John Berry

John Edward Berry (born September 14, 1959) is an American country musician. Active as a recording artist since 1979, he has recorded more than 20 studio albums, including one platinum album and two gold albums. In his career, Berry has also charted 19 songs on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, including the number one single "Your Love Amazes Me" from 1994 and six additional top 10 hits: "What's in It for Me", "You and Only You", "Standing on the Edge of Goodbye", "I Think About It All the Time", "Change My Mind", and "She's Taken a Shine".

A Country Weekly article said of Berry, "John's greatest strength is his pure, soulful tenor." A 2006 interview with The Entertainment Nexus described him as "one of the most remarkable voices in music."

Berry began learning the guitar in 1972 (at the age of 12); he has named influences such as James Taylor, Harry Chapin, and, his favorite, John Denver. In a 2006 interview he said: "Prior to playing guitar, I really loved the “Philly Soul Sound” like The Chi-Lites and The Stylistics."

In 1981, at age 21, while riding his motorcycle, Berry was hit by a car, breaking both legs and his left hip. He had just lost his mother earlier that year. Doctors were afraid that he might not walk again. He spent several months in physical therapy, working to regain the use of his legs. Berry said of the incident, "The coolest thing in the world that came out of it... all I could do is sit on my stool and play guitar. That's all I've done ever since."

Early in 1994, Berry began to have terrible headaches, lost his appetite, and finally blacked out during a concert. He was rushed to the hospital on May 9, 1994, in Atlanta, where a cyst was found in the third ventricle of his brain. He stated: "They went in with a fiber optic camera and laser, and removed it. I still suffer a little from short-term memory loss. This is a rebirth of sorts and I am into that".

Career John Berry started playing after Bulldog home football games, at college clubs and bars in Athens, in 1985. He self-released six albums, soon becoming a local and regional celebrity. Berry worked on his music for almost ten years, and built a substantial following among students at the University of Georgia. He even started his own record company to produce and distribute recordings of his songs for local fans. Berry also hosted benefit concerts for local charities around his home.

1992—1998: Liberty/Patriot Records and Capitol Records

Berry released his self-titled major-label debut 1993 on Liberty Records. This album produced five chart singles for Berry. First was "A Mind of Her Own" at No. 55 on the Billboard country chart, followed by the No. 22 "Kiss Me in the Car". With his first major album in the stores, Berry went on the road with a major concert tour opening for the likes of Reba McEntire, Aaron Tippin, and The Mavericks.

In 1995, he released Standing on the Edge for Patriot. Its lead-off single, "Standing on the Edge of Goodbye", was a No. 2 hit for him that year, and was followed by the No. 4 "I Think About It All the Time". The other two singles — "If I Had Any Pride Left at All" and "Every Time My Heart Calls Your Name" — did not reach Top 20 in the US, but did in Canada. This album was certified gold in both countries. A Christmas album entitled O Holy Night was also released in 1995, also on Patriot. In a memorable performance at the 1995 Country Music Awards, John sang "If I Had Any Pride Left At All", with nothing but his acoustic guitar.

After the closure of Patriot Records in 1995, Berry was transferred to Capitol Records Nashville (the parent company of Liberty) for his third major-label album, 1996's Faces. Lead-off single "Change My Mind" peaked at No. 10 in 1996. Following it was his final Top Ten hit in the US, the No. 2 "She's Taken a Shine", and finally his last US Top 40 hit, "I Will, If You Will". The album was his final album to receive a gold certification from the RIAA.

An additional album for Capitol, Crazy for the Girl, was slated for release in 1997 but delayed due to his vocal cord surgery.

In 1998, he charted two more singles for Capitol, which were to have been included on an album titled Better Than a Biscuit: "Over My Shoulder" and the title track, which spent only one week on the country chart. and Better Than a Biscuit was not generally released.

1999—2013 Berry signed to Lyric Street Records in 1999 to release his next album, Wildest Dreams. It included the singles "Love Is for Giving" and "Power Windows" (a cover of the Billy Falcon song). Neither single made Top 40 on the country music charts.

Christmas tours Berry embarked on his 2010, 12th Annual Christmas Tour. The hour and a half show was filled with traditional Christmas songs (including an a cappella version of "O Holy Night") and his childhood stories. Plans are already in the works for the 2011 tour.

John Berry will have his 22nd Annual Christmas Tour kicking off in Marietta, GA, on November 16, 2018. Tickets are on-sale now.

Charity work Berry is involved in charitable causes including children's diseases, The American Red Cross, and cystic fibrosis, as well as lending his name to adult literacy causes and Haven Hospice. He performed a benefit concert for a young kidney transplant recipient on October 16, 2008. He gave a free concert at the Greene County Relay for Life on June 18, 2010. He performs yearly, in Florida at the annual Newberry Watermelon Festival which benefits the American Legion.

Berry has at least two charity performances scheduled for his popular Christmas tour. A show benefitting "Challenged Child and Friends" is scheduled for November 26 at the Pearce Auditorium in Gainesville, Georgia. Another "John Berry Christmas Concert" for charity is scheduled for November 27 in Toccoa, Georgia. They lived on a farm called "ElderBerry Farm on Little Rose Creek", Watkinsville, Georgia. "I'm not in so much of a hurry anymore," Berry told Billboard'''s Peter Cronin, explaining how undergoing brain surgery had changed his life. "And I try to spend as much time as I can with my family." The Berry family currently resides in Gallatin, Tennessee.

Awards and nominations Grammy Awards 1995 "Your Love Amazes Me"

1996 "Standing on the Edge of Goodbye" 1997 Hope: Country Music's Quest for a Cure|Best Country Collaboration with Vocals TNN/Music City News Country Awards

John Berry Male Star of Tomorrow "Your Love Amazes Me" Single of the Year 1996 Standing on the Edge|Album of the Year Academy of Country Music Awards

John Berry Top New Male Vocalist "Your Love Amazes Me"

"Standing on the Edge of Goodbye" John Berry Top Male Vocalist of the Year Country Music Association Awards

Horizon Award Male Vocalist of the Year 1997 "Long Haired Country Boy" Vocal Event of the Year Discography

Studio albumsHumble Beginnings (1979)In the Nighttime (1981)Waiting for You (1982)Tired of the Game (1984)Things Are Not the Same (1986)Saddle the Wind (1988)John Berry (1993)Standing on the Edge (1995)O Holy Night (1995)Faces (1996)Wildest Dreams (1999)Greatest Hits (2000)All the Way to There (2001)My Heart Is Bethlehem (2002)I Give My Heart (2004)Songs and Stories (2005)Celebrate This Christmas (2006)Hits (2006)Those Were the Days (2008)Christmas Live in Kalamazoo (2010)Live Hits in Kalamazoo (2009)Real Man. Real Life. Real God. (2012)What I Love the Most (2016)Christmas (2016)Find My Joy'' (2022)