Jesse Larson rose to fame via his appearance on the 12th season of The Voice, where he reached the finals on the strength of his blues-rock growl. A native of Minneapolis, Minnesota,
Larson was raised on classic blues and rock, learning how to play guitar and sing at an early age. He regularly gigged in Minneapolis, usually with his eight-piece band MPLS, but in 2016 he received a big break at the age of 33 when
Prince hired
Larson to play guitar in the touring band for his protégé
Judith Hill. The gig ended when
Prince died unexpectedly on April 21, 2016. In the wake of this tragic news,
Larson decided to audition for The Voice and, under the tutelage of
Adam Levine, he went far on the show, ending the season in fourth place. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine