Jessy Dixon: the Legend

*Jessy Dixon passed away Monday, September 26, 2011, at his Chicago, IL, home. This a biographical tribute to one of Christian’s music fervent soldiers.

Spiritual music has embraced the thoughts of secular artists for several decades. One Traditional Gospel artist, Jessy Dixon, became known for mixing various music styles to create a feeling difficult to master.  Jessy’s exposure to music began at five years of age. Later he would meet the Traditional Gospel favorite, Rev. James Cleveland (author of Long as I Got King Jesus), who understood Jessy’s desire to share the Gospel in a different format. Cleveland became a mentor for Dixon, to help grow the potential seen in Jessy Dixon. During this time, Mr. Dixon would go on to write songs including God Can Do Anything but Fail and My God Can Make a Way. Upon Cleveland’s persuasion, Dixon started his own group, helping bring a unique dose of energy and voltage of electricity to the platform.

Much of the talented singer’s early success occurred in the 1960s and 1970s with his own group, the Jessy Dixon Singers. The group’s formation played a crucial role in the development of the attention Traditional Gospel music was to receive. However, the peak of Dixon’s success would occur after the talented group performed at the Newport Jazz Festival. At first, Dixon wasn’t uncertain of the concert’s ability to completely broaden their spectrum of influence. However, the Jessy Dixon Singers’ performance of The Wicked Shall Cease Their Troubling received rave response. Jessy and the group’s performance would go on to catch the attention of several mainstream secular and crossover artists including Paul Simon, Earth Wind and Fire, and Amy Grant. Dixon performed as an opening act for Simon, a feat that he viewed as “expanding the Gospel.”

After the glamour and bright lights of Pop Music, Dixon transferred his talents to church music. He began to lead choirs and smaller choral groups in a mixture of standards and his own compositions. Jessy Dixon’s songwriting catalog includes I Love to Praise His Name and Sit at His Feet and Be Blessed.By working in the church, he was able to establish stronger connections which made his music more accessible through church events and concerts. In 1993, Jessy Dixon wrote a Traditional Gospel favorite, I Am Redeemed, which charted for more than five years. Noted Southern Gospel soloist, TaRanda Greene, along with her husband, Tony, and third vocalist, Jeff Snyder, would later pick up the song in 2008 and receive instant success.

In spite of his efforts to bridge the gap between Pop and Traditional Gospel music genres, Jessy Dixon had not yet conquered bridging Traditional Gospel with Southern Gospel. Enter Bill Gaither. With Gaither’s highly successful Homecoming series, Jessy Dixon’s talents were exposed in massive quantities over 13-15 years. On the Homecoming series, Dixon was known for bringing high energy to the platform with each performance. His highly energetic renditions of Highway to Heaven; Get Away, Jordan; and I’m Richare all examples of authentic Traditional Gospel singing and performance. Jessy Dixon passed away Monday, September 26, 2011, at his Chicago home.

Jessy Dixon lived a life embracing music with all genres at all times. His fingerprints on various music styles may not be overtly present in today’s music. However, his work blending differing music styles has benefited several music genres, Pop; Traditional Gospel; and Southern Gospel. Through his life, he offered church members a different approach to worship that continues in today’s church music. In his lyrics, a listener can find assurance of salvation (I Am Redeemed) or a proclamation for spending time with God (Sanctuary). Through either the singing or the songwriting, Mr. Dixon’s purpose became evident. His purpose, that the message of the Gospel defines the Christian – and not the ethnic background or material possessions or social rank, has shaped his music style to be what it is today, full of class and dignity.

And all of this began when he was 5 years of age.