James Carothers

Nashville honky-tonk crooner, James Carothers, is best known for his stone-country originals and spot-on impressions of some of country music's greatest icons.

James has performed in Nashville since 2015, having played over 2000 shows at venues like AJ's Good Time Bar, Martin’s BBQ, The Nashville Palace, and Music City Bar when he's not on the road. He enjoys playing at fairs, festivals, bars, corporate events, and private events across the United States and has also traveled to Canada, Japan, Scotland, Norway, and Lichtenstein for shows.

Just before the 2020 shutdown, James fulfilled a lifelong dream by making his Grand Ole Opry debut at the Ryman Auditorium, receiving a standing ovation from a crowd full of friends and family. Another recent milestone was being selected by Alan Jackson to open his show at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, as well as several other dates on Jackson’s “Honky Tonk Highway” tour from 2019 to 2022.

James released his latest single, Saturday Night Life, in 2022. Previous album releases include Whatcha Got Left (2021), Songs & Stories (2019), Still Country, Still King: A Tribute to George Jones (2018), Relapse (2017), and Honky Tonk Land (2014).

Raised in rural Tennessee, Carothers grew up leading acapella singing every Sunday in the Church of Christ. His father Jim was a hobby songwriter who landed a song he wrote on the Grand Ole Opry (Puttin’ On the Dog, performed by Mike Snider). Jim recorded a couple of studio albums in Nashville before moving the family out west for work while his son was still in grade school. Inspired by his dad, James always toyed with songwriting and began playing his shows in local honky-tonks around New Mexico during his teens and 20s. Meanwhile, he married, started a family, and paid the bills as a technician at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, working where the atomic bomb was created.

In 2015, James left his job at LANL and returned to his native state of Tennessee to pursue a country music career. Shortly after arriving in Nashville, George Jones's widow, Nancy, personally hired him for his first steady gig at the George Jones Museum, allowing him to do something he’s thankful for and that so many aspiring artists moving to Nashville dream of doing – make a living playing music. In addition to supporting his family, performing downtown has helped Carothers build a large fan base of fiercely supportive followers who appreciate his Tennessee twang, southern storytelling, and throwback country style.