover” J.R. and sign him to an artist development deal.

 

Around this same time, J.R. joined and began to sing with the world –renowned Christ Church choir and shifted his primary focus to writing and singing Gospel Music.  Life threw him quite a few curves as he started down his destined road but around every bend in the highway, he found a faithful God ready to bless him with a greater vision of Grace and an anointing that feels like your very soul is being touched by the Almighty through the songs poured into J.R. Hood.

 

 

 

[i] You Are My Sunshine – Wikipedia