My vocal/instrumental Diary @ cities of sound
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EastCoast AUS

Jesse Younan 21.05.73 - 22.07.08

On Tuesday afternoon 22nd July, 2008 singer songwriter Jesse Younan died in hospital in Sydney with his family at his side. He was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukeamia in February 2008 and had been receiving treatment in hospital, during which time he displayed an incredible will to live.

Jesse was laid to rest at Rookwood Cemetery, Sydney on 25th July 2008.


A self-taught musician, Jesse Younan started playing the guitar when he was six years old. His early memories of playing the guitar involved recording music off the radio and then playing along with his favourite bands. As he learnt to play by improvising, it was a natural progression to start writing his own songs. His playing has been compared to guitarists such as Bert Jansch, Davey Graham and John Martyn. However, Jesse Younan’s sound is unique - a gorgeous fusion of folk, blues and the music he heard as a young boy. 

Likewise, Jesse is more likely to cite John Denver or Prince as influences rather than artists such as Nick Drake, Devendra Banhart and Elliot Smith to whom he has been compared. 

A gifted lyricist, his heartbreaking songs of love and struggle are carried by a distinctive, deep voice full of emotion. Listening to A Good Day for a Migraine, his 4th release, you get the sense that Jesse lives it as he sings it – a nomadic existence on the fringes, his experiences channelled through guitar and voice – or perhaps that is just the finesse of his art..




van Gogh sold one painting in his lifetime

Aaron Pollock (Aus) is following