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.