ABOUT JESS
Jess began teaching and performing hammered dulcimer at the Ozark Folk Center in Mountain View, Arkansas, in the 1980s, where, for seven years, he was the featured hammered dulcimer player on the annual Ozark Christmas Show. He is the 2013 Southern Regional Hammered Dulcimer Champion.
Since that time, he has performed on stages across the country, both as a soloist and with his band, the Bluegrass Appeal. Jess has recorded two CDs, From Dublin to the Delta and Christmas Seasoned Hammered Dulcimer, both of which are available for purchase.
Jess is the author of the bestselling book The Essential Hammered Dulcimer Basic Instruction Manual, now in its 9th printing. He has also produced numerous instruction videos for hammered dulcimer, many of which are available on DVD through this website. His videos consistently occupy many of the top spots of the top 20 YouTube search results for “hammered dulcimer instruction.”
When the COVID pandemic struck, dozens of Jess’s fellow musicians were out of work. At the suggestion of Russell Cook (owner of Master Works), Jess organized and started the QuaranTUNE dulcimer festivals, providing a venue for musicians to teach and perform online. The popularity of the festival persuaded Jess and partners Mark Alan Wade, Katie Moritz, Stephen Seifert, and Russell Cook to continue producing the festivals.
As of March 2026, QuaranTUNE has produced 18 festivals, 17 Christmas Concerts, and 3 St. Patrick’s Day concerts. These festivals and concerts have attracted thousands of people from around the world.
Jess is married to Janet Holiman Dickinson. They have four children and 12 grandchildren.
In his non-music life, Jess is a graduate of Mississippi State University and the University of Mississippi Law School. He was a practicing attorney for 21 years before his election to the Mississippi Supreme Court, where he served for 14 years. He was then appointed by Governor Phil Bryant as Mississippi’s Commissioner of Child Protection Services, where he served two and a half years. Jess also served as an adjunct Professor of Law for 12 years at Mississippi College School of Law.
