Joshua "J. D." Wilkes (born April 18, 1972) is an American visual artist, musician, amateur filmmaker and author. He is best known as the singer for the

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band

Legendary Shack Shakers The Legendary Shack Shakers (originally Those or Th' ) are an United States, American rock band from Murray, Kentucky that was formed in 1995 by J.D. Wilkes. The original line-up formed the band out of a shared interest in rockabilly, blues and ...

, and is also an accomplished harmonica player, having recorded for such artists as

Merle Haggard Merle Ronald Haggard (April 6, 1937 – April 6, 2016) was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential figures in country music, he was a central pioneer of the Bakersfield ...

, Sturgill Simpson,

John Carter Cash John Carter Cash (born March 3, 1970) is an American country singer-songwriter, musician and author. He is the only child of Johnny Cash and his second wife June Carter Cash. He is the grandson of Mother Maybelle Carter. Biography John has ...

Mike Patton Michael Allan Patton (born January 27, 1968) is an American singer, songwriter, producer, and voice actor, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock bands Faith No More and Mr. Bungle. He has also fronted and/or played with Tomahawk, The ...

, and

Hank Williams III Shelton Hank Williams (born December 12, 1972), known professionally as Hank Williams III, is an American singer, songwriter, and multiinstrumentalist. He was the drummer of hardcore punk band Arson Anthem, and bassist of Phil Anselmo's band ...

in the ''

American Masters ''American Masters'' is a PBS television series which produces biographies on enduring writers, musicians, visual and performing artists, dramatists, filmmakers, and those who have left an indelible impression on the cultural landscape of the U ...

'' film "

Hank Williams Hiram "Hank" Williams (September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. An early pioneer of country music, he is regarded as one of the most significant and influential musicians of the 20th century. W ...

: Honky Tonk Blues". His song " Swampblood" can be heard on the Grammy-nominated soundtrack for HBO's ''

True Blood ''True Blood'' is an American fantasy Horror fiction, horror Drama (film and television), drama television series produced and created by Alan Ball (screenwriter), Alan Ball. It is based on ''The Southern Vampire Mysteries'', a series of novels ...

'' series. Wilkes is a resident of

Paducah, Kentucky Paducah ( ) is a List of cities in Kentucky, home rule-class city in the Upland South, and the county seat of McCracken County, Kentucky, United States. The most populous city in the Jackson Purchase region, it is located in the Southeastern Unit ...

and is the author of two books, ''The Vine That Ate The South'' and ''Barn Dances and Jamborees Across Kentucky''.

Early life and education

Wilkes was born in Baytown,

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. He holds a bachelor's degree in Studio Art from Kentucky's

Murray State University Murray State University (MSU) is a public university in Murray, Kentucky, in the Southern United States. In addition to the main campus in Calloway County in southwestern Kentucky, Murray State operates extended campuses offering upper-level an ...

Career

Wilkes is known as the founder and only remaining original member of the

, a

rockabilly Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the Southern United States, South. As a genre, it blends the sound of Western music (North America), Western musi ...

and

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

band he formed in Murray, Kentucky, in the mid-1990s. Before forming the band, Wilkes was a performer on the paddle-wheel boat, Paducah Jubilee. He also played

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica incl ...

for the neo-

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

act "Popularity Showboat". His first live, professional performance was with the group at the Kentucky State Penitentiary. Regarding the Shack Shaker's "

southern gothic Southern Gothic is an artistic subgenre of Gothic fiction, fiction, Popular music, music, Gothic film, film, theatre, and television that are heavily influenced by Gothic fiction, Gothic elements and the Southern United States, American South. ...

" lyricism,

Billboard Magazine ''Billboard'' (stylized in lowercase since 2013) is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events and styles related to th ...

said " ilkes writesmind-blowing lyrics rife with Biblical references and ruminations of life, death, sin and redemption." Wilkes is a

Kentucky Colonel Kentucky Colonel is the highest title of honor bestowed by the US state of Kentucky. It is the most well-known colonelcy in the United States. A Kentucky Colonel Commission (the certificate) is awarded in the name of the Commonwealth by the go ...

. His contributions to the visual arts include many illustrations,

comic strips A comic strip is a Comics, sequence of cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often Serial (literature), serialized, with text in Speech balloon, balloons and Glossary of comics terminology#Captio ...

, and

sideshow In North America, a sideshow is an extra, secondary production associated with a circus, traveling carnival, carnival, fair, or other such attraction. They historically featured human oddity exhibits (so-called “Freak show, freak shows”), pr ...

banners. His satirical "Head Cheese" strip ran in the Nashville ''RAGE/

Metromix Metromix LLC was a Chicago entertainment website at Chicago.Metromix.com, owned by the ''Chicago Tribune'' division of Tribune Publishing. It served the Chicago metropolitan area The Chicago metropolitan area, also referred to as Chicagola ...

'' weekly from 2005 to 2008. Other illustrative works by Wilkes have been published in ''

Juxtapoz ''Juxtapoz Art & Culture Magazine'' (pronounced ''JUX-tah-pose'') is a magazine created in 1994 by a group of artists and art collectors including Robert Williams, Fausto Vitello, C.R. Stecyk III (a.k.a. Craig Stecyk), Greg Escalante, and Eric ...

'', ''Snicker'', ''Mineshaft'', ''ALARM Magazine'', and TopShelfComix.com. Wilkes illustrated the book ''Spookiest Stories Ever'' for the University Press of Kentucky, released in 2010. In October 2013,

The History Press The History Press is a British publishing company specialising in the publication of titles devoted to local and specialist history. It claims to be the United Kingdom's largest independent publisher in this field, publishing approximately 300 ...

published Wilkes' book ''Barn Dances and Jamborees Across Kentucky'', a history of traditional music get-togethers in the Bluegrass State. In 2006, Wilkes, began work on a documentary film titled ''Seven Signs'', that explored "music, myth, and the American South". The film premiered on December 30, 2007, at the Belcourt Theatre in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

and debuted in the UK at London's prestigious

Raindance Film Festival Raindance is an independent film festival and film school that operates in major cities including London, Los Angeles, New York, Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Budapest, Berlin, and Brussels. The festival was established in 1992 by Elliot Grove ...

. In early 2009, Wilkes formed The Dirt Daubers, an old-time roots-influenced side project with his now ex-wife, Jessica, and "Slow" Layne Hendrickson. The band's self-titled debut was released in October 2009. They were later referred to as JD Wilkes and the Dirt Daubers. Occasionally, Wilkes and the Shack Shakers appear in the Danish theatrical production F.U.B.A.R., a production of Copenhagen's Mute Comp Theatre. The play, which tackles the subject of illegal gun trade around the globe, features a speaking part by Wilkes. He also reprised his "gothic preacher" character (developed for

Shooter Jennings Waylon Albright "Shooter" Jennings (born May 19, 1979) is an American musician and Grammy award winning record producer. He is the son of country singers Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter. In a career spanning three decades, Jennings has explore ...

' ''The Real Me'' video) when he acted as the presenter at the 2013 Addy Awards in Cincinnati, Ohio. In May 2014, Wilkes was selected by mayor Gayle Kaler to represent his home city of

Paducah Paducah ( ) is a home rule-class city in the Upland South, and the county seat of McCracken County, Kentucky, United States. The most populous city in the Jackson Purchase region, it is located in the Southeastern United States at the confluence ...

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

, in a cultural exchange with The Lord Mayor of

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

, Ireland. Wilkes was met by author/actor/playwright and deputy Lord Mayor Gerard Mannix Flynn at the Mansion House in Dublin, where the two exchanged gifts as part of a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

-sponsored reception. In March 2017, independent publisher Two-Dollar Radio released Wilkes's novel ''The Vine That Ate The South'', a book praised by

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

as "undeniably one of the smartest, most original Southern Gothic novels to come along in years". "Wilkes’ ability to spin a story and craft language that's as inventive and clever as the book's plot combine to create something special that's a bit of a contradiction itself—a book that feels both classic and new, mythic and modern".

Discography

*''J.D.'s Tasteless Chill Tonic'',

, (1996, Conan Records) *"Go Hog Wild b/w She's Gone Haywire" 45, Legendary Shack Shakers, (1997, Conan/Misprint Records) *''Hunkerdown With Those Legendary Shack Shakers'', Legendary Shack Shakers, (1998, Spinout Records) *''

Tomahawk A tomahawk is a type of single-handed axe used by the many Native Americans in the United States, Indian peoples and nations of North America, traditionally resembles a hatchet with a straight shaft. Etymology The name comes from Powhatan langu ...

'', Tomahawk, (2001, Ipecac Records); harmonica on "Point and Click" *'' Dressed in Black: A Tribute to Johnny Cash'' w/ Hank Williams III (2001 Dualtone Records) *'' Sharp Dressed Men: A Tribute to ZZ Top'' w/Hank Williams III (2002,

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic R ...

) *''

Cockadoodledon't ''Cockadoodledon't'' is the third studio album by American rock band Legendary Shack Shakers. Released on April 22, 2003, the album established the band's presence on the alternative country scene. Musical style ''The Houston Press'' categoriz ...

'', Legendary Shack Shakers, (2003, Bloodshot) *''

Believe Believe may refer to: *Belief, a psychological state in which an individual holds a proposition or premise to be true, with or without proof for such proposition *Faith, a belief in something which has not been proven Arts, entertainment, and me ...

'', Legendary Shack Shakers, (2004, YepRoc Records) *'' Pandelirium'', Legendary Shack Shakers, (2006, YepRoc Records) *"No Such Thing b/w Born Again Again" 45 (2006, YepRoc Records) *"Cock o' the Walk b/w Devil's Prayerbook" 45 The Dixiecrats (2006, Spinout Records) *'' The Bluegrass Sessions'', Merle Haggard (McCoury Music/Hag Records) *'' Swampblood'', Legendary Shack Shakers, (2007, YepRoc Records) *''The Dirt Daubers'', The Dirt Daubers (2009, Arkam Records) *''

Soundtrack Season One'' (2009, Elektra/Atlantic Records) *'' Twistable, Turnable Man: A Musical Tribute to the Songs of Shel Silverstein'' w/

Todd Snider Todd Daniel Snider (born October 11, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter whose music incorporates elements of folk, rock, blues, alt country, and funk. Early career Snider was born in Portland, Oregon and grew up in nearby Beaverton, wher ...

(2010, Sugar Hill Records) *'' AgriDustrial'', Legendary Shack Shakers (2010, Colonel Knowledge/30 Tigers) *''Wake Up, Sinners'', The Dirt Daubers (2011, Colonel Knowledge Records/30 Tigers) *''Kitchen Tapes'', (2012, Arkam Records) *''Wild Moon'', J.D. Wilkes and The Dirt Daubers (2013, Plowboy Records) *''Dump Road EP'', Legendary Shack Shakers (2014, Arkam Records) *''Go Hog Wild/Tickle Your Innards'' 45, Legendary Shack Shakers (2015, Arkam Records) *''The Southern Surreal'', Legendary Shack Shakers (2015, Alternative Tentacles) *''After You've Gone'', Legendary Shack Shakers (2017, Last Chance Records) *''Fire Dream'', Solo Album (2018, Big Legal Mess / Fat Possum Records) *''Cockadoodledeux'', Legendary Shack Shakers (2021, Alternative Tentacles)

Filmography

*''Seven Signs'' (2007) *''BBC's Songs of the South'' (2015)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilkes, J. D. 1972 births Living people Rockabilly musicians American alternative country singers American blues harmonica players American blues singers Murray State University alumni Musicians from Paducah, Kentucky Blues musicians from Kentucky Filmmakers from Kentucky Writers from Kentucky Rock musicians from Kentucky Legendary Shack Shakers members Silver Jews members 21st-century American singers 21st-century American male singers Country bandleaders