Jesse Dayton isn't just an unsung hero of modern-day American music. He's a larger-than-life- storyteller who blurs the boundaries between genre and discipline, with a multi-decade career highlighting his work as a chart-topping songwriter, guitar hero, author, movie director, screenwriter, frontman, sideman, producer, and road warrior. Dayton redefines himself once again with The Hard Way Blues, a blues-based rock record produced by Grammy winner Shooter Jennings. Inspired by longtime influences like '70s-era Bob Dylan, Lightnin' Hopkins, and Mance Lipscomb, the album balances some of the sharpest songwriting of Dayton's career with loud guitar riffs and amplified attitude.