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Write Me
a Tune:
Jimmy Jack
Whitaker’s
story
by Amanda Herrera
Editor’s Note: As we were going to
press we learned that Jimmy Jack
Whitaker won the AGAPE Festival’s
2012 Songwriter of the Year award
in recognition of his talent and
songwriting. Congratulations!
Jimmy Jack Whitaker has
become all too familiar with the
stretch of highway he travels
from Nashville, Tennessee to
southwest Oklahoma. Nashville is
where he laid the foundation for
his songwriting career, southwest
Oklahoma is where his family
resides. The award-winning
songwriter who grew up in Snyder
spent the beginning of his summer
in Lawton performing a series of
intimate local shows. However, he’ll
soon hit the highway again, in true
musician fashion, embarking on an
intimate summer tour where he’ll
play churches, festivals, prisons,
nursing homes and just about
everywhere in between.
Whitaker spends a lot of time
alone, as he’s virtually a one-man
show who travels from one gig to
the next. With him, a collection
of personal photo albums full of
images taken during his time spent
with music legends, like Charlie
Daniels, Willie Nelson, or his
mentor, legendary songwriter Gary
S. Paxton, just to name a few.
Whitaker plays several
instruments and possesses
tremendous vocal talent, but refers
to himself as a songwriter foremost.
Despite several accolades dating
back to the 1970s, he says he
is most proud when other artists
record his tunes. He’s had many
of his songs covered from several
genres of music.
“It is a great feeling for someone
to want to cut one of your songs,”
Whitaker said.
Whitaker has an extensive
musical bio and spent time playing
the music circuit in California, but
experienced most of his success
Songwriting tips from Jimmy Jack:
the craft.”
singers, pickers, or songwriters. The ones
who make it are the ones who people
want to go see and hear—the ones with
charisma.”
important.”
rewrites.”
good the song is.”
anything.”
line. You have to throw the great song out
there if you want to catch success.”
in Nashville with his collection of
country and gospel tunes.
Whitaker says music has
freedom, allowing him to pursue a
nontraditional career.
said. “I go to bed when I want, I get
up when I want and I’m friends with
who I want.”
Although his musical career
hasn’t brought him extensive
monetary riches, he says it’s
provided him with a greater wealth,
one of a spiritual nature.
“Music opens the heart,”
Whitaker said. “I go into prisons and
I’m able to see that.” “The music
is what opens the heart, and then
whatever you feed into that heart
[the message] once it is open will
determine your outcome.”
Because of the spirituality
spends much of his time writing and
performing messages of hope, and
has several causes he cares deeply
about. Whitaker supports School
for Life Ministry in Gary, West
Virginia, where McDowell County is
the poorest county in the US, The
Rock House Ministries
in Rockford, Illinois which
feeds more than 100
inner city kids, and Global
Missions in Rogersville,
Tennessee. He performs
for Christian biker groups,
military Veterans events,
churches, jails and
prisons, nursing homes,
and street ministries.
The traveling
songwriter says his plan
is to continue to spend his
time on the road, writing
music, and answering a
greater calling.
“I want my legacy to be
everything I do and that
any gift I had was coming
from the lord,” Whitaker
said.
For more information
about Jimmy Jack
Whitaker or to see a
tour schedule, visit
whitakermusic.tripod.com.
OKIE MAGAZINE www.okiemagazine.com Page 24