A.J. Ghent says he has a couple of reasons for making music that is real to him. Coming from a line of musical family members, he was taught early the long-term relationship between making music that matters to people and one’s own self-esteem.
It also comes into play in the short term, he says.
If you go
* What: Nightfall featuring A.J. Ghent Band * When: 8 p.m. Friday, June 5; Jess Goggins Band opens at 7 p.m. * Where: Miller Plaza, 850 Market St. * Admission: Free * Phone: 423-265-0071 * Website: www.nightfallchattanooga.com
The opener
Jess Goggans Band is fronted by a Lookout Mountain singer/songwriter who describes her music as “funky folk.” She’s joined by Arrie Bozeman, Scooter Hilyer, Matt Hood and Jay Chadwick. Find them on Facebook or at jess goggans band.com.
“When you are being real, it helps you on the road and those long nights driving through the mountains of Arizona or wherever,” he says. “When you have eight or nine hours to go, you’ve got to be doing it for a reason. It’s not the money or the fame.”
These are lessons he’s learned from his great uncle, Willie Eason, grandfather Henry Nelson and father Aubry Ghent. All three are well-known lap steel guitar players. He’s also picked up a thing or two playing with guys like Colonel Bruce Hampton, whose band Ghent fronted for several years, and alongside guys like Gregg Allman, Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi, with whom he’s shared a stage.
“What I learned from those guys is that they are very spontaneous onstage. They keep things fresh. There is definitely a lot of freedom there.”
Ghent has been playing his whole life but is only fairly recently finding his own way. He opened a Zac Brown concert in 2013 at McKenzie Arena doing a good deal of R&B and soul. Friday, June 5, the A.J. Ghent Band will headline the Nightfall Concert Series at Miller Plaza.
His debut album with the A.J. Ghent Band, “Live at Terminal West,” is a mix of many of his influences.
“I wanted it to be different,” he says of the 11-song collection. “I started out rapping and did some R&B, hip-hop and then a little gospel.”
He wanted that spontaneity that he’d learned from others to show up on his debut CD, which is why it was recorded live.
“It was a risk,” he says. “We only had one take to get it, but I wanted everyone to feel that rush.”
The new band features Ghent’s wife, MarLa, his sister Tiffany Ghent and Seth Watters, Gary Paulo and Will Groth.
MarLa says the secret to making it work is a love of each other and of performing.
“It’s interesting,” she says. “We have a great bond and family dynamic. We have fun. We sing a lot, and we love a lot.”
Just as important, she says, is giving each other space.
“You have to separate work and personal stuff, and sometimes you just need to go for a walk.”
Ghent credits his father, uncle and grandfather for teaching him to make family and the music business work in harmony.
“They set a great example of how to make that all work on the road,” he says.
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfree press.com or 423-757-6354.