Born and raised in the South. Bred on grits and sweet tea. Lover of the sea and avowed enemy of roaches. Jeremiah Jones is a husband and father of two and the first born of 11 children. He’s been a church planter, a worship leader and a songwriter. Jeremiah stepped into national view in 2012 when Grammy Award winning recording artist Laura Story released “What a Savior”, a worship song he wrote, to national radio. Written for his local church, “What a Savior” was recorded by Story in 2009 for the Catalyst Music Project and re-cut on her record Blessings, which held the top spot on Billboard’s Christian and Folk charts in the summer of 2012. “What a Savior” reached #5 on Billboard’s Christian songs and continues to be added to worship sets across the country. Jeremiah is currently gearing up for new season of touring in promotion of his new record, Mighty River. The album is being released independently through the grassroots fund raising effort called The Reservoir Project, a partnership with Hydromissions International, a Christian non-profit that builds clean water wells in under resourced locales around the world. Produced by critically acclaimed, multiple Dove Award winning songwriter and producer Ed Cash, Mighty River is a modern worship record that infuses Jeremiah’s love for roots and soul with tracks like “In the Arms”, “Only By Your Blood” and “On the Other Side”, while swimming upstream with modern worship anthems like “You Came All the Way” and “Everything Changed”. The album’s title is taken from the track of the same name, a modern hymn that melds the rich imagery of heaven found in Revelation 22 with a melody that is both timeless and familiar. Blues infused “If You Love the Lord” sings with the ease of a Sunday morning and is backed by a gospel choir. “Unshaken” stirs up a ruckus while quiet “Anchor” is an acoustic ode to a Savior who is steadfast in the storms. Taken in it’s entirety, this 11 song album combines an appreciation for songcraft with an ear for the local congregation. “I’ve always led worship for the local church and wanted to write songs that everyday people would sing,” Jones explains. “Having helped plant churches since college, I know how challenging it is to lead songs that people find both inspiring and accessible, and I’ve made it a goal to deliver songs that meet both needs.” Jones’ tenure as a worship leader has given him a profound perspective on serving the needs of the local church while working on the craft of writing. “I spent years and years trying to write songs that would help me make sense of the world. Late nights trying to suss out failed relationships, my parents’ divorce, my own purpose in life.” But it wasn’t until he made a conscious decision to write songs for the Church, that he began to experience clarity. He had been working to help start churches, doing the week-in, week-out routine of ministry life–leading worship in an elementary school cafetorium on Sunday mornings, and traveling 200+ miles on Sunday nights to lead a group of college students in an old, renovated sanctuary. “After many years of the highs and lows of church planting I began to wrestle with the value of what I was doing, asking myself: Why do we continue to gather in these buildings to sing songs and listen to some stranger talk about the bible?” It was one day on the phone with a family member that clarity came. “They asked me what I was doing with my music. Typically you’d reply with, ‘well, you know, I’m doing a record and pitching my songs to labels, etc.’ But it occurred to me that I was doing something with my music.” Something of value but nothing that fit the typical idea of a successful career in music. “I had to come to the realization that it didn’t matter whether or not millions of people heard my music for it to be a success. Success began to be redefined in my heart as whether or not I was delivering music honestly, being content with whatever domain I was given.” “I’m really happy to be able to make music and serve the Church” he says. “It’s my passion and my calling and hope I can continue to serve wherever God would open doors.” Jeremiah recently moved with his wife and children to Jacksonville, FL to be near the ocean and his family. He’ll be out on the road throughout the Fall of 2012 and most of 2013.