In the artist’s words:

Describe one of your earliest musical memories in detail. Trying out for American Idol in 2008. I showed up unprepared, hungover, and changed my song the last minute. I had no musical identity; I wasn't an artist. It was from that moment on I realized I needed to start getting real with myself and my music.
 

What are your top 3 all-time favorite albums on Apple Music, and why? Why did you choose these three albums in particular? Creed, Human Clay Ed Sheeran, ÷ Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin II Deluxe Edition Led Zeppelin introduced me to rock and roll. I was obsessed. I discovered Creed as a teen, who's spiritual album Human Clay saw me through domestic violence as a youth. Divide was an album that help me endure the loss of a best friend.
 

Genre - Country

Music Artist Jon River - a NEW SINGLE release "Only So Much" out April 26, "On Your Doorstep" out July 5, and "Highway" out this October, he looks forward to a follow up EP to develop his Country Rock/ Contemporary Country for his audience, while performing and touring locally and throughout the US on a private party tour.

Jon dove into writing music head first after spending years with an on again, off again relationship with his music. Growing up as a young child, he experienced several bouts of domestic violence that saw him in several school districts before the age of 10. Since picking up his first guitar at age 13, whom his second stepfather gifted his first acoustic, music has always been his crutch and lifeline. 

Music was the way to dodge the ills that Jon has experienced, and it has always been that way - being placed in several foster homes at age 5 and then 7 though age 11 and then finally for good at age 13, literally spending his entire childhood wondering why he was separated away from his mother, only to lose his mom in 2011 at the age of 23, just as "everything was finally fine and normal and happy for once, and then she dies" and then his father at 34 in May of 2022, the same month he was due to finalize his first publishing deal. 

Needless to say, the deal didn't go down. Music has always been the single factor in all of it - singing in the shower, headphones on 24/7, bringing a radio everywhere he went as a kid. As long as he had Creed is his ears, even chaos made sense. Then in 2001, his step father brought him to guitar center. 

In the guitar, River found a calming landscape and quickly became enthralled - learning as much as he could at an early age, locking himself in his small bedroom learning every note of Jimmy Page's numerous firework guitar leads. 

In his songwriting he draws from a vast base of influences both past and present including soul filled rock bands such as Journey, to the acoustic side of Jimmy Page and Led Zeppelin, to contemporary singer songwriters Ed Sheeran and modern contemporary country stars Hardy, Morgan Wallen, and Chris Stapleton. He has exclaimed that country music "brings him to a peaceful place".

He found his musical self in college where he had his first experiences playing to larger scale audiences, performing alternative and AC covers in the CAB (Campus Activities Board) coffeehouse at Umass Dartmouth in 2007. He has been writing music for the past 11 years and has played hundreds of shows while gaining the respect and support of local fans and musicians. Prior to creating music full time, he sharpened his skill set as the front man in several successful cover acts, including Designated Driver, who developed a following from the local Salve Regina University in Newport, RI in 2011.

Jon has always maintained his desire to be an artist - fully embracing the prospect of building a fanbase at the grassroots level. He has a debut EP out titled "Learning to fly", an EP of 6 songs, recorded and mixed by producers Liam and Declan Jenkins at The Music Building in New York City at Someday's Studios, and Mastered by Mike Kalijian of Rogue Planet Mastering, on Mansion Records NYC.

"Boasting excellent performances and a great deal of heart, "In This Together" is a tremendously uplifting country inspired-infused rock tune that contains a powerful message at its core. Jon River has done a splendid job of crafting an engaging and highly-listenable tune that is both well-balanced and full of the artist's unique charisma, managing to effortlessly flex his evidently strong songwriting skills with great confidence and conviction. Along with the accomplished performances and inspired songwriting, the exquisite production they are wrapped in is superb and mixed to an exceptionally high standard, this is a track that can easily stand proud on any radio station." - Andre Avanessian

He began working with Somedays Studios in 2019.

To listen to more of his music, or to contact Jon River for an interview on their site, podcast, or radio show, you can reach out via GigSalad.