Beaumont stud
Or charisma. Or energy. Or work ethic.
There are so many incredible songwriters and musicians out there that you’ll never hear or even hear about.
One evening spent listening to pickers and singers in New Orleans or Austin or Nashville will tell you that. So many guys and gals who can just plain rip.
Why do some become stars and some don’t? I sure as hell don’t know. Maybe ask Jesse Dayton.
I met Jesse Dayton sometime in 1995 or 1996. He was friends with our friends the Supersuckers and he sang lead on a track we did for Twisted Willie, a compilation of younger artists doing Willie Nelson songs (that’s another story for another time).
I shan’t forget the first time I saw him play, at some bar in Hollywood. Goddamn! Here was a guy with George Jones’s voice, Elvis Presley’s supercharged sexual charm and guitar skills from James Burton to Jimmy Page and beyond. He literally blew me away and I felt very small indeed as a singer and player myself for a long time after that night.
I was able to get Jesse on a bill with the Presidents a few months later, opening for us on a three- or four-show swing through his native state of Texas. Our audience didn’t know what to do with him. I couldn’t understand why people didn’t get it. To me he was, and is, a huge star, just plain to see if you watch him for even a few minutes.
Tags: Add new tag, beaumont texas, hardchargers, jesse dayton, just what i needed cover, supersuckers, the road kings
People didn’t get it because the audience was probably mostly a bunch of kids who knew nothing other than spoon-fed popular music, save for a few of them.
I like this entry a lot. It is very true. It reminds me of the song “The Late Greats” by the band Wilco. I saw your band (w/o you) tonight @ The Grog Shop in Cleveland, OH. I am in a Youngstown-based Indie act called Third Class and I really appreciate what you and members of so many other bands, such as The Presidents, are doing to make more awareness of talent and musical merit, rather than just simply trying to be rockstars. Folks like you are in the music scene for the music. And, that is refreshing to see. I recently graduated with a Bachelor’s in English @ Kent State University in Ohio and I was interested to see that you were an English teacher a while back. Maybe a lot of English people get into music. It makes sense, eh? Anyhow, nice blog and keep doing what you’re doing. I appreciate it.
I was there and I got it. I saw JD play with the Presidents in Houston as I happened to be there . Since then I have gone to see JD play almost every time he has come to Seattle. I also traveled to Las Vegas two years ago to watch him play shows on two different nights at the Hard Rock. Every time I see him play I am blown away.