Meet South Memphis native Jeff Cohran. He’s been holding down the role as Tour & Production manager for Janelle Monae for the last two decades. Jeff comes from a musical family with his Aunt singing background for Ray Charles and Uncle as a musician with the Bar-Kays. However it was Jeff’s mom who was very instrumental in getting him to hone in on the business side of music. Jeff attended UT Knoxville as a journalism electronic media major and minored in political science. He was very active in the NAACP and talks us through a black face incident on campus during his freshman year.
Take a listen as Jeff walks us through how he entered the management and touring side of the music industry linking with a major artist such as Janelle Monae. He discusses many lessons learned and the importance of having a sound mindset as he toured the world. You’ll also discover Jeff’s entry into academia as a music instructor at the University of Memphis. Jeff’s goal is to get students placed and shape their mental aspect. Be sure to tune into Jeff’s radio show ‘FUNKYTOWN” on WYXR’s 91.7FM under the moniker STH MEMPHIS JEFF on Thursdays from 8-9pm.