Jake Kohn has been turning plenty of heads this year.
From the second the Winchester, VA area native opens his mouth, his uniquely deep and raspy voice pulls the listener in, and his impressive lyricism keeps them captivated. With only three official releases to his name thus far, there isn’t much original music out there that has been released in an official capacity, but those three songs provide plenty of proof that Kohn is on his way to being one of the next big artists to emerge form the Appalachian scene.
In addition to the wise beyond his years original music Kohn has released, the young artist has made a habit on social media in sharing covers of his favorite music and artists who have influenced him along the way. In the latest cover posted to his Instagram, Kohn tips the cap to an industry veteran who has had quite the year in 2023, with a killer cover of Brent Cobb’s “Down In The Gulley.”
Check Kohn’s cover out here:
Originally released in 2016 on Cobb’s sophomore record Shine on Rainy Day, “Down in the Gulley” is a moonshining song that has become a staple in Cobb’s catalog and remained one of his most popular tracks ever since its release.
Here is the original version for reference:
If you aren’t very familiar with Jake Kohn yet, the 16 year old emerged on the scene when his original song “Frostbite” went viral with RadioWV in march 2023.
Following the success of his music on YouTube and social media, the young artist impressively signed a deal with Atlantic Records after his Grand Ole Opry debut on September 8, 2023, and just a couple of months later, he officially released “Frostbite” as his debut single. “Hard as Stone” followed a couple of weeks into 2024, and “Dreams,” a YouTube fan-favorite, hit streaming platforms this past March. All three of his singles released thus far are must-listens for any country music fan.
“Frostbite”
“Hard As Stone”
“Dreams”
Kohn has been absolutely killing it lately, and Brent Cobb has, too. If you haven’t had the chance yet to listen to his most recent project Southern Star, one of the best records of 2023, then I highly suggest you drop what you’re doing and listen to it all the way through from start to finish.
Heavily influenced by the soulful, southern sound of legendary Georgia artists before him, like The Allman Brothers and Otis Redding, and inspired by his own experiences as well those of the people around him, the Ellaville, Georgia native’s laid back authenticity shines through in a lyrical masterclass and ode to home with Souther Star. And here are a couple of my favorites off the album to get you started.
“When Country Came Back to Town”
