Jes has sound that is His own that you are going to Like if not Love.
- Genre: Easy Listening: Mood Music
- Release Date: 2016
Jeffrey Ed Smith (better known as Jes) was born in Greensboro, North Carolina prematurely and at the age of 5 months, he went blind as a result of Retinopathy of Prematurity. Jes showed an early gift for music, first with the piano, and later with a host of instruments, including drums, trumpet and guitar. Around the age of 2 ½ years, Jes heard the theme song for “Jeopardy” on tv and got down from his chair and went to his piano keyboard and played the theme perfectly. Most of Jes’ ability to play music, he taught himself. When eager to encourage his musical talent and his love for playing music, Jes’s parents felt he would benefit teaching from someone who was creative and influential to promote his ability. It would also need to be someone who could teach a thirsty young child who was blind and only played the piano with his eight fingers. Jes only played using his eight fingers due to being so small; when standing in front of the piano, he had to reach up to play which only enabled him to play without using his thumbs. He developed his own style and only used his fingers to play all of the keys.
Around three, Jes was taken to a music teacher with a reputation of teaching highly gifted children. When she heard Jes and worked with him, she acclaimed him a ‘musical prodigy’. Although, Jes loved the challenge with the teacher, her insistence on pressing him to use his thumbs, he began to lose interest in playing the piano. So, his parents stopped the lessons and encouraged Jes to play the piano using his own creative style.
By the age of six, Jes was performing for churches, charity events and talent shows. He could play difficult arrangements from listening to music and using his electronic keyboard, he could mimic all genres of music. For example, he could play Alan Jackson’s song, “Chattahoochee” and with his keyboard, he played the song by creating each component and then mixing and synthesizing to incorporate the drums, guitars and all of parts of the song. Not only could Jes play another artists’ songs, he began writing and recording his own music.
As Jes progressed through school, he began playing music in the middle school bands and was encouraged to play the trumpet and then the drums. Although this was not his first choice of instruments, it did allow him to learn musical concepts and develop a deeper love for music and music theory. Jes played in the drum line/ percussion section of the Mt. Tabor High School marching band throughout high school. All the while, he played music at churches, dedicating his love for music as a God given talent.
After high school, Jes continued his education at Gardner-Webb University for one year. Due to the onset of seizures and a near death situation, Jes was unable to return to school for his sophomore year. He returned home and while undergoing medication trials for seizure control, Jes began to thrive with his music again. He continued composing and concentrating his talent toward his own unique style of music.
As an adult artist, Jes continues his music ministry as a volunteer to play his music with the music ministry at his church along with volunteering at the SECU Family House to play for hospice and other sick patients. “If you’ve made one person’s day just a little bit brighter, then you’ve impacted the whole world.”, Jes Smith on why he volunteers at the SECU Family House. Jes’s love for music has him playing for retirement homes in the community where he is allowed to play his music and impact the lives of others.
Jes has never given up on his dream, ambition or desire to pursue music as his career. He continues to play for weddings, funerals and is working on producing his first digital released music. His style is unique and fits into the genre of easy listening music and affects all who listens to him.
only a Mom can tell the store of child
we at micuqu records are happy that Jes is now working and sharping his gift of music to everyone.