The moment I fell in love with music was the moment I first heard Slash from Guns N’ Roses shred the guitar. I was ten years old at the time, and the opening riff from “Welcome to the Jungle” inspired me to pick up a guitar. I come from a musical family in West Virginia, where some of my relatives, including my grandpa, played the fiddle, banjo and guitar, and others sang gospel songs on the local radio station.
Music became a creative outlet for me. In recent years, I’ve planted new roots in Austin, Texas, which is home for me now. I fell in love with its culture and people and knew it’d be the perfect place to launch my music career.
I’m a city boy with a country heart. I’ve never forgotten my Appalachian roots. Before my grandpa, “Poppy”, passed away, he told me: “Son, you sure know how to pick that guitar. Stick with it and you’ll go somewhere one day.” He gave me his 1960’s Gibson Dove guitar, which I‘ve used to write all of my recent music. My stage name, “JB Elwood”, is inspired by my grandpa, John Elwood Ball, who was a small business owner and entrepreneur in the coalfields of southern West Virginia. My identity and sound has been shaped by family and life experiences.
My goal is to write music that tells stories that everyone can relate to. Whether you live in a big city, the country or suburbia, my songs tell relatable stories about love, heartbreak, commitment, change, ordeals and adventures. Simply put, I want my music to be the soundtrack to your life.