Jesse Priest will be LIVE at Southern Eats (221A Second Ave. SE, Cullman) at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7 for an open-to-the-public tasting of “Jesse Priest’s American Honky Tonk Beer Dip” made with Goat Island Brewing beer.
HOORAY FOR THE JOY-GIVERS! We always need more smiles, music and laughter. The “local” version of this fun series salutes those seriously unsolemn people, places and things that bring joy to our community.
The “SHIELD THE JOYOUS” shields, which will be given to those honored or to their family, are inspired from a passage in “The Book of Common Prayer” (1662). Prayers are lifted to “tend the sick, give rest to the weary, bless the dying…and shield the joyous.” Joy-givers are precious. Let us preserve them, protect them, treasure them, smile with them, laugh with them, tap our toes with them and give them A ROUND OF APPLAUSE.
A CULLMAN ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR JESSE PRIEST
The first time I heard rowdy, “red dirt rootsy,” brilliant, singer/songwriter Jesse Priest rock and enthrall a crowd at Grumpy’s bar (downtown Cullman) must have been what it was like for folks in Montgomery to first hear Hank Williams on local television singing “Hey Good-Lookin” on that early morning country music show. And what it was to hear coal miner’s daughter and country legend, singer/songwriter Loretta Lynn when she was singing her songs LIVE on little, out-of-the-mainstream radio stations in Kentucky and Tennessee.
Jesse Priest, is a new country music hoss to put your money on. He’s a thoroughbred ready to break out of the gate. His newest CD, available at www.jessepriestmusic.com, lifts him solidly into the “outlier pack” of authentic, unvarnished, country stars-in-the-making.
Hank, Jr. used to live in our county on a farm in the Vinemont community, and Jesse Priest, who covers some great Bocephus when he’s not rockin’ his own originals, comes from across the county in the rolling pastures of Holly Pond. These two rowdy, roadhouse rockers should tour together. I want to be in the audience hearing them join forces to sing Jesse’s “Beers, Bonfires and Backroads.” With this new boy in town, all of Hank’s rowdy friends have not settled down.
Joy-giver Jesse Priest didn’t want to talk about his own music so much, though he’s right to be delighted his growing tribe of groupies is thrilled with his songs and shows. What this big-hearted, natural entertainer really got revved up to talk about are some of his fellow “outlier heroes and heroines” and their great songs he would relish performing with them.
Here’s some other joy-givers Jesse Priest was braggish about:
–ASHLEY McBRYDE— Arkansas singer/songwriter who sings about honky tonks, hard-drinkin’ and heartbreak; she’s Jesse Priest’s no. 1 choice for a dream duet with them performing a girl/boy version of her big hit, “Girl Goin’ Nowhere;” you can find this 2019 Country Music Association “New Artist of The Year” at www.ashleymcbryde.com, then YouTube the song she should perform with Jesse Priest and also “A Little Dive Bar in Dahlonega.”
–KOE WETZEL— “Red Dirt,” Texas singer/songwriter and Lone Star state sensation with tales of wild nights and the sometimes wilder morning’s after; the song Jesse Priest wants to perform with Koe is “Good Die Young.” www.koewetzelmusic.com
–JASON ISBELL— Practically a “living legend” already, this singer/songwriter/guitarist came to wide popularity with the Southern rockers, Drive-By Truckers, and then launched to mega-stardom as a solo artist; he’s from Green Hill, Alabama near Florence and has so far won four Grammy Awards; Isbell openly discusses his hard-won sobriety from alcohol and cocaine use and his newer songs reflect his arc. The song Jesse Priest would like to perform with Jason Isbell is “Elephant” which has a tender story about loving someone with terminal cancer, but if you YouTube this be forewarned it is not for kids’ ears. This awesome guitarist grew up in the conservative, instrument-less Church of Christ, but this song is not for anyone who can’t bear hearing “the F-word.” www.jasonisbell.com
–JOHN MORELAND— I loved hearing this lyric from the Oklahoma-based singer/songwriter, “I’m underneath the rumble, tryin’ not to feel the trouble and you don’t care for me enough to cry.” Moreland, who has opened for Jason Isbell, has a raspy, yearning, alt-country sound that would meld gloriously with Jesse Priest’s soulful vocals on “You Don’t Care Enough for Me to Cry.” Speaking of soulful, I’d like to hear Jesse Priest cover some Solomon Burke like “Got to Get You off My Mind.” www.johnmoreland.net
–MATT ANDERSEN—Canadian (yeah, Canada has authentic country music, too) country blues guitarist and singer/songwriter from Perth-Andover, New Brunswick; Andersen headlines festivals and plays 200+ LIVE concerts a year. He’s toured with Gregg Allman and Little Feat, many others; if Andersen and Jesse Priest ever tour together a great duet would be Matt Andersen’s “Been My Last.” www.stubbyfingers.ca
–LUKE COMBS— Grew up an only child in North Carolina and even though he spent more time playing football than at choir practice, this prodigy sang solo at world-renowned Carnegie Hall. His album “This One’s for You” went to no. 1 on Billboard Magazine’s country chart. The song Jesse Priest would like to perform with Luke Combs is the latter’s “Even Though I’m Leaving.” www.lukecombs.com
When Jesse Priest was telling me about these performers he admires, he was beaming his gratitude. He also bragged on Rich Henderson who is playing Birmingham soon, and they would make a terrific crowd-pleaser together.
Talking about country music legends, Jesse Priest said immediately these greats sprang to mind and songs he’d love to perform: Johnny Cash “Rusty Cage,” Hank, Jr. “Country Boy Can Survive,” Dolly Parton, “Jolene” (Jesse Priest does a version of “Jolene” and says it would be “a dream come true” for them to sing those together), Willie Nelson “Blue Eyes Cryin’ In The Rain” (which Jesse Priest said his grandpa asked him to sing to his grandma at the grandpa’s funeral); this last one surprised me—Ozzy Osbourne duetting with Jesse Priest on “So Tired.”
Raise your cold beer or co-cola to joy-giver Jesse Priest, a country star-in-the-making and local good ole boy doing good. Please join us in giving him “A ROUND OF APPLAUSE” and enjoy this recipe for American Honky Tonk Beer Dip.
JESSE PRIEST’S AMERICAN HONKY TONK BEER DIP
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup AMERICAN beer (you could use non-alcoholic beer for this, but it’s only 1/3 cup)
- 1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix
- 2 packages (8 oz. each) American-made cream cheese (softened)
- 2 cups shredded, American cheddar cheese
- Fritos Corn Chips
Directions
- In a large, preferably American-made bowl, beat the cream cheese, beer and dressing mix until smooth.
- Stir in the American cheddar cheese.
- Serve with Fritos.
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