Funded by Faith: Mitchell John’s Tale of Life, Love, Music and Wal-Mart

If independence is at the core of the American way of life, then entrepreneurial spirit is surely the American Dream in action.

For country singer and songwriter Mitchell John, fierce independence and entrepreneurial drive have made him one of the most fascinating and inspiring success stories in the music business, proving that small businesses -- and that includes independent musicians -- can indeed make it.

John, as told to Bob Millard, is now sharing his story in Funded By Faith: An American Dream, due out in late October on Ta Tanka Media and available exclusively at Wal-Mart. The result is no mere addition to the “you too can make it in the music business” tomes that litter the shelves of hopeful musicians everywhere. It is a compelling memoir of an individual who took his experience and proven success in small business and applied it to his desire to be a successful country artist. Now, celebrating ten years as an independent performing songwriter and small businessman, John is a testament to the value of hard work, perseverance and faith.

The publishing of Funded by Faith: An American Dream coincides with the release of Mitchell John’s latest CD, the live set LIVE AT THE ALBERTA BAIR THEATER , and an accompanying tour of Wal-Mart stores. The initial phase will cover 60 WalMArts in a six state area.

“While (Funded by Faith) is about a way to be a successful singer against all odds … it’s about a whole lot more,” writes veteran radio producer Neil Haslop in the book’s introduction. “The American Dream is alive and well for private entrepreneurs who are willing to learn the hard lessons of the business of making money, and willing to work and sacrifice long and hard to be successful in business.”

John guides us though becoming a husband and father at the age of 16 and putting aside a burgeoning sports career to work and support his family. He takes odd jobs and begins painting before taking on entire building complexes himself. He starts a small business selling sports caps and turns it into a franchise. He even, in a real-life nod to The Graduate, gets involved in plastics. All the while, his childhood memories of watching Elvis Presley continued to beckon, until, in his early thirties, he decided to use his business acumen to make his music dreams come true.

“I’d been playing around with performing since the first time someone put a quarter in a pool hall jukebox and I jumped on the table with my cue as a pretend microphone and “did” Elvis,” John tells Millard in a poignant chapter in the book. “ I rolled options around in my head and finally got the courage up to tackle the one thing I had wanted all along. Fear of failing had slapped me away time after time, but if I were ever going to take a serious shot at the music business, this would be the time. I was 33 and could not long deny a lifelong desire: my dream of recording and touring as a singer and entertainer.”

Perhaps the most intriguing part of Funded by Faith and John’s career is this small businessman’s relationship with one of the largest corporations in the world: Wal-Mart. While references to Wal-Mart and American small businesses often inspire David vs. Goliath comparisons, John’s is more of a Goliath-placing-David-under-his-wing story. Starting off with small in-store performances and signings, John eventually builds his career with hundreds of appearances and thousands of CDs sold at Wal-Marts throughout the mid-west, many times outselling major country artists. John’s record label, Ta Tanka, now directly distributes his records to Wal-Mart, the only artist the chain does that with.

“Wal-Mart is a culture that cares about its people and cares about the folks who come and buy their goods,” John tells Millard. “I could never have had a better group of folks to be around each day on the road than the folks at Wal-Mart. No agenda, no schemes, just hard-working folks, proud of what they do and always ready to make you feel welcome.”

For more information about Mitchell John, Funded by Faith: An American Dream and Ta Tanka Media, please visit www.mitchelljohn.com. For review copies, or additional questions, please contact Cathy Gurley at Gurley & Co., (615) 269-0474; cathy@gurleybiz.com

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