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J.R. Hood's Page

Bio:: J.R. Hood

J.R. Hood was born in Brunswick, Georgia in 1951. Hood is the grandson of Oliver Hood, who many believe is the actual writer of “You Are My Sunshine”. (See the article on our website, “The Theft of an American Classic” by Theodore Pappas, Executive Editor of Encyclopedia Britannica.)

J.R. was lead singer in the 1970’s for Atlanta area Southern Rock bands Stonewall Tell, Teaze and Blue Jay & The DT’s. Among his early musical and vocal influences were Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, Wilson Pickett, and Van Morrison.

While living in Philadelphia, PA in the early 1980’s Hood befriended Robert “Bobkat” Benedetto of Creative Arts Recording Labs. Benedetto mentored J.R. and encouraged him to develop as a songwriter, performer and recording artist.

Upon moving to Nashville in the mid-1980’s, Hood soon became a popular Music Row session singer and sang on numerous demos for Wrensong Studio hit songwriters Jon Vezner and Mark Henley. Through these sessions, J.R. was “discovered” by Wrensong Studio President Reyn Guyer and was subsequently signed to an artist development deal. (A little trivia: Reyn Guyer is the inventor of the Nerf Ball).

Not long afterward, Hood joined the World-renowned Christ Church Pentecostal Choir and shifted his primary focus to writing and singing Gospel music