J.P. Pennington

James Preston Pennington (born January 22, 1949) is an American musician, known primarily as the guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the country pop band Exile. Pennington was one of the early members and one of the lead singers of the group until departing in 1989, before reuniting the mid-80s country lineup in 2008.

Pennington was born in Berea, Kentucky. His mother, Lily May Ledford was a member of The Coon Creek Girls, the first all-female string band.

Pennington started playing guitar in bands as young as fourteen years old. His musical influences include Chet Atkins, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard.

He was a member of Le Sabers in the early 1960s, whose lead singer Leroy Pullins later had a hit with the novelty song "I'm a Nut" in 1966. In 1964, he joined Exile, then called Jimmy Stokey and the Exiles, as a bass player. He had never played a bass prior to joining the band. Pennington left in 1965, as his parents thought that at sixteen he was too young to be in a band. Two years later, Pennington, now eighteen, rejoined the group.

Pennington was one of the first members of the band to write original songs, however this time went unnoticed at the time as fans preferred them covering already popular songs. He left Exile again in 1972 to move to California with his cousin, but only a few months later, he was back in the band in Kentucky, this time on lead guitar.

Biography summary from English Wikipedia, photograph via Wikimedia Commons.