Jess Roden

Singer/guitarist Jess Roden was born in Kidderminster in England's West Midlands, and his first band was the <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Shakedown+Sounds%22">Shakedown Sounds</a>. In 1967, he joined <a href="spotify:artist:3zwlFBU0rKv2ds82k26xTa">the Alan Bown Set</a> as their new lead singer. Although their records never charted nationally, he did pick up a fandom in London (and belatedly became something of a star on the Northern Soul scene) with the release of their single "Emergency 999." He remained with the <a href="spotify:artist:3zwlFBU0rKv2ds82k26xTa">Bown</a> group through 1970, after which he formed the band <a href="spotify:artist:7miwy1SMVCVB1IXo7I5yhm">Bronco</a>, and later worked on Wildlife, the third <a href="spotify:artist:6ysQi6NI88X627t2srsWz6">Mott the Hoople</a> album, and with <a href="spotify:artist:3MZSosn49GqZGplFGbZovg">Keef Hartley</a> on the album Lancashire Hustler. In the mid-'70s, he teamed up with ex-<a href="spotify:artist:22WZ7M8sxp5THdruNY3gXt">Doors</a> <a href="spotify:artist:4QMFrj7Sa1DSzesv3Dwqcm">John Densmore</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:6sKdTMcmqO5te16RNTmp0Z">Robby Krieger</a> in the Butts Band, and sang on their first album. Roden finally emerged as a solo artist in his own right in the mid-'70s on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Island+Records%22">Island Records</a>, with his 1974 self-titled solo album, which was cut in New Orleans and included <a href="spotify:artist:63aP18bg2ABSOqSNQcAMNy">Allen Toussaint</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:4f9WzVkgm5FoJW8lGGmHkG">Art Neville</a> on keyboards. His albums throughout the '70s got great reviews but he never saw any significant sales; in between his own work, he managed to sing and play on albums by <a href="spotify:artist:4yjE2a0JY1cTIgqlixMMzF">Carol Grimes</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1XIbUq7y7kiMUhmp5dywGx">Jim Capaldi</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:4PQtFdguSmlMb31LGJHBKm">Stomu Yamashta</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1kYd37riIExqdm9g0juqGJ">Sandy Denny</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:2f9ZiYA2ic1r1voObUimdd">Grace Jones</a>. He was with the group Rivits on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Island%22">Island</a> for one album at the outset of the '80s. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi