Jesse Dayton
Jesse Dayton’s brand of country music has been labeled “turbo country”, a nod to his rockabilly roots with the Road Kings and the Alamo Jets. Dayton was raised on a diet of blues, cajun and punk, but graduated into full-flown rockabilly with the Road Kings, the outfit he formed in the late 80s. His 2004 album, Country Soul Brother, was an effective distillation of honky-tonk, rockabilly, soul and folk and even included an unlikely cover version of the Cars’ “Just What I Needed”. The following year Dayton was contacted by Rob Zombie to write songs for his new horror movie, The Devil’s Rejects. The songs from the soundtrack, released on the faux greatest hits album Banjo & Sullivan: The Ultimate Collection 1972-1978, included honky-tonk delights such as “I’m Home Getting Hammered While She’s Out Getting Nailed”. Dayton’s latest release, “South Austin Sessions” (released March 7, 2006) draws a nod to some of his influences including Townes Van Zandt, Waylon Jennings, Jim Lauderdale and ZZ Top. New for release in 2007 is his duets recording with fellow Austinite, Brennen Leigh. It’s titled “Holdin’ Our Own” and is due for release in August.
