James Buchanan Coats, known as J. B. Coats, was born on April 6, 1901, in Summerland, Mississippi. He developed a passion for music early in life, which he pursued through formal education at Mississippi Southern College and Louisiana State University. Coats studied music under the guidance of Julius Rishing, J.E. and Alvis O. Thomas, and T.B. Mosley. By the age of fourteen, he was already teaching music classes and conducting evangelistic singing. Throughout his life, Coats worked as a public school teacher and composed numerous gospel songs, with "Where Could I Go" being his most widely recognized work. Other notable compositions include "A Wonderful Place," "My Soul Shall Live On," "I'm Winging My Way Back Home," and "Tomorrow May Mean Goodbye." His music was frequently recorded by leading quartets and singers. Coats was associated with the Stamps-Baxter Music Company as a lifetime staff writer. A devout member of the Baptist Church, he served as a Deacon for over thirty years before entering the ministry. J. B. Coats passed away on December 15, 1961.