Jeff Bates Biography

Jeff Bates is an American country singer from Bunker Hill, Mississippi. Wielding an impressive singing voice, he was eventually signed to RCA in 2002, after having served time in jail for grand larceny. He had started stealing from friends to pay for an 18 month long meth addiction. He went through withdrawal in a jail cell and credits prayer and a 12 step program for staying clean.

He is friends with and has co-written a number of songs with Kenny Beard. While in jail, he called Beard to let him know where he had pawned Beard's favorite guitar for drug money. According to Jeff's website, everyone he called from jail forgave him.

At 3 months old, Bates was given up by his biological mother and adopted by a sharecropping family. Of his early life, Bates remembers "Hell, we didn't have much, and didn't know there was much to have. We were poor. But I had a great mama and daddy, and lots of love—and I think that right there can set you up for just about anything."

In August 2006, a $3,500 guitar which was a gift to Bates from the Takamine guitar company and used in his video "One Second Chance" was stolen from Bates's garage. When Bates called the Nashville police, Detective Rick Mavity was sent to investigate. Mavity was the same officer involved in Bates's arrest. Mavit located the stolen guitar in a pawn shop and returned it to Bates

Jeff has been active in his works of compassion, collecting for organizations such as Toys For Tots, St. Judes and others. In 2005 a concert in Hattiesburg MS raised $25,000 for Katrina relief in Jeff's home area.

In January 2005, a group of fans formed "Operation Circle Of Love," a group to support the troops overseas.

His debut album, Rainbow Man, was released in 2003.

His sophomore album Leave The Light On was released in 2006. The first single, a song of redemption, "One Second Chance" debuted on the Billboard Country charts at number 59 on June 18, 2006.

At many of his concerts, Jeff likes to perform hits from his favorite singers Conway Twitty and Elvis Presley. Some of the hits he sings are "Baby's Got Her Blue Jeans On", "I'd Love To Lay You Down", "Slow Hands" and "Jailhouse Rock" respectively.

Jeff Bates' most popular saying is "Hey Baby". At his after concert meetings, he whispers it into the ears of female fans, and they just melt when they hear it. It is also the first thing spoken in his hit "Long, Slow Kisses"

Jeff Bates Home page http://www.jeffbates.net/

Jeff Bates Fan Page http://jeffbatesfans.com/welcome.htm

Jeff Bates WOAM Page http://jeffbatesWOAM.com/

Operation Circle Of Love