A native of Fayetteville, North Carolina, Herring is the son of a high school English teacher and a Superior Court judge.
[1] Herring had a Telecaster guitar with a Stratocaster neck, in the same style as one of his biggest influences, Steve Morse of the Dixie Dregs.
After high school he formed the Paradox, a cover band that played mostly jazz fusion and songs by the Dixie Dregs, Al Di Meola, and Chuck Mangione.
Formed in Atlanta in 1989, its members include Allman Brothers Band bassist Oteil Burbridge and Leftover Salmon drummer Jeff Sipe.
tour with Aquarium Rescue Unit in 1992 and 1993 and was offered the lead guitar job in the Allman Brothers Band after Dickey Betts was arrested after a show in Saratoga Springs, New York on July 30, 1993.
In 2002, Herring joined The Other Ones, a band which included four former members of the Grateful Dead — Phil Lesh, Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, and Bill Kreutzmann.
In January 2005, Herring appeared on the Jam Cruise 3 stage with several acts, including Colonel Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade.
On August 3, 2006, Widespread Panic announced Herring would be taking over the lead guitar spot in the band after the departure of George McConnell.
On February 7, 2009, Herring, along with Steve Gorman (The Black Crowes), guitarist Audley Freed (Jakob Dylan, ex-Crowes, Blue Floyd) and bassist-singer Nick Govrik, made their live debut of Trigger Hippy at the Cox Capitol Theater in Macon, Georgia.
In 2013, Jimmy Herring, Wayne Krantz, Michael Landau, Etienne Mbappe and Keith Carlock started a band called The Ringers.
In 2017, Jimmy Herring formed The Invisible Whip with Jeff Sipe on drums, Jason Crosby on violin and Rhodes, Kevin Scott on bass, Matt Slocum on Organ.
In 2019, Jimmy Herring formed The 5 of 7, featuring Kevin Scott on bass, Matt Slocum on keys, Darren Stanley on drums and Rick Lollar on voice and guitar.
In the last few years, Jimmy has also employed amps from Homestead and Germino, and guitars from PRS, an NF3, a Custom 22 with an extra volume knob for the neck pickup, a 20th PS Anniversary, and a 594.
At the beginning of Herring's tenure with Widespread Panic he was using his favorite guitar, a 3-color sunburst Stratocaster built by his friend Gene Baker at the Fender Custom Shop, equipped with two Seymour Duncan ‘59 reissue humbuckers, with a 1973 Marshall Superlead 100 watt amp accompanied by a 4x12 Marshall stereo and a ‘67 blackface Fender Super Reverb as amplifiers.
As a leader Source:[4] With Aquarium Rescue Unit With Col. Bruce Hampton With Col. Bruce Hampton & the Aquarium Rescue Unit With Endangered Species (Herring, T. Lavitz, Richie Hayward, and Kenny Gradney) With Frogwings With Jazz Is Dead With Phil Lesh and Friends With Joseph Patrick Moore With Project Z With Derek Trucks Band With Widespread Panic