Biography
Originating from Chicago, singer-songwriter John Austin launched his recording career shortly after finishing high school when he partnered with producer Mark Heard on the influential 1992 debut The Embarrassing Young. That album presented a thoughtful and captivating folk-rock style that earned widespread critical and popular support throughout the alternative Christian music industry, setting Austin on a path toward major success until tragedy intervened. Just before departing on a planned international tour, he was attacked in his hometown by a street gang, struck repeatedly with a baseball bat, and left with a severely fractured left arm. While recovering over the following months, Word Records removed him from its roster, and Mark Heard—who had functioned as both producer and trusted mentor—succumbed to a heart attack. Once his injuries healed, Austin married his longtime duet partner and collaborator Erin Echo and resumed his career with the 1994 release of Authorized Bootleg on Twitch Records. He followed that with Byzantium on PG Records in 1996, If I Was a Latin King on WeatherVane Records in 1998, Busted at the Pearly Gates via Serious Hip Productions in 2002, Across the Sea in 2008, and Soul Bossa Nova in 2012.
Albums
Singles
