It all started with two brothers and two acoustic guitars. This is the TRUE story, strap yourself in its quite a ride.
Ronnie and Randy began playing music together when they were 7 and 8 years old. Grandpa Gene came home from a yard sale and said "Here ya go learn how to play these it's fun." they started learning to play by ear and eventually formed a band called RAFM (radio active fungus monkeys) with Randy's friend Roger. They played together a couple years then split up. Ronnie met Jesse Carroll in drivers Ed and they became good friends over their love of punk rock. Ronnie playing drums joined Jesse's band called Burnout and they played house shows and small concerts together for about a year then decided to start a fresh new band. They recruited Randy as lead singer and formed a Christian metal band called Dishonest. This band played shows all over the southeast for the next 4 years and recorded 2 EPs as well as developing a solid Florida fan base. Ronnie began experimenting singing and writing songs in a more punk/post hardcore fashion the first one being called Kins and Carroll.
The birth of the Jumpsuit Appatrati........
Ronnie asked Randy and Jesse if they wanted to start a new project and they decided to pass so Ronnie recruited friends from his High School (Middleburg High School) to start playing his songs. Many friends came and went over the next year but Ronnie Winter and Duke Kitchens pushed through all the changes and finally settled down with Elias Reidy and Joey Westwood. At first Ronnie was still playing drums but then asked local drummer Jon Wilkes to play his parts so he could sing. The rest as they say is History....
The RJA signed a deal with Virgin Records on October 27th 2005 and made their debut album with award winning producer David Bendeth titled Don't You Fake It. They spent the next 2 years touring that album all over the world filming 4 music videos and having 2 singles chart on radio "Face Down" and "Gaurdian Angel". Things were good.
Virgin records went through a phase of re-structuring and most of if not all of the people involved with DYFI were fired or quit. This left the band at a home that was empty to all things jumpsuit. They decided to record another record with Virgin and settled with Howard Benson as producer. The album was finished and shortly after guitarist Elias Reidy left the band to be replaced by Duke's friend Matt Carter. Then band filmed two videos and again toured the world with the single "You better Pray" charting on rock stations all over the US. Virgin records again went through another restructuring and this time the band had " finally had enough". The band was offered a new 360 deal by Virgin and respectfully declined thus making them Independent in February of 2010.
Signaling their departure from Virgin the band released a self recorded EP produced by frontman Ronnie Winter that received great applause from old RJA fans and new alike. The band returned to their signature sound and style with no restrains crossing religious and sonic boundaries at will seamlessly integrating the fans to their new collective vision. Things were starting to look up again for the RjA.
The band paired with the collective sounds to record and release their 3rd full length album "Am I the Enemy". It's debute in 2012 reached number 6 on the Independant charts and number 1 on the Christian rock charts in 2013. Ronnie's brother, Randy Winter took the helm on rhythm guitar (after Kitchen's depature) to properly recreate the guitars recorded with producer John Feldmann.
March 2013 the band released their EP "ET TU, BRUTE?", recorded and produced with David Bendeth (the same producer as Don't you Fake it). It's single "REMEMBER ME" reached number 1 on Christian Rock Billboard. Following this EP release the band began its 2013 world tour with long time friend and touring drummer John Hartman. Hartman quickly found his home with the band and has since been RJA's live drummer and is now writting / recording the bands percussion along side the Winter brothers. Up until now Winter had always written and recorded most the bands percussion.
The bands journey has proven to have only just begun. July 4th 2014 the band releases their 4th full length record titled "4" produced by Lee Miles (their pre record label producer), Ronnie Winter, mixed by David Bendeth / Paul Lapinski and mastered by Paul Lapinski. "4" and the rest of their entire digital catalogue will then forever be available digitally free @ http://redjumpsuit.com via torrents. The bands new single "The right direction", can be downloaded now for free @ http://free.redjumpsuit.com . Visit http://redjumpsuit.com for news, tour dates, other social media and merchandise.
