JessConrad was born
Gerald James on 24 February 1936 in London (some sources say 1940 but this is incorrect).
He left school at 15 for a job with a steel merchant in Kingston, Surrey.
He got his nickname 'Jesse' long before his show business career. After catching
the show-biz bug as a film extra he adjusted his name to 'Jess'.
In 1959 Jess' strikingly good looks made him a natural choice for the
starring role of Barney in a play called: 'Rock-A-Bye Barney',
which was about a rock and roll performer.
'Cherry Pie' was his first record after being spotted by Jack Good.
Voted 'England's most popular singer' in the 1961 New Musical Express poll, Jess
played the London Palladium, Wembley Pool and Concert Tours throughout the world
with fellow rock stars of the era including: Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent,
Brenda Lee, Billy Fury, Marty Wilde & Johnny Kidd.
In the early 70's he made the transition from pop singer to musical star,
playing Jesus in 'Godspell', for which he earned rave reviews and in 'Joseph &
The Technicolor Dreamcoat' creating the part of Joseph in the Bill Kenwright
production, which played two seasons in the West End of London and broke box
office records in Blackpool during the summer of 1982.
