Jesse Welles Makes Late Night Television Debut Performing “Horses” On Jimmy Kimmel Live
Jesse Welles made his Jimmy Kimmel Live debut with a performance of "Horses" from his acclaimed album Middle—watch now and explore his latest music, including Under The Powerlines and his sold-out tour.
Story by:
Editorial Dept.
Jesse Welles, the prolific poet of the woods, made his late-night television debut last night, performing his song “Horses” on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Watch his performance here.
“Horses” is the lead single on his acclaimed third studio solo album Middle (full track listing below). The album, produced by Eddie Spear (Sierra Ferrell, Zach Bryan), continues the songwriter’s singular unbridled creativity and gift for writing songs that speak truth to power with a plain-spoken and clear-eyed delivery. Rolling Stone calls his writing “wickedly sharp” and he has earned comparisons to his heroes, Dylan, Prine, and Guthrie. Middle is available on all formats here.
Welles also recently released Under The Powerlines (April 24 – September 24), a 63-song collection of recent field and live recordings that initially appeared on social media platforms, including live versions of his songs “War Isn’t Murder,” “Fentanyl,” and Walmart”. The album also includes covers of songs by Welles’s heroes including John Prine’s “Angel from Montgomery,” Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door,” and The Rolling Stones’ “Wild Horses”. Under The Powerlines (April 24 – September 24) is available on streaming platforms here.
Jesse Welles was profiled by The New York Times, who say of his music, “his dexterous writing and the tough, bare-bones arrangements can’t help but recall many of those classic rockers he grew up listening to — Dylan, Petty, Neil Young.” Read the full feature here.
Welles is currently on his 25-date “Fear Is The Mind Killer” North American tour with performances in cities including New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Nashville, Chicago and more. Tickets for all shows (full dates below) are sold out but fans can sign up for waitlists here.
Welles has recently gone viral by performing stripped-down, acoustic songs often played to a smartphone camera in the Arkansas wilderness where he was raised and currently resides. Tracks like “War Isn’t Murder,” “United Health,” which the New Yorker says “takes John Prine’s craggy empathy and adds a tincture of Brian Jones’s sinister charisma,” and “Walmart” have earned him tens of millions of streams, over 2 million followers on social media, and a groundswell of acclaim. While Welles may have just come to the attention of many due to his videos’ popularity across social media, he has been writing and performing since 12-years-old, when he finally scrounged up enough money for a $56 first act guitar from Walmart. Bringing the guitar everywhere, he played along to the radio and gleaned wisdom from local old-timers. He fed his obsession by checking CDs out of his hometowns public library and burning them to the family computer, embracing classics from Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, and Woody Guthrie.
Over the past ten years, he launched his eponymous band Welles, releasing music and touring incessantly. He logged 280 shows in a year, canvasing North America and Europe alongside the likes of Royal Blood, Highly Suspect, Greta Van Fleet, and Dead Sara. Dropped from his old label mid-pandemic, he quit a job at a vegan meat manufacturer and returned to Arkansas. In February 2024, life changed again when dad suffered a heart attack. Sitting in his father’s hospital room with a Woody Guthrie biography on his lap, Jesse realized what he needed to do. “I was like, ‘I’m going to sing the news’,” he recalls. “There was a lot of war going on. That was bugging me—on top of my personal life. I’d done my best to give up music, but I couldn’t. I decided to do this on my own.”
Welles’ new song and album continue the tradition of modern-day troubadours and jesters. “I’m writing like crazy to survive,” he says. “As humans, I believe we’re made to create art. So, I’m going to keep making music and releasing it constantly.”
Jesse Welles- Middle Track Listing
- Horses
- Certain
- I’m Sorry
- Fear Is The Mind Killer
- Wheel
- Anything But Me
- Every Grain of Sand
- Simple Gifts
- Why Don’t You Love Me
- Rocket Man
- War Is a God
- Middle
Jesse Welles Fear is the Mind Killer Tour
Mar 29, 2025 // The Chapel // San Francisco, CA SOLD OUT
Apr 1, 2025 // Mississippi Studios // Portland, OR SOLD OUT
Apr 2, 2025 // Neumos // Seattle, WA SOLD OUT
Apr 4, 2025 // Bluebird Theater // Denver, CO SOLD OUT
Apr 5, 2025 // Armory FoCo // Fort Collins, CO SOLD OUT
Apr 6, 2025 // Fox Theatre // Boulder, CO SOLD OUT
Apr 9, 2025 // The Kessler Theater // Dallas, TX SOLD OUT
Apr 10, 2025 // Antone’s Nightclub // Austin, TX SOLD OUT
May 16, 2025 – May 17, 2025 // FreshGrass // Bentonville, AR SOLD OUT
https://www.wellesmusic.com/
https://www.instagram.com/wellesmusic
https://www.facebook.com/wellesmusic/
https://www.tiktok.com/@jessewelles
Locs you Man