John Preston: Veterans' Issues in the Mainstream

It was January of 2016 in Sacramento, California and Concore Entertainment recording artist John Preston was just hours from taking the stage. John, a Marine Corps combat veteran, and advocate against veteran suicide had been spreading his message publicly through his music since 2014, and he was being heard. Though he was steadfast in his mission, what transpired next would have been enough to derail even the largest fast-moving train. John received a phone call and was alerted that his older brother Michael (both a Marine veteran and 20-year police officer) had ended his own life. John recalls: "At the moment I was numb and even confused. I remember asking... Mike who? It was as if I was in some sick dream sequence from a movie. Everything around me was moving at normal speed but my mind was unable to process. I remember emotions but I can't remember if they actually came out." John was convinced at the time that this would be his last show. "I was on this mission to save the lives of so many I had never met and I failed to recognize my own brother was struggling. Take a minute to digest this. I was literally physically sick from this thought."If that were the end for John, we would not be writing about him today. The shock of the loss of his brother fueled the mission he had already begun and launched him to heights he had never before reached. By March of this year, John had executive produced the album Battlecry Songs of America's Heroes, driven by his single "Superman Falls" about Michael. The album rose to #21 on the iTunes rock charts.https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JQgxKBWJA7MThe word was getting out and the press had taken to John's story of determination despite loss. It was not just the press that had opened their eyes to John's success, he had already started his next project with the non-profit Stop Soldier Suicide. Working with Grammy Award-winning producer Alan Sanderson, John recreated his own suicide note in his song "Before I am Gone" and set out to release his next single with a major label. By August of this year, John accomplished just that. He signed his first major record deal with Concore Entertainment and his single will be distributed by record industry giant Universal Music Group. Not only has John agreed to give 100% of his sales to Stop Soldier Suicide, but he has already begun breaking the boundaries and bringing the monster issue of veteran suicide to the mainstream. Only three weeks into a six-week pre-release, he has already interviewed with media such as HLN and People Magazine to name a couple.https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nyy_N0vQ_rY"This is not political to me," John says. "This is personal. I wanted to re-release 'Before I am Gone" because it is a reflection of when I wanted to end my own life. Now living in the wreckage of what suicide leaves behind, I want no other family to have to be drug through this mess. I want everyone on edge that sees me now to know we can all succeed at pushing through those feelings to a better life. I just now recognize the gravity of my work and know I will be the one that breaks into the mainstream and makes the voice of the American veteran loud."John Preston is not alone in this belief. The CEO of Concore Entertainment, Charve "The Don" Norris, weighs in on his new artist."John Preston is an artist that only comes once a generation. He's on a mission fighting for what's right for the people."The buzz about this Marine gets louder every day as we now begin to wonder if we are all witnessing something special here, some sort of history being made. John's video for "Before I am Gone", which tackles the topic of veteran suicide head-on, will release with the single on October 17th. I was lucky enough to get a preview of the video and can't wait to see its impact when it is released to major outlets just a couple weeks from now.Pre-order the single here.It is not hard to recognize that a new star has been born and a silent community has found its voice. Follow John here, on FaceBook, or Twitter.Read more military articles here.