Get to know: Josiah and the Bonnevilles

Josiah Leming, better known by his stage name Josiah and the Bonnevilles, comes to Spruce Peak Arts Saturday, February 3rd at 7PM! Before he serenades the SPA stage with his unique blend of pop and country, learn about the rocky path that brought Josiah to where he is now.

Josiah Leming was born in Morristown, Tennessee to a large family of four brother and four sisters, six of whom are adopted. He began learning the piano at eight, and by the age of 13, Leming was already composing his own music, and he started performing locally at 16. Determined to support his struggling family, Leming left high school at 17, playing in clubs and coffeehouses across the Southeast, living out of his car while juggling jobs at restaurants and temp agencies.

In 2007, Leming heard that American Idol was holding auditions in Atlanta. Hoping to earn an opportunity to gain a larger audience, Leming traveled to Atlanta. His first audition earned him a coveted golden ticket, largely impressing notoriously difficult judge/music-executive Simon Cowell. However, Leming failed to make the top 24, despite having Cowell’s backing. Regardless of the set-back, Leming received notoriety for his turn on Idol, and he signed a record deal with Warner Bros. Records. To this day, Leming is the only American Idol contestant to be offered a major record deal despite failing to make the top 24.

Now signed with Warner Bros, Leming moved to Burbank, California and started work in 2008 on his first album on a major album, Come on Kid. However, Leming faced delays on the album, and Come on Kid eventually released two-and-a-half years later in September 2010. The album flopped commercially, and Warner Bros. dropped Leming from the label in late 2010. Learning from this experience, Leming never returned a record label, choosing to release all future music independently.

Following his spell in Burbank, Leming returned to Tennessee in fall 2011. Upon returning home, Leming self-released his second album in November 2011. This self-release fared better than his major record release. Leming continued to fin success as a regional artist, growing his following in the Southeast area.

In 2016, Josiah started releasing his music under a new stage-name, “Josiah and the Bonnevilles”. The name change reflected a new invigoration for Leming, who chose to grow his social media presence on the new platform Music.ly (eventually, Tiktok). Leming continued to release music under his new name, finding moderate success in the new Spotify/Apple-music era. However, Leming’s would finally discover mainstream success when his “country covers” of top-40 hits would go viral on Tiktok. These covers included Justin Beiber’s “Ghost”, Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero”, Glass Animals’ “Heat Waves”, and more. In January 2023, Leming released a full album of “country covers”. The album release grew his popularity even further, giving new listeners the opportunity to hear their favorite songs in a mellow, soulful style.

Josiah Leming now tours nationally under “Josiah and the Bonnevilles”. His newest album, Endurance, was released independently in October 2023. On February 3^rd, you can listen to Josiah play live and assortment of original and his universally acclaimed “country covers”!

Want to know more about Josiah and the Bonnevilles? You can visit his website, https://www.josiahandthe.com, for even more info on the talented guitarist.

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