Jessy Dixon born (March 12, 1938 in San Antonio, Texas) is an American gospel singer, songwriter, and pianist, with success among audiences across racial lines. He has three Gold albums and seven Grammy nominations.
Born in San Antonio, Texas, Jessy sang and played his first song at the age of five. As a youngster he moved to Chicago, Illinois, where he was heard and discovered by James Cleveland, who was one of the first artists to sing and record Jessy Dixon's compositions, "God Can Do Anything But Fail," and "My God Can Make A Way."
The organizers of the Newport Jazz Festival invited him to perform his new song, "The Wicked Shall Cease Their Troubling," at New York's Radio City Music Hall in 1972. After the performance, Jessy and The Jessy Dixon Singers were requested to do four encores. Paul Simon, of Simon and Garfunkel, was in the audience and invited Jessy to share the stage with him as lead vocalist on TV's Saturday Night Live. Not only did they share that performance, Jessy soon found himself touring with Simon across the United States, France, Europe, Canada, Scandinavia, Israel, and Japan. Jessy's affiliation with Paul Simon lasted for eight years, during which time he recorded two albums, Live Rhymin (1974) and Still Crazy After All These Years (1975), both of which sold a million copies.
Paul Simon says of his eight-year singing comrade: "Jessy has a rare and joyous musical gift. I have loved gospel music and during the years I have been associated with Jessy my appreciation of the gospel has grown."
Songwriter and producer, Andrae Crouch also recognized the magnitude of Jessy's talent, and produced Jessy Dixon's classic recording, "It's All Right Now."
Many of Jessy's award-winning compositions have been sung and recorded by such artists as Amy Grant, Sandi Patty, Cher, Natalie Cole, Diana Ross, Danniebelle, Point Of Grace, Walter Hawkins, Randy Crawford, The Thompson Community Singers, James Cleveland, among others.
In 1993, Jessy Dixon composed "I Am Redeemed." It remained in the top ten gospel music charts for an unprecedented five years.
The years Jessy has spent writing, singing, and producing have enabled him to realize the abiding dream of demolishing the walls dividing cultural musical styles. A few years ago, Jessy found two allies who shared his dream. Bill and Gloria Gaither invited him to sing at a Homecoming video taping and provided him yet another opportunity to see his dream become a reality. "Christian music isn't just one style," says Bill Gaither, "It's a theology wrapped up in a lot of different styles..." Jessy has played an important role in the unifying quality of the Homecoming video series.
Jessy is now a favorite on the series, and has traveled all over the United States and abroad surprising gospel audiences with his stirring performances of "It's A Highway To Heaven," "Operator," "Leaving On My Mind," "Blood Bought Church," "The Wicked Shall Cease Their Troubling," "Lord Prepare Me To Be A Sanctuary," and "I Am Redeemed."
In addition to his current involvement with the Homecoming videos and concerts, his own concert schedule includes concerts both in America and abroad. He tours Europe four to six months each year, and performs the hit Broadway show, "Black Nativity" with The Jessy Dixon Theater Group. Jessy is also an ordained minister with Calvary Ministries International of Fort Wayne, Indiana.
The words printed in the International Herald Tribune summarize the Jessy Dixon experience: "No where else in the world will you find such a delightful, pure, and honest performance, ingeniously combining brilliant vocalizing and high energy excitement, as when you listen to Jessy Dixon. When your feet begin to tap with the beat, the desire to get up and dance becomes overwhelming, and maybe a tear comes to your eyes; that is when Jessy Dixon's performance has reached its pinnacle." [edit] Other quotes about Dixon
"There's an element in Jessy's music that can't be mistaken. That element is love, and wow do I feel it." - Diana Ross
"I've heard Jessy Dixon sing many times and in all of gospel music, Jessy Dixon is my favorite. Jessy Dixon has the gospel soul." - Bette Midler
"I have traveled with Jessy Dixon for the past several years and never have I been with an artists with more heart. He is the real thing." - Bill Gaither
"Jessy's music is just like him, beautiful." - Natalie Cole
Musicians that he has worked with include Paul Simon, Andrae Crouch, DeGarmo & Key and most recently Bill Gaither in the Homecoming series of concerts. He has written songs for Amy Grant, Natalie Cole, Cher, and Diana Ross.
