About The Jacob Austin Band

           Jacob Austin has been singing since age 3.  Jacob became an active member of Brazos Valley TROUPE in the Bryan College Station area and began performing in public at the age of ten. Soon the director of TROUPE began to give Jacob solos in various productions. As Jacob got older he began to discover that he enjoyed singing and vocalized his desire to take voice lessons.  When Jacob was eleven he began voice instruction and continued for three years.  One day Jacob’s vocal coach informed him of an open audition for recording a children’s CD.  Jacob went to the audition (his first true audition) and found there were approximately fifty to sixty other young vocalists auditioning for six spaces.  At the end of the audition the director called six names and dismissed the rest.  Jacob’s was one of the names called.  The following week  Jacob and the other five children went into a recording studio and worked very hard recording the CD, We Can, for Sopris West.  This was a very exciting time for him and his family.

           Shortly, people from the community began requesting that Jacob sing at different events in the area. The Pastor of his church invited him to sing at various functions as well as opening events with the Star Spangled Banner .  Jacob then took a year's rest from voice lessons while his voice underwent the “change” (although continuing to sing) but again worked with a voice teacher/coach to improve his vocal range after the "change."

           From singing karaoke style as a member of TROUPE,  Jacob branched into “live music” forming a duet with his father , David (who was in a band back in the “old” days). David plays the twelve and six string rhythm guitars and is learning the resonator guitar .  One thing led to another and the duo began to sing at Jamborees , Opry’s , churches , and  Jubilee’s around Texas.  Jacob began playing the mandolin , mountain dulcimer , guitar , and the harmonica (all self taught) to add more texture to their sound.  During the summer of 2006 they recruited Mom to join them playing the Autoharp, adding another dash of bluegrass flavor to the band's already unique sound. Currently, The Jacob Austin Band continues to play all over the United States and they love to play traditional country, ballads, spiritual/traditional gospel music , oldies , and show tunes as well as some of their original material .

             Jacob also enjoys musical theater and has performed in several productions at Unity Theatre in Brenham, Texas, and The Theatre Company in Bryan, Texas .  In 2009, he had the honor of playing mandolin in the orchestra for The Theatre Company's production of Big River . By popular  demand in 2017 Big River  was reprised and Jacob was cast as Hank . The director expanded Hank's role to become a roaming mandolin minstrel as well .

           Jacob has written several original songs and has co-written others with his father and mother  on all their albums -  Fresh Hay in 2008 , Renewed, in 2012 ,  Jacob Austin Band Original Selections  (digital only), in  2018, and Step Inside in 2020. All are available at our live performances (except for "Original Selections").  Our newest release is also available worldwide on digital media stores.  

           The group has performed with or alongside many well known acts such as  Jim Ed Brown, Terri Smith, The Redhead Express, Bobby Awe,  Jack Langley, Michael Martin Murphy, Matt Boone, Rayne Magill, etc. In 2012 they were recognized for several honors .  The group has been awarded Best Bluegrass Gospel Group of the Year twice by the Coastal Bend Gospel Music Association and Traditional Gospel CD of the Year by the Rural Roots Music Commission .  Jacob also placed first in the mandolin contest held at the Traditional Country Music Festival in LeMars , IA , twice . David needs a page all to himself for his own biography but since  Jacob , he , and Liz perform together they share this page .  David has done many things on his own but as part of this act he has mostly been an incredible source of support and information as well as a great musician and teacher .