Straight From Kentucky

JD Shelburne hails from a tobacco field in Kentucky, but for the last few years, he and his wife have been raising their son here in Mount Juliet. The proximity to Nashville brought him here from Taylorsville where he first started performing live, but there are still things he misses back home.

“You move away from home, you know, and things change. Things grow up, they get torn down, and you still never forget how to get back home.” He says he wrote “The Road I Grew Up On” about the nostalgia he feels for his family farm. “It’s been in my family for over a hundred years…Dad has taken over the land and he’s continuing to do the things my grandpa did.” It was a lot to leave behind, but at least they’re able to commute relatively easily and he still talks to his parents daily.
With his busy tour schedule, JD doesn’t spend much time at home though, anyway. “I got over 40 shows this summer. I’m just glad to be out on the road again,” he says. He got to play his hometown this summer, too, promoting his new album “Straight from Kentucky.” In July, he sold out his release party, which is something he never could have seen coming when he was still going to school there.

JD never picked up a guitar until he was 19 and he found one after his grandma passed away. He poured his heartbreak into the strings and wrote about it. By his sophomore year of college, he was playing them at the local bars. He played a lot of charity shows at the beginning of his career, which is where he says he was able to first make a name for himself. “Back then I didn’t know you could make any money playing music. I just thought it was all just showbiz. You just show up and smile.”

Showing up and smiling has taken JD pretty far, though. He was named Texas Roadhouse Artist of the Month in May of 2020, his single “Church Pew Bar Stool” debuted at #1 on the CMT 12-Pack Count-down, he’s been featured on Great American Country Network & TNN Top Country Countdown. He’s even performed the National Anthem for NASCAR, NBA, NCAA, SEC & even MLB stadium games.

A few months ago, though, he performed a show that really made him proud to be able to do what he does. It was just another FB live. It didn’t feature any of the famous names his PR people drop when they promote JD to TV and magazines around the world. Still, Shelburne’s voice rang with pride as he told us about how a fan of his needed money to finish her 10th chemo treatment. His other fans pitched in and raised over $2000 for her with a live concert on social media. He says “now you could use your name as a platform and do something to help others”

We are certainly glad that he and his wife chose to raise their son here in our community.

He may be from Kentucky, but he sure makes a good volunteer.

For more info, visit www.jdshelburne.com.