Jeff Bates

At seventeen, Jeff Bates walked into a honky tonk in his hometown of Bunker Hill, MS, not to smoke, drink, or raise hell but to try out for a slot on stage. The crowd responded immediately to a voice that fused the styles of Barry White, Elvis Presley, and Otis Redding, and he walked out with a six-nights-a-week booking. Nashville seemed inevitable, yet a destructive methamphetamine habit intervened and eventually sent him to jail. While incarcerated he underwent a spiritual awakening that left him sober, focused, and newly determined. He headed to Nashville, redoubled his efforts, and soon drew interest from RCA, which signed him to a deal in 2002. The label put out his debut album Rainbow Man in 2003 and the follow-up Good People in 2005. He launched the campaign for his 2006 album Leave the Light On by singing its single “One Second Chance” on the stage of the Grand Old Opry.