Jesse James

Born in El Dorado, AR, in 1943 as James McClelland, deep soul singer Jesse James relocated to the Bay Area during childhood. He began performing in nightclubs in the early 1960s, where an MC who struggled with his birth name gave him the stage moniker he would use. Several singles appeared on local imprints Shirley and Hit, including tracks that featured guitar from Sly Stone, before a move to 20th Century brought wider attention. The 1967 release “Believe in Me Baby, Pt. 1” registered modest pop and R&B chart entries, with his self-titled debut LP arriving the following year. On the ZEA label, 1970’s “Don’t Nobody Want to Get Married, Pt. 2” climbed into the R&B Top 20 and remained his strongest commercial showing; further sessions continued through the 1970s and 1980s on T.T.E.D. and Gunsmoke. The latter imprint issued the albums I Can Do Bad by Myself in 1988 and Operator Please Put Me Through in 1993.