Jackson has been a judge since 2020
Jackson Dreyer
Bitter Jester Music Festival Judge
2013 Bitter Jester Grand Champion
Jackson Dreyer is an artist, songwriter, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist from Vernon Hills, IL, currently residing in Nashville, TN. Along with fellow judge John Williams, Jackson’s former Band, Van Buren & Wells, was the 2013 Bitter Jester Music Festival Grand Champion.
After attending Stevenson High School, he graduated from Belmont University where he studied Guitar, Music Business, and Songwriting in addition to being a three year member of The Beltones, an internationally ranked a cappella group.
Since graduating, Jackson has released sixteen records, seven of which made up a self-titled mini-album. The first single, "Can't Fake It," has garnered over 375,000 streams on Spotify alone and has gotten radio play in Nashville alongside his 2019 single, "Better Man."
In harmony with playing shows with his band and maintaining a busy songwriting schedule with other artists and writers, Jackson works closely with a non-profit, People Loving Nashville, a group dedicated to weekly community building, feeding, and clothing Nashville's homeless community. As his career grows, Jackson looks to find new ways to leverage his platform to serve the underprivileged and forgotten, no matter the city.
“The 4th of July Bitter Jester shows I got to play in were some of my favorite memories with my old band, Van Buren & Wells. But more than being a big stage with a fun crowd, it was a community - some of which are artists or musicians I still catch up with to this day.
Bitter Jester has done a lot of good for young musicians and I’m so excited to be on the judging side. Can’t wait to hear these songs!”