Blasting from the Gulf Coast of Texas like a hurricane force wind, Jesse Dayton is a force in country music that, a decade or so ago, would have knocked the entire industry on its collective backside. But unfortunately, raw roots music done with a twist was not what Nashville wanted. So although he played guitar in Ray Price's orchestra, despite the fact he played for Waylon Jennings on "Right For The Time," and Johnny Cash called him, with respect, "different," Jesse Dayton was forced to take the independent route, walking that harsh and hard line so many unique artists are required to take in this day and age of blow-dried, cookie-cutter "country" acts. Dayton is too unique to fit in, but that means a small but fiery catalog of absolutely amazing songs, sung in Dayton's velvet-swathed razor's-edge voice and backed by his incredible Telecaster. Dayton's own brand of jacked-up rockabilly, dubbed "turbo country" or "hard- charging country," is as unique as his sound, a crisp amalgam of country, rock, and rhythm & blues, all firmly steeped in tradition and as rootsy as a boy from Texas can make it. He eventually based himself in Austin and started his own label (Stag Records) so he could continue to make his own music his way. It's not for nothing this powerhouse is referred to as "the best- kept secret in modern country music."
