Jeff Bates

The American country singer Jeff Bates is from the deep south, having been born in Bunker Hill, Mississippi in 1963. He signed a songwriting deal with Warner-Chappell during the 1990s but as far as his solo career was concerned, he was a late starter in the country music business and didn't record his first album until he was forty years old. At the turn of the millennium Bates was experiencing considerable personal issues as a result of drug addiction problems and he ended up spending time in jail and subsequently in rehab.

Despite these problems RCA Nashville had confidence in his talents and signed him up for a record deal in 2002. Bates rewarded RCA's faith in him when his debut album 'Rainbow Man' was released in 2003. 'Rainbow Man' was an immediate hit going to the top of Billboard's Heatseekers Chart and making it into the top 20 of the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart. The success of the album was partly down to the lead single 'The Love Song' which had been released in advance of 'Rainbow Man' and is a track which has gone on to define Bates' career. Although Bates has recorded a number of albums and singles following the impact of his early material, his most recent chart success was in 2008 when his self-titled third album went to number 32 in the Top Country Albums Chart.