Instructor: Jesse Wells

Jesse Wells was born into a family of multi-generational oldtime fiddlers and bluegrass musicians. He fell in love at an early age with the sounds of his father’s fiddle and his mother’s guitar playing. At 5 years old, he learned his first tunes on his father’s mandolin. By high school he was learning the latest Nirvana and Metallica songs on the Stratocaster his parents reluctantly bought him. He went on to study music at Morehead State University where he would eventually be one of the founding staff
members of the Kentucky Center for Traditional Music (KCTM). Mr Wells has been the Music Archivist and an Instructor of Traditional Music at the
KCTM since 2001.

Professionally, Jesse has most recently been the utility string musician with Tyler Childers band, The Foodstamps. He’s also shared the stage with
artists such as Dirk Powell, Chris Stapleton, Ralph Stanley, The Clack Mountain String Band, Jim Lauderdale, Don Rigsby, The Carolina Chocolate Drops and many others.