The Jethro Jeremiah Band

Jethro Jeremiah

Vocals & Guitar

Jethro was born in Mendocino, California at a convention for midwives. As a young boy he moved to Maryland and spent several years enjoying life on The Farm in Tennessee - one of the country's oldest and most successful communes.

He grew up in a family that loved to sing, and began performing in plays and musicals in high school. He moved to San Francisco around the age of twenty and started writing songs.

Jethro's distinctive music often has a reggae feel, while his voice is that of a soul singer. His songs come from the heart and his lyrics have more than a passing acquaintance with the street, which is where Jethro first really began to sing.

He started out playing his songs in Haight Ashbury. For several years he was a regular attraction on Haight Street. It was as if he felt compelled to share his beautiful voice and his song-writing talents. In fact, before he took up guitar, you'd find Jethro out on the street singing and shaking one of those "percussion" eggs.

While it's not easy to get noticed on Haight Street, people have ears and things began to happen.

One passerby had connections in the local music business. This chance encounter resulted in an invitation to play the lounge at The Fillmore. Another meeting on the street, this time with an English film crew, led to Jethro's mucic being featured on a uk tv-special about the Burning Man festival.

Around the same time, Jethro formed a band and landed a weekly gig at Storyville, playing every Thursday in the spacious backroom of what had once been a jazz club. This gig turned into a six month 'residency' that is still remembered by 'fans from the early days'.

Storyville helped Jethro build an ever-growing following of loyal fans. This fanbase nominated the band for an SF Weekly 'Whammy Award', and continued support resulted in appearances at festivals and clubs throughout California.

"My sound just comes to me naturally, and I'm sure my influences such as Bob Marley, Motown, R&B and Tracy Chapman show through."

In 2002 Jethro's song Hotchkiss Street won the online Make A Star contest, while his voice gained him the honour of opening a summer show for Ray Charles. Jethro has showcased at Great American Music Hall and he and his band have delivered impressive performances at festivals throughout California and beyond.

While Jethro's writing is evolving over time, his music still finds inspiration in reggae. Jethro's musical stance is comparable to contemporary bands who pick and mix from different kinds of rock music. Jamaican music has different styles, periods and influences. So in addition to the island rhythms of ska and rocksteady, you'll find Jethro's songs are also informed by R&B, gospel and, of course, soul music.

Jethro's band is fully capable of expressing and embellishing his music. Top drummer Lou Neuburger and Kim Hart-Poindexter on bass form the crucial backbone of the music. Ryan Tatarian adds flavour on the keys, and contributes stellar backing vocals behind Jethro. Steve Munger adds rhythmic punch and melody on tenor and soprano saxophones.