Genesis

Though he should have been called Thomas McElhone III, this mercurial Aries no hit wonder found himself nestled in the palms of strangers at birth, forever housing the name of a scavenger bird flying over the midwestern prairie.

Jay Michael Harden. His kin came from South Dakota, Land of the Buffalo, the Ogalala Sioux, King Corn and Llamas.

Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, land of ten thousand lakes, horse flies and blizzards. This displanted, uprooted and bloodless young nest stealer used to sit and listen to The Sun Sessions in Sioux Falls on Thanksgiving while his cousins planted the demon seed of funk in his ears with Parliament Mothership Connection. The Ames Public Library provided him with the Anthology of Folk Music by Harry Smith, so there was one big Gumbo Pots on Fiyo musical stew with just the right seasoning, jamming with high school buddies to Neil Young and Lightning Hopkins, dreaming of writing the great american novel in a song.

Although this Jaybird may never have been accused of eating a Robin's eggs and taking over the nest, Harden has managed to ruffle a few feathers in his quest for musical notoriety.

Check out www.myspace.com/hardenjay for the latest songs from Jay Harden and Greenville!!!