John Edward Berry was born on September 14, 1959, in Aiken, South Carolina, to James and Marie Berry, and raised in the Atlanta, Georgia area. He was exposed to a variety of music, as his father preferred Van Cliburn, his mother had a strong taste for gospel. Berry grew up listening to an AM station from Atlanta; "It was on in dad's garage constantly, WQXI 79 AM," Berry says. "They played a pretty eclectic selection, country and Top 40 in the 1970s."