J. B. Faires is a free-lance bassist and educator in central Illinois. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in jazz performance with a minor in ethnomusicology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, as well as M.A. and B.M. degrees in music performance from Eastern Illinois University.

J. B. regularly performs throughout the Midwest on double bass and electric bass with many diverse and popular groups, playing styles from Appalachian to Zydeco and everything in between.