JESSE BALLARD Vocals / Guitar Jesse Ballard’s story began in San Francisco. Born in the California coastal city in 1951, his musical life started hearing Ray Charles and Harry Bellefonte around the house. Later, Chubby Checker, Sam Cooke, and Frank Sinatra were his mom’s favourites and he sang along with them on the record player. A few years later in high school Dylan and the Beatles influenced him. He started drawing his first attention in local rock bands. He moved on from there, studying music in his home town and upon graduation followed the urge of so many creative people at some point in their lives: to discover the world for themselves. Ballard travels Europe, Asia and North Africa. In Greece he met Tom Cunningham. With him in 1972 he ends up in the musicians’ Mecca at that time: West Berlin. Immediately he gets involved in the city’s music scene, shares a Kreuzberg flat with Cunningham and T.M. Fabian and develops his individual style, which reflects musicians like the Eagles, Bruce Springsteen and Van Morrison, as well as influences by his colleagues and friends Julian Dawson and Jackie Leven. Between 1972 and 1977 Ballard lived and worked in London, West Berlin und America, opening for Tim Buckley on Buckley’s last concert and formed the “Paradise Island Band” with Joe Kucera, Hans Hartmann and Tommy Goldschmidt. In Berlin they recorded their first album and toured all over Europe. In other bands more live shows follow in 1978 and 1979, including tours with The Scorpions and Robert Palmer. Ballard gives acting a shot as well during that time and takes roles in „Jetzt Und Alles“ and „White Star“, starring Dennis Hopper. From 1980 until 1981 Jesse presents „Jesse Ballard’s Vocal Circus and Revue“ in Berlin, a show combining theatre and music, which sells out the Quasimodo every show. These were great years in Berlin. Later moving to the south of Germany, and he finally ends up even further south, on the Canary Islands. Soon he’s all over the Gran Canarias club scene and decides to open his own Rock’n Roll music club, the “Swing”. In 1996 Jesse moved back to California. He takes up touring and recording with the Paradise Island Band again and in 1998 they release „Return to Paradise“, which is followed in 2003 by „Talking to the Rain”, a record Ballard made with Ramesh Weeratunga in Berlin and California. Today Jesse is based again in California. He still spends a great deal of time in Berlin, the city that won’t let him go. Jesse Ballard is a personality. Something that is very unusual in today’s music scene. He has seen and experienced a full and diverse sort of life that sets him apart and gives him the immediate feel of authenticity that we see so rarely these days. Although a bandleader, he does not put himself above his excellent musicians. A band member like each one of them, he is not the type to claim the center stage or bask in the spot light. In his live shows and on his records he gives his highly professional fellow musicians room to unfold, to create and to contribute their unique talents to his songs. Theirs is a sound that lives and breathes. Rock, folk and soul find a place here, as well as jazz and blues. These songs never stand still. They make a Jesse Ballard concert an experience that stays with you a long time.