Raised in the heartland of Minnesota, Jesse fell under the influence of Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan at the age of 14. Soon after he got his own guitar and, four years later in 1989, left his home and country for France where he began his formative years on the road. Jesse explains: "I would play wherever I could, pass the hat, sleep where I could and try to keep on. I felt I was following in the footsteps of my heros. I met Joe on the street in Montpellier around 1991. We started playing and singing together immediately...our guitars took us everywhere.''
Toward the end of the 90's Jesse went back to America where he discovered the bluegrass festival circuit and got connected to his roots. ''Bluegrass is a singer's medium. The old time music - the old tones - really set me free.'' With a repertoire now ranging from folk and country-blues to bluegrass and gospel, Jesse became a fixture at various festivals as well as in the local blues scene centered around the bars on the West Bank of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis.
Returning to France in 2003, Jesse formed Maison Dixon with his old travelling partner Joe Wigfall, working towards a sound based on the great singing ''brother acts'' from another era. ''Joe is blood. Singing together is effortless, a once in a lifetime singing experience. It can't be bought. You can't get it out of a book.''
The addition of Jack Bernard, a studied and experienced jazz and rock musician, delivered a whole new edge to Maison Dixon's music and live shows. ''Jack holds the experience together, gives it depth and pacing. Before him, we were good. With him, Maison Dixon was born.''
MAISON DIXON: DOGFOOD AND DIESEL
On three separate dates beginning in the fall of 2004, Jesse, Joe and Jack got together in the studio with some of their friends to record what would become Dogfood and Diesel. This group effort, spanning the varied tastes and influences inside the group (old time country, folk, blues, irish traditional, gospel etc.), still sets them apart.
