John Austin is an American songwriter and singer.
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Austin was born in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and grew up as the son of an ordained minister in Fairfax, Virginia. At age 19 he moved to Chicago and began performing his songs in the city's subway stations, coffee houses and nightclubs.
In 1992 John Austin recorded his debut, The Embarrassing Young, produced by the late Mark Heard.
A sort of wandering songwriter, Austin has recorded his studio albums in Chicago, Los Angeles, Kansas City, Nashville, Atlanta, and Manassas, Virginia.
As a writer, co-producer and collaborator, he has worked with artists including Shawn Mullins, Buddy Miller, Randall Bramblett, Pat Terry, and musicians from the bands Train, Marshall Tucker Band, Steve Winwood Band, Ocean blue, Better Than Ezra, Sugarland, The Innocence Mission, John Mayer Band, Zac Brown Band and Vigilantes of Love. He has also recorded albums with his wife, Erin Echo.
As a fictional character
A fictional tribute to John Austin appears in Joe Schreiber's horror novel, "No Doors, No Windows"[1] (Del Rey Books/Random House, 2009):
"What are you drinking? " Red asked. "Let me guess: Budweiser with a Jack Daniel's back."
But Owen didn't answer, and he didn't take the stool next to Red's. For an instant, he seemed conflicted about which way to go, and then he turned and walked up to the little stage in front of the bar, where the three-piece country bands sometimes played on Friday and Saturday nights. Tonight there was just an acoustic guitar up there, property of a local troubadour named John Austin, currently parked at the other end of the bar nursing a Maker's Mark over crushed ice. The singer wasn't even watching as Owen climbed up onstage, but Sonia was, and so was Red.
"Whoa, buddy," Red said, half smiling, approaching Owen slowly, like an animal he didn't quite trust. "I don't think you wanna do this, do you?"
Owen ignored him and looked out at the crowd of curious faces gazing up at him. The pool game had paused, and the players were watching with morbid curiosity as Owen picked up John Austin's guitar and leaned in toward the mike.
(ND,NW pp. 180–81)