Raised in a rural mountain town on California’s Central Coast, Jesse first explored his innate passion for music playing drums in local punk bands. After his family experienced financial hardship and emotional turmoil, Daniel turned to alcohol and drugs at an early age and eventually became addicted to heroin and methamphetamine. A fixture at the county jail, Daniel found himself homeless much of the time, spending days with other people caught up in the same cycle he was in – many of whom Daniel would end up writing about in his songs. When he met Lyford, with her help, he began the journey of leaving his past behind. Sober since 2017, Daniel immersed himself in the pure joy of writing country songs, fully embracing the unbridled vitality of California country and bringing a lived-in honesty to his lyrical storytelling. 

Since releasing his 2018 self-titled debut on his own Die True Records, he’s earned great esteem as a country music traditionalist and built a wildly devoted international following – thanks in no small part to his freewheeling live show and tendency to tour nearly 200 days a year. His second LP, 2020’s Rollin’ On, received critical acclaim from Rolling Stone, The Bluegrass Situation and Saving Country Music, who lauded Daniel as “the future of country music.”