John Jeter

Journalist, novelist, playwright, academic and entrepreneur, John Jeter is best known in the Upstate as co-owner of The Handlebar, a now-legendary concert venue in Greenville, S.C. Most recently, he signed with a literary agent to represent his latest novel, SPENT: THE LAST DAYS OF SEX & ROCK ‘N’ ROLL. For 20 years, he and his wife, Kathy Laughlin, ran the live-music club where he bought talent for some 2,500 shows, presenting the likes of John Mayer, Sugarland, Zac Brown Band, Joan Baez, John Hiatt, Jason Isbell and many more. He leveraged his experience to create a position as adjunct professor in the Music Business & Technology Certificate program at Converse College, where he won the Above & Beyond Award in 2017. He’s a nationally published author: ROCKIN’ A HARD PLACE, a Hub City Press memoir based on his experience as the Greenville club’s talent buyer; THE PLUNDER ROOM, his debut novel from St. Martin’s Press; and THE LUCIFER GENOME, a co-authored thriller from Brigid’s Fire Press. While currently at work on a musical, he’s also a contract stringer for The New York Times. His work has also appeared in USA Today. In 2019, he won a writing residency in Italy to work on his stage play, THE LAST LYNCHING. He has traveled to Europe, China, Vietnam, Cuba, Central America, Mexico and Canada, the Caribbean, southern Africa, the Middle East and throughout the United States. He has appeared on Oprah! and on TV, in newspapers and radio, as a contributor and a subject.