Jonathan Singleton

Contemporary country artist Jonathan Singleton earned a good deal of radio play in the 2000s, both as the frontman for his own project, the Grove, and as a songwriter who penned a number of Top Ten hits for other rising country music performers. Singleton grew up in a musical part of the country (Jackson, Tennessee — midway between Memphis and Nashville) as part of a musical family (his mother was a country singer). He played drums in his older brother's band for a number of years, and struck out on his own in 2000 as the frontman for the Grove, a group whose lineup included the likes of guitarist Josh Smith, bassist Andy Dixon, drummer William Coats, keyboardist Justin Dudley, and guitarist/banjo player Dustin Nunley. Singleton first made waves in the country music scene as a songwriter. His big break came in 2007, when "Watching Airplanes," performed by Gary Allan, shot to number two on the Billboard Country Chart. Over the next few years, Singleton wrote and co-wrote several more songs that burst onto the charts, among them "Red Light" (David Nail), "Don't" (Billy Currington), and "Why Don't We Just Dance" (Josh Turner), which debuted at number five on the U.S. Billboard 200. John Singleton & the Grove's self-titled, self-released debut EP came out in the summer of 2010. Singleton rounded out the year touring with the Grove (the band had a spot on the 2010 Country Throwdown tour) and penning songs.