J. R. Cobb

James Barney "J.R." Cobb, Jr. (born February 5, 1944, Birmingham, Alabama) is an American guitarist and songwriter, most notable for co-writing "Spooky" and "Stormy", among others, as a member of the Classics IV, plus "Champagne Jam" and "Do It Or Die", among others, as a member of the Atlanta Rhythm Section.

J.R. Cobb was born in Birmingham, Alabama in 1944. His family later moved to Jacksonville, Florida. In 1953, at the age of nine, he and his two siblings were placed in the Baptist Children's Home in Jacksonville, after his father left the family and his mother needed assistance. Cobb regarded the experience as positive, on balance, describing it as "the best and worst thing that could have happened to me. The best thing, because we would not have had anything at the time. The worst, it was scary not being a family anymore." He regarded the experience as providing him with a strong work ethic, and remained in the home until the age of 16, graduating from Paxon High School in Jacksonville. One of his Cobb's fellow graduates was drummer Robert Nix, who would later join with Cobb in forming the Atlanta Rhythm Section.

Following graduation from high school, Cobb became a welder. Co-workers had started a band called The Emeralds, and invited Cobb to join the band as a guitarist. The Emeralds evolved into The Classics, which then became The Classics IV, with lead singer Dennis Yost. The band was discovered by Paul Cochran, an associate of Atlanta music publisher Bill Lowery, who invited the band to Atlanta to record. Lowery also became the band's advisor.

It was at his first recording sessions in Atlanta that Cobb met Buddy Buie, a producer and songwriter, who had been the former manager of Roy Orbison. Cobb and Buie developed a songwriting partnership, writing a number of their songs in a trailer owned by Buie's uncle near Lake Eufaula, bordering Georgia and Alabama. The two would fish during the day, and write at night. Their first hit was "I Take It Back", recorded by Sandy Posey. They then added lyrics to a local jazz song, which became the hit "Spooky", for the Classics IV, of which both Buie and Cobb were members.

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