J. Robert Howard was born James R. Howard in 1965, in Kettering; a suburb of Dayton, Ohio. He was raised in Greenville, Ohio. 

            The youngest child born to Eugene F. and Carol J. Howard, he has three older siblings; Pamela Howard, Ginger (Howard) Warner, and Richard E. Howard. 

            The extent of his musical training was in childhood; learning piano basics from age 6-12, and school band from fifth thru the tenth grades. Always wanting to learn guitar, he began teaching himself as a preteen and quickly began writing songs.

            In 1982 at the age of 16 he wrote what he considered his first commercially viable song on the piano. He wrote “To Say I Love You” for his first love. On September 11 of that same year, he sang it at his sister's wedding. Then in 1986 while stationed at Seneca Army Depot, he again performed it at a military sponsored function.

            He continued writing music from the 80s and into the 2000s. In the late 90s he purchased an 8-track reel to reel recorder and mixing console and began learning the recording process. In 2004 he completely switched over to digital recording and arranging using such software as Notion and Sonar Producer.

            In 2017, he enrolled at SAE in Nashville, Tennessee to enhance his skills in the audio world. He  graduated with an Associate's in Applied Science in Audio degree in December of 2018.

           The first three songs released on this EP represent a small part of his complete works, many still to come. These are pre-release versions written, arranged, and recorded by J. Robert Howard.

           His upcoming album, "The Road Not Taken" will highlight many of his favorite songs that he has written throughout his life.

           In addition to writing and arranging  music, He is presently writing his first book; a self-study on audio engineering. Entitled "Basics in Audio Engineering: for the hobbyist, student, and musician. What you need to know.", it contains all of the knowledge that he wished he knew when he began recording his music in the late 90s; giving todays hobbyists and students a distinct advantage that he never had.  It is expected to be distributed as an eBook sometime in the 2nd quarter of 2020.