“Music has been my lifelong passion, beginning with my mom and dad’s passion for music. Especially the Beatles’ melodies that filled my childhood home.

Inspired by Michael Jackson’s ‘Bad,’ I embarked on a musical journey by drumming on pots and pans, marking the start of my love affair with music.

Though sports dominated my youth, my passion for music only grew, driven by the electrifying sounds of Pearl Jam’s ‘Ten’ and the soulful lyrics of 4 Non-Blondes’ ‘What’s Up.’

Despite excelling in sports and academics, my musical aspirations persisted. I played alto sax in the jazz band and drum set in bands throughout high school.

Life threw a curveball when a shoulder injury led to surgery and put an end to my athletic aspirations. This led to a new college and the moment I learned about selling Cutco Knives.

I quickly became a top Cutco salesperson and in 2002, became the top sales rep in the country.

I remained in sales for many years until I couldn’t ignore the inner voice that kept saying, “Play Music” inside of me any longer.

In 2006, I joined my brother’s band and began dedicating more time to music, this time as a percussion player, rapper, and hype man. In all honesty, I wasn’t good at the beginning, but I had sales and marketing experience, so I made up for it in the way that I created opportunities for the band. That band ended a year or so into our journey, and I thought that was the end of my musical career.

Once I stopped playing music regularly, I experienced little bouts of depression and hopelessness, which were not my typical emotions. Something was off.

Then, in 2008, while producing an album on Garage Band, I had a moment of clarity and inspiration. I remember it like it was yesterday. The song I was working on, the lyrics I was writing the way it made me feel inside.

I was working on the song Relaxation Station and felt like I was doing what I was meant to do. I remember thinking, “I would do this music thing if I got paid or not”

That moment changed my life.

I decided to make music a significant priority in my life and asked my brother (once again) if I could join his band. This time, it was a band called FUNKTION. A 7pc Funk Soul Groove Band from Kalamazoo, Michigan.

From 2009 to 2013, Funktion played over 600 shows through 26 states.

But by the middle to end of 2012, the band members were burned out and the band was most likely going to take a significant step back or come to an end altogether.

That is when I decided to start my own band.

Here’s the twist – I, the percussion player and rapper in FUNKTION decided to become a lead singer and a songwriter and main guitar player.

I could barely play instruments besides drums and percussion, and I had only written a few subpar songs. But I didn’t let that stop me.

In late 2013 I moved to Austin, Texas, and started playing shows under my long-time stage name brotha James.

While in Austin, I honed my musical skills and continued to grow my Cutco business. By 2015, I partnered my Cutco business with another Rep to generate passive income, fueling my musical ambitions.

In 2015 I officially launched my music business and started playing shows on the traditional music scene. Venues, Clubs, Music Festivals and some Private Parties.

In 2016 I started combining motivational speaking with music. Then in 2017, I started learning how to be a facilitator and began combining speaking, facilitation and music. It was a powerful trifecta. But, I was losing my connection with music more and more each year because my businesses were primarily built on services where I was speaking or facilitating.

In 2020, the Pandemic arrived and I leaned into online facilitation using the ‘xchange’ approach, design, and facilitation method I had learned as a musical facilitator. In a short time I lead over 200 online events by July 2020.

I joined a small start-up as the head of sales in late 2020, and that is when my connection to music faded even more. On the xchange team I was in a leadership role and needed to perform. I helped the company grow from $700K to over $2 million in revenue by 2023. Yet, my heart yearned for music.

After a loving transition out of xchange, I shed the alias ‘brotha James’ and became ‘J Hobbs’ in 2022, honoring my family’s roots.

Now, I’m embarking on the next chapter of my musical adventure: Songs, Stories, and Strategies are what the next chapter is all about. Songs and Stories about my life and the strategies I’ve learned along the way that I want to share with others through writing music that empowers.

I want to increase the amount of well-being within myself and in the world through the power of music that empowers.

This next chapter will be full of new songs, every month, more content than ever and more opportunities for us to connect more often through online concerts and experiences.

So, if you made it this far, you really know me now. Thanks for taking the time to read a little about where I’ve been, where I am, and where I’m headed.

I look forward to learning more about you in the future whether it’s at an in person or online experience.

Stay Empowered!

Enthusiastically,
Jeremy Hobbs Reisig
Aka
J Hobbs