Name: JESSE DAYTON
Start: 2024-06-21T21:00:00-07:00
Location: Showdown Saloon

Doors at 8pm
$20, 21+
Jesse Dayton bio:
Jesse Dayton isn’t just an unsung hero of modern-day American music; he’s a towering figure in the realm of Outlaw Country, a master storyteller who effortlessly blurs the boundaries between genres and disciplines. With a career spanning multiple decades, Dayton has left an indelible mark as a chart-topping songwriter, guitar virtuoso, author, frontman, sideman, producer, and relentless road warrior. From his early days with the Road Kings, where he fearlessly melded Texas Rockabilly and Country with the raw energy of Punk Rock, Dayton has been a trailblazer. His innovative style not only earned him acclaim but also paved the way for collaborations with legends like Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and Kris Kristofferson. Over the years, Dayton’s collaborations have spanned a diverse array of artists, from blues sensation Samantha Fish—his partner on the Grammy-nominated Death Wish Blues—to icons of country like Willie Nelson and Glenn Campbell, rock rebels such as Guns ‘N Roses’ Duff McKagan and Glenn Danzig, and even visionary horror filmmakers like Rob Zombie. Yet amidst this vast spectrum of work, Dayton’s solo albums stand as a testament to his refusal to be confined by genre, earning him recognition as a roots-rock renaissance man.
Collaborating with Shooter Jennings, renowned for his Grammy-winning work with artists Brandi Carlisle and Tanya Tucker, Jesse Dayton once again evolves with The Hard Way Blues. Building on his signature outlaw sound, Dayton explains, “I wanted to make something that reflected where I’m at right now; so, we turned a musical corner and embraced a big sound with a lot of ripping, bluesy guitar leads. Sometimes, it sounds like Freddie King. Sometimes, it sounds like Jimmy Page. This record was completely liberating for me because it goes back to so many of my longtime influences. I don’t care about genres, trends, or buzz words — I just care about being truthful to my own vision, and that’s what The Hard Way Blues allowed me to do.” Crafted in the heart of Hollywood, “ The Hard Way Blues stands as a testament to Dayton’s esteemed career, meticulously blending his rowdy spirit with timeless influences and showcasing his versatility and artistry in an irresistibly melodic collection of American music.
Jesse’s vision began taking shape during his childhood in Southeast Texas. “Growing up, there were some very loyal scenes — you were either goth or punk or blues or rockabilly or Austin retro country — but I liked a little bit of all of it, to tell you the truth,” he remembers. Years later, his music still mirrors that diversity. “My wheelhouse is rock, country, and blues,” Dayton says. “Whatever I’m doing, it’s somewhere in that world. This record has hints of all of it, but it’s really a rock record with a lot of heavy Texas blues. I’ve been playing big shows lately, and I wanted to do something that was custom-built for bigger stages and not beer joints.”
Big shows, indeed. Dayton’s no stranger to the stage — in addition to playing lead guitar for legends like Willie Nelson and Glen Campbell in the recording studio, he regularly plays more than 100 shows a year, fronting his own band one minute and backing up acts like X and the Supersuckers the next — but he hit a new high-water mark in 2023. Death Wish Blues, his collaboration with blues heroine Samantha Fish, became a global hit and landed the duo a Grammy nomination. Dayton suddenly found himself playing to crowds as large as 4,000. Already a cult hero to legions of fans, Dayton was now something else: a contemporary chart-topper with an audience that continued to soar. Longtime champions like Rolling Stone took note of the new momentum, praising Dayton for “attracting a boisterous crowd at every stage he played [with] his charismatic stage presence and a hard-to-pin-down mix of old-school country, rock and punk.”