Jarekus  Singleton

Jarekus Singleton (born July 11, 1984, Clinton, Mississippi) is an American blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. "Refuse To Lose" was his first nationally and internationally distributed album. It was released on the Chicago-based independent blues record label Alligator Records on May 6, 2014.  

Singleton played bass guitar at age nine at his grandfather's church. He was tutored in music by his uncle. Other family members also played and sang gospel music. Singleton switched to guitar and began to concentrate on his playing and his singing. He first heard blues music at 15 and has named B.B. King, Freddie King, Albert King, and Stevie Ray Vaughan among his biggest inspirations. He also listened to rap artists including Jay-Z and Twista and country artists including Brad Paisley.  Also during this period, Singleton developed his basketball skills, later becoming a top-seeded college player for Southern Mississippi University and William Carey University. An ankle injury derailed his basketball career and he began concentrating on music full-time. He performed original lyrics as a rapper but soon began to combine his blues music with his original lyrics.

The Jarekus Singleton Blues Band was formed in 2009, with the band members drawn from the musicians he played with in church. In 2011, Singleton self-released the album "Heartfelt", and sold it at live performances and online. B. B. King's "Bluesville" channel on SiriusXM Radio played three songs from "Heartfelt" in regular rotation. He won Guitar Center’s “King Of The Blues” contest for the state of Mississippi. In 2012, he received the 'Jackson Music Award for Blues Artist of the Year', as well as the award for 2013 'Local Entertainer of the Year'. In 2013, The Jackson Free Press named him as 'Best Local Blues Artist'.

He competed in the International Blues Challenge, an annual contest produced by the Blues Foundation in Memphis, Tennessee, in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014. At the 2013 IBC, he was scouted by the president of Alligator Records, Bruce Iglauer. Singleton signed with Alligator in late 2013. In October 2013 and January 2014, Singleton and his band recorded for Alligator at PM Music in Memphis. Iglauer and Singleton co-produced.

(Jarekus Singleton at Wilmington's Riverfront Blues Festival 2014)