Born August 18, 1930, in Seminole, Oklahoma, Jesse Pearson was a talented singer and comedian who broke into the film industry in 1963. Initially, his success was short-lived, as he recorded two singles on Decca Records that failed to gain significant airplay.
Undeterred, Pearson joined the national company of the stage musical "Bye Bye Birdie," taking on the role of Conrad Birdie, a fictional American rock idol drafted by the Army, echoing the story of Elvis Presley. After a year touring the United States, producer Fred Kohlmar was impressed with Pearson's performance and invited him to reprise the role in the 1963 film adaptation.
Following the film's release, Pearson appeared in another comedy western, "Advance to the Rear" (1964),but his subsequent film offers were scarce. He turned to television, appearing in popular shows such as "The Great Adventure," "McHale's Navy," "The Beverly Hillbillies," "Death Valley Days," "The Andy Griffith Show," and "Bonanza."
Between acting jobs, Pearson worked as composer Rod McKuen's assistant. When McKuen was casting a voice for his album "The Sea" (1967),he felt Pearson's presence and intimate vocal quality were perfect for the project, and it became the first in a string of albums narrated by Pearson. Pearson won a Gold Record for "The Sea" and went on to record three more albums for McKuen, including "Home to the Sea" (1968) and two recordings based on poems by Walt Whitman, "The Body Electric" and "The Body Electric-2," released in the early 1970s.
As Jess Pearson, he also narrated tribute albums to songwriter-singer Woody Guthrie and Bolivian composer Jaime Mendoza-Nava, as well as religious LPs, all released in 1976. Additionally, Pearson recorded the unreleased album "The Glory of Love" for RCA Victor.
Pearson returned to motion pictures in 1978, narrating the Viking saga "The Norseman" starring Lee Majors and Cornel Wilde. He also wrote and directed the adult film "The Legend of Lady Blue" (1978) and wrote "Pro-Ball Cheerleader" (1979),under the name A. Fabritzi.
However, Pearson's career was cut short due to a cancer diagnosis. He moved to Monroe, Louisiana, to be close to his mother and partner, and sadly passed away on December 5, 1979.
