ABBA

Bass singer from Queens, New York, who was still a small child when his family moved to the Motor City. It was here that he became acquainted with the sounds of Motown: They permeated the house, often in the form of new 45s and LPs that his father would bring home after payday. He grew up listening to James Brown, Marvin Gaye, The Spinners, and The Temptations. One of the first concerts he attended was by The Spinners.

Jessie was also musical, playing the trumpet in jazz bands and the school marching band. He also modeled on the side, while still in school, at Essex Productions. When he was fourteen years old, he was bitten by the acting bug and tried out for the male lead in the stage musical, Evita. He undertook formal training with Susan Stoney of La Troupe De Arts. When he wasn’t making music or acting, he was dancing with Tony Talley & The Beat It Crew, while a sophomore and junior in high school. They opened for acts such as The Dramatics, Enchantment, Millie Jackson, The Manhattans and The O’Jays.

Upon graduation, he and four of his high school chums started a band named Random X, but their random rehearsals never translated into live performances. Jessie decided to further his education at the Specs Howard School of Broadcast Arts and go into mass media. He wore many hats in the radio biz, including announcer, production director, and program director, and hosted a TV program called Flint after Dark that aired interviews, local arts happenings, and videos. His basso voice made him a perfect candidate to do voice-overs, but eventually the on-air gigs dried up as the market shrank and radio stations became increasingly syndicated.

In 1994, he decided to pursue singing again, this time with a group named Unique. They were on the road a lot, and played the Apollo Theatre and venues such as Cobo Hall, Masonic Temple, and The Palace of Auburn Hills, and were a part of Montel Williams’ Motown Review. Unique released a CD in 1995 entitled Feels So Good, but hard feelings within the group put an end to whatever aspirations they might have had.

In 2008, Jessie made a brief return to the stage, acting in a couple of plays, Gone Too Soon and Soulful Scrooge. He was about to take on the role of his life, however. Henry Williams told him there was an opening with one of the bands he idolized when he was growing up, The Spinners. Pervis Jackson had died suddenly after being diagnosed with brain and liver cancer. After a brief mourning period during which the band performed as a quartet, they decided the time was right to hire a bass singer. It did not take long for Jessie to impress, and he made his debut with them on 11^th February 2009.

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