Josiah Leming

Josiah Leming
Josiah Leming, 2011
Background information
Birth name	Josiah Donald Leming
Born	(1989-03-26) 26 March 1989 (age 28)
Genres	Alternative, indie, pop
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, piano
Years active	2006—present
Labels	Warner Bros. Records (2008-2010)
Website	josiahleming.com

Josiah Leming (born March 26, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter originally from Morristown, Tennessee. At the age of 17, Leming dropped out of high school and began traveling across the United States to play shows while living out of his car. This eventually caught the eye of executives at Warner Brothers Records who signed him to his first major label record deal in 2008. Leming's debut album, Come On Kid, from Warner Bros. came out September 13, 2010. His main influences are Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Ryan Adams and The Rolling Stones.

Josiah Leming was born in Morristown, Tennessee. He was raised by his mother and stepfather alongside four brothers and four sisters, six of whom are adopted. Leming first learned the piano when he was eight years old after his mother purchased a Casio keyboard for Christmas. He also played his grandmother's piano during visits to her house, and participated in school musicals and choirs. Described as "self-taught", he also credits an "elderly piano instructor" for his early musical education.

By 13, Leming was writing his own music. A friend introduced him to musicians DC Talk, Coldplay and Travis, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Ryan Adams, and The Smiths at 15. They had some influence on Leming’s musical style. When he was 16, Leming began to perform locally. He dropped out of high school and left Morristown at 17, in an attempt to both make it as a musician and find a way to support his large and struggling family. Leming played in clubs and coffeehouses throughout the Southeast while working at restaurants and temp agencies to pay for food and gas. He traveled to Atlanta, Georgia in late 2007 when he heard American Idol would hold auditions there.