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J. Fred Knobloch, a Jackson, Mississippi native, has been performing since the age of thirteen when he and some friends formed a band to play at school "sock hops." After a few more bands, vans, night clubs, managers, agents, motels, demo sessions, night clubs, jam sessions, hotels, night clubs,....well, you get the picture--he finally found a job.
In 1973, J. Fred left school to play music full-time; he began performing solo at night clubs across the south and landed a few dates as a session guitarist at MALACO Studios in Jackson. While working for such R&B notables as Dorothy Moore, Eddie Floyd and Anita Ward, he met drummer James Stroud and pianist Carson Whitsett; it was Whitsett who encouraged his writing and performing and in 1980 it all paid off with "WHY NOT ME". Co-written with Whitsett and produced by James Stroud, J. Fred reached #1 on the Billboard AC chart and # 18 on HOT 100.
On the heels of that success, Fred moved to Los Angeles and over the next two years had two Top Ten country singles with "Killin' Time", a duet with Susan Anton, and a re-make of the Chuck Berry classic, "Memphis". But it wasn't long before the South started calling him home and he relocated to Nashville in January of 1983.
  Since moving to Nashville, Music Row has allowed him to make lots of "noise with the boys" as an artist, session musician and songwriter. With his good friends Thom Schuyler and
Craig Bickhardt, who formed the group SKB, he recorded two albums for MTM including the hits "No Easy Horses" and yet another #1 Country record with "Baby's Got A New Baby", co-written by J. Fred with fellow Mississippian Dan Tyler.
His list of cuts include artists such as Faith Hill, George Strait, Delbert McClinton, Etta James, Ray Charles, The Wilkinsons, Lorrie Morgan, John Anderson, Trisha Yearwood, Larry Stewart, Neal McCoy, Confederate Railroad, Sawyer Brown, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Kenny Rogers. J. Fred has also composed for TV and movies with songs appearing on Melrose Place and Beverly Hills 90210, as well as the feature films "Next of Kin" and "In Country". Well, you get the picture....he's finally found a job!
Married for the first time in 1989 to Kathryn Evans, the Knoblochs have two children, James David and Julia Louise, and live happily in Nashville 'til ever after comes....
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All time CST unless otherwise noted
* denotes Live Webcast when provided
| date |
city |
time |
details |
| 4/1 |
Nashville |
6:30 |
Bluebird Cafe Tin Pan South with Don Schlitz, Thom Schuyler & Jelly Roll Johnson |
| 4/23 |
Nashville |
9:30 |
Bluebird Cafe In The Round w/ Don Schlitz, Thom Schuyler & Jelly Roll Johnson |
| 4/28 |
Taylor, MS |
TBA |
Taylor Grocery with Jelly Roll Johnson |
| 5/7 |
Nashville |
9:30 |
In The Round with Don, Thom and Jelly |
| 6/4 |
Nashville |
9:30 |
BlueBird Cafe with Don Schlitz, Thom Schuyler and Jelly Roll |
| 7/9 |
Nashville |
9:30 |
Bluebird Cafe In The Round with Thom Schuyler, Don Schlitz and Jelly Roll Johnson |
| 6/17 & 6/18 |
Roswell, Georgia |
10:00 EST |
Swallow In The Holler with Tony Arata, Thom Schuyler & Jelly Roll |
"He can entertain any crowd...his songs are amazing, his singing great, his guitar playing is wonderful and he is very funny."
"I love Fred. He has been drawing SRO crowds to the Bluebird for years. He came up with the "In The Round" format and really works and plays well with
others, but he is also amazing as a solo act. He's toured with Bluebird shows
all over the country, and audiences have loved him from New York to Orlando
to Chicago. But we especially love him in Nashville."
Amy
Kurland--
owner-operator of the Bluebird Cafe, Nashville, TN. |
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IF MY HEART HAD WINGS --
Faith Hill single (January 2001, reached #1 in Gavin and #2 in Billboard and R&R Country charts; Warner Bros.; album title "Breathe"; released November 1999; album debuted at #1 Pop and Country in
Billboard)
 WHICH SIDE OF THE GLASS --
George Strait, MCA/Nashville; release date September 2000
ONE OF US IS IN LOVE -- The Wilkinsons, Giant Records; album title "Here and Now"; released April
2000
MEANWHILE --
George Strait, MCA/Nashville; #3 Gavin, #4 in R&R & Billboard
3/1999
IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT -- Claudia Church, Warner/Reprise; album cut
2/1999
WHY NOT ME -- Fred Knobloch;
Atlantic/Scotti Bros.; #1 AC*, #18 Pop*;2 ASCAP pop awards, 2 BMI pop
awards
 BACK IN YOUR ARMS AGAIN
-- Lorrie Morgan, RCA Records; #3 Country; 1 Platinum award (Greatest Hits); ASCAP Country
Award
THE BLUES AS BLUES CAN GET -- Delbert
McClinton, From the album "Never Been Rocked
Enough", Curb Records
WHY ME -- Delbert
McClinton, From the album "Never Been Rocked
Enough", Curb Records
THE WHOLE WORLD'S IN LOVE -- B.J. Thomas, Columbia; # 10 Country; ASCAP country award
USED TO BLUE -- Sawyer Brown; Curb/Capitol Nashville; #3 Country; ASCAP country award; 2 Gold record awards ("Sawyer Brown" and "Greatest Hits")
SOMEBODY'S DOIN' ME RIGHT -- SKO (Thom
Schuyler, Fred Knobloch, and Paul
Overstreet), MTM Records (album cut);
Keith Whitley, RCA; #9 Country; ASCAP country award
BABY'S GOT A NEW BABY -- SKO, MTM Records; #1 Country; ASCAP award
 A LITTLE MORE LOVE
-- Kenny Rogers; USA for Africa album; 5Platinum awards in US; 21 others worldwide [royalties donated]
THE BAND PLAYS ON -- John Anderson, BNA
Records
ALWAYS A WOMAN-- Larry Stewart; SONY
Music
 A LOVER IS FOREVER
-- Trisha Yearwood, MCA Records (release July 1996); Etta
James, Island Records; Rosanne Cash, CBS; Ruth Brown; Bullseye; released
5/1999
BROTHER TO BROTHER -- Gregg Allman (duet with Lori Yates), CBS Records, soundtrack from the film "Next of Kin"
SHE GETS TO ME -- River Road, Capitol Nashville Records, released July 1997
OTHER CUTS INCLUDE:
NO EASY HORSES / SKB
TURN OF THE CENTURY / The Dirt Band from "Circle Two" (1 Gold award)(due for single release in August)
THREE VERSES / Confederate Railroad (1 Platinum award)
PLAIN JANE / Neal McCoy (1 Platinum award)
I HAD IT ALL / Ray Charles
WOMAN IN THE MOON / Chely Wright
* all chart positions from Billboard Magazine
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