Jesse Dayton | Artist
Jesse Dayton is an American musician and record producer born 1966 in Beaumont, Texas. Dayton has created a fine body of solo work but is perhaps best known for his guitar contributions to albums by country musicians including Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and Willie Nelson. He is also notable for his collaborations with Samantha Fish and with horror film director Rob Zombie, who has commissioned Dayton on multiple occasions to record music to accompany his films. Dayton was raised on the music of George Jones, Hank Williams, and Lefty Frizzell, all the while harboring an affinity for the spirit of punk with bands like the Clash. After touring with two rockabilly bands, the Road Kings and the Alamo Jets, Dayton ventured off into solo territory, with the release of his excellent debut album Raisin' Cain in 1995. Dayton stepped into the spotlight when he performed with Lucinda Williams at Bill Clinton's second inaugural ball in January, 1997. Since then Dayton has released solo albums and worked with a variety of country rock artists, most notably Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash on Right for the Time (1996) after Jennings injured his picking thumb and required a guitar stand-in. Dayton also contributed guitar work on albums by the Supersuckers and Kris Kristofferson. In 2015 he played guitar in the punk band X on their US tour, filling in for Billy Zoom who had been diagnosed with cancer. Standout Dayton solo albums include Tall Texas Tales (2000), Country Soul Brother (2004), Holdin' Our Own (2007), The Revealer (2016), The Outsider (2018), and The Hard Way Blues (2024). With The Road Kings, Dayton released three studio albums, plus the excellent The Ultimate Collection: 1972-1978 (2005), under the guise of Banjo & Sullivan, with Sara Hamilton on vocals. On the horror movie front, film director Rob Zombie commissioned Jesse Dayton to record an album for the fictional characters Banjo and Sullivan from his feature The Devil's Rejects. In Zombie's Halloween II, Dayton performs as the lead singer and guitarist of the fictional psychobilly band Captain Clegg and the Night Creatures. He released an album entitled Rob Zombie Presents...Captain Clegg and the Night Creatures on August 28, same day as the film Halloween II premiered. Following this, Jesse Dayton wrote and directed the 2013 horror film Zombex, starring Malcolm McDowell, Lew Temple and Sid Haig.
Artist Website: jessedayton.com
Featured Albums: Jesse Dayton
Related Artists: Samantha Fish, Brennen Leigh, Banjo & Sullivan, Rob Zombie
