What do you get when you combine the soul of Motown, the raw “in your face“ attitude of Bakersfield, the lightning-fast guitar playing of Nashville, and the relentless “Never Give Up” nature of West Virginia?

Musically speaking, Junior Guthrie would be all of that rolled into one.

Growing up in the blue-collar community of Weirton, WV (just outside of Pittsburgh, PA) Junior Guthrie was, quite literally, raised on the music coming out of Bakersfield California (Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, Dwight Yoakam), the hits of Motown (Smokey Robinson, The Temptations) and, basically everything in between.

From 2002 to 2008 Junior toured the country with the critically acclaimed Povertyneck Hillbillies. In a band of 7 people, Guthrie consistently stood out to audiences all over the United States night after night with his raw, passion-fueled, and aggressive interpretations of songs such as “All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down” (The Mavericks), “All That Heaven Will Allow” (Bruce Springsteen) and “Suspicious Minds” (Elvis Presley).

That chapter ended in 2008 but it was only the beginning for Junior Guthrie. Junior began hitting the road on his own and bringing that same unabashed energy to crowds in nightclubs and honky-tonks all over the East Coast; often introducing a “style” of performing that both captivates and energizes audiences in a personable, intimate way in which Country Music audiences haven’t seen in years!

In early 2021 Guthrie released the completely self-penned “Who’s Gonna Love Me?”. His first solo release since 2008’s “The One I’d Pick” and “My Brother and Me” (both written by his father, Randy), “Who’s Gonna Love Me?” is an introspective take on self-esteem, self-care, self-reflection, and the inevitable power to overcome. But overcoming the trials and tribulations of life is not just subject matter in a song for Junior Guthrie. It’s a way of life.