That West Texas dirt gets in your blood and makes you play the blues. – Jake Vernon

Jake Vernon is a traveling singer, song-writer, and guitarist hailing from Amarillo, TX. He is currently traveling around California, playing solo acoustic and electric guitar shows. Jake’s unique style is characterized by his time spent playing rock ’n’ roll in Austin, Texas, his hometown of Amarillo, Texas, and Tulsa, Oklahoma, along with his days jamming with deadheads and blues musicians in Santa Cruz, California. His influences include artists such as Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Bob Dylan, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Tony Joe White. Jake’s ultimate goal is to make people happy by keeping the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll alive in a world of synthesized music.

Jake swears that his first memory was hearing Tom Petty’s Breakdown on an 8-track at his dad’s warehouse in Amarillo, Texas at age 4. At age 18, Jake saw Tom play at Red Rocks and he bought a Fender Stratocaster the next week. Jake began studying classical guitar, while running cross country at Texas Tech University. He moved to Austin in 2006, where he started playing solo gigs at parties and small clubs. After graduating from University of Texas in 2010 with a Biology degree, Jake moved to Oklahoma to work on a ranch and play juke joints in Tulsa, OK following in the footsteps of his heroes Leon Russell and J.J. Cale. Surrounded by rodeos and cattle culture, Jake was able to craft his own style of Texas country blues meets southeastern Oklahoma rock ‘n’ roll.

Jake moved back home to Amarillo after his rig burned down, and he became a founding member of the bands, Comanche Moon and The Flame Band at St. Paul Methodist church. A few years passed, and the urge to hit the road again lead Jake to load up his guitars and amplifiers in a 1970 Airstream and head for the Pacific coast. Jake landed in Santa Cruz, California where he collaborated with local musicians and began playing in bars and clubs from L.A. to San Francisco. He also worked at Rockin’ Kidz music school teaching guitar, ukulele, bass, drums, piano, and voice to kids in the Silicon Valley for three years. Genres of music he has taught include pop, rock, blues, country, bluegrass, standards, gospel, and surf.

Jake’s passion for making music and sharing it with others is contagious. That’s why Jake and his new wife, Liz, have decided to go out on the road again to share in their combined loves of the outdoors, making music, and experiencing new places. Join them for a night of rock ‘n’ roll on their never-ending tour!