Everett’s music evokes the complex, vividly emotional and often over-heated works of Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Ray Charles, Jim Morrison and Marvin Gaye, among others, precisely because it so plainly springs from the same sources of inspiration, contradiction and risk.

Indiana-born and Texas-raised Everett’s upbringing in the evangelical church, and his far-flung travels are apparent in his songs: “The church is where I learned about music, played bass and did my first real public singing, and where the girls thought I was really cool. I’ve always been attracted to emotionally and spiritually mature themes – philosophically and musically. I was a father at 23, I’ve been in every grunt job in the world; I’ve been a preacher, a traveling musician, truck driver. I had adult responsibilities early in life, so I wasn’t attracted to ‘let’s party’ music.”

He continues, explaining the many influences on his versatile, powerful voice: “I love the way Willie Nelson never sings on the beat. And Ray Charles can do something with a note, just one: there’s so much pain and love and sexuality. I took something from everyone I liked.” As a songwriter, too, Everett’s work displays the same supreme grasp of his sources: “I love Willie and Waylon; late-model Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Roger Miller, for their directness of lyric, and the common-day things and people in their songs. Also, the cinematic side of rock — Peter Gabriel, Led Zeppelin, the urgency and hero-waving-a-flag quality of Clash and U2. In soul music, sexuality and spiritual redemption aren’t opposites on the coin, but actually the same. I aspire to get all those things in one song: Intelligence, some power and energy, and a spiritual, sexual quality.”

‘Bad Things’ – a track from his debut album, was chosen to be used as the theme song for the HBO TV series True Blood. The track won a 2009 Broadcast Music Incorporated award in the cable television category and was nominated for a 2009 Scream award for Best Scream Song of the Year.

His latest album Red Revelations was released in June 2009. It is a work of rare accomplishment and abandon, brimming with barely-contained emotions and urges. The album unveils a bluesy backwoods smoker of Americana filled with rock ‘n roll, gritty white soul, an acoustic countrified air, his subtle but effective guitar and the kind of compositional talent you’d associate with someone far beyond his years.

Jace Everett will be performing live at Manchester Academy 3 on Friday 21st May.