Before Jon was given his first guitar from his sister Mary at age 12, he had been passionately strumming a badminton racket with a plastic bread tab. (yes, a racket and a bread tab!)  He wasted no time putting that guitar to good use, and by age 17, had taught himself to play about 15-20 songs.  Opportunity knocked when the musician booked at Jon’s sister’s bar got injured and asked if Jon could fill in for him one Friday night.  From that point on, he was asked to play out more and more often, and teenager Jon Dawley had become a gigging musician.  Taking inspiration from such greats as Neil Young, Cat Stevens, James Taylor, Jim Croce, and Paul Rodgers, Jon honed his craft both instrumentally and as a vocalist, and he delved into songwriting of his own. 

 

Working full time as an electrician and raising a family didn’t always leave a lot of time to spend on music, but Jon continued to carve out whatever time he could find to continue writing, recording, and performing throughout Southeast Wisconsin and Illinois. Jon could be found playing anywhere from local bars, upscale restaurants, private parties…to festival stages and singer/songwriter events. His repertoire grew exponentially over the decades, with both personalized cover tunes, and originals that share his heart and his sense of humor with his listeners.