Education
Hughes graduated from the Greenville Technical College with a degree in journalism and worked as the manager of a video depot in Palm Desert for several years.
Hughes graduated from the Greenville Technical College with a degree in journalism and worked as the manager of a video depot in Palm Desert for several years.
He is best known as the frontman of the California-based rock band Eagles of Death Metal, with whom he has recorded four studio albums. At age 7, Hughes" mother, Jo Ellen, moved him to Palm Desert, California. They became good friends after Homme stopped a bully from picking on Hughes.
Eagles of Death Metal
Hughes and Homme formed Eagles of Death Metal in 1998.
Hughes credits Homme with saving his life, claiming that during the recording of the second Eagles of Death Metal album Death By Sexy, he fell into serious drug addiction and that Homme not only drove him to rehabilitation, but paid for it as well. = Le Bataclan attack On November 13, 2015, the Bataclan theatre in Paris was attacked by terrorists while Eagles of Death Metal were performing.
Hughes escaped via the backstage, and the rest of the band survived as well. The terrorist attacks killed 90 fans at the theatre, and 130 people overall.
Other projects
Hughes is one of the characters in the book Sex Tips from Rock Stars by Paul Miles published by Omnibus Press in July 2010.
In September 2011, Hughes released his first solo album under the nickname Boots Electric. The album, Honkey Kong, was released on Dangerbird Records. He played his first show in Columbus, Ohio, on August 12, 2011, at the Civil Defense 101 Summerfest Eve.
In 2015, Hughes appeared in the Björn Tagemose-directed silent film Gutterdämmerung, starring Iggy People’s, Grace Jones, Lemmy and Henry Rollins.
In a 2007 interview, bandmate Josh Homme stated "Jesse Hughes and I have a theory. We’re socially liberal but government conservative guys".
Hughes has also said "I wanted to be a Republican politician, for God sakes. I’m a conservative, dude".
Hughes uses many different nicknames, including "J. Devil" (or simply "The Devil") as well as "Boots Electric" ("Boots" for short) and "Fabulous Weapon" (both of which were band names used by Hughes" father).
In an interview Hughes revealed that his band mate Josh Homme gave him "The Devil" nickname when he was thirteen. "I used to get picked on a lot by Karl Doyle" says Hughes, "And when I would get picked on severely, or if it really made a point to me, I would get vengeance, but I would get vengeance in the way that I could, which was mostly clever and all consuming. Joshua once witnessed me in the moment I was about to enact vengeance upon someone, and he just said, "You"re the fucking devil dude," and it stuck."
Hughes is currently endorsed by Maton guitars and Orange amplifiers.
Guitars
Maton MS500 Electric
Maton BB1200 Electric
Maton EAJ85 Jumbo Acoustic
Yamaha AES1500
Custom Gretsch Duo Jet with orange finish and black rooster knob in place of master volume knob
Effects
Ernie Ball Wah Pedal
Boss Doctor of Divinity-6 Delay
TC Electronic Nova Drive Overdrive/Distortion
Boss Technology Union-2 Tuner
EHX Mini Q Tron
EHX Deluxe Memory Manitoba Classic Chassis
MOOG MF-102 Moogerfooger Ring Modulator
MXR Phase 100
Boss BF-3 Flanger
Ibanez TS808 Tube Screamer
Vox V8474 Wah
Custom Los Angeles Sound Design Pedalboard
Amplifiers
Orange Rockerverb 50w combo
Orange 4x12 Cabinet
Laney Amplifer.