J. Fred Knobloch

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.