The history of Jesse's Vineyard begins in 1992 in a small town of Riverview, Florida. Who would have thought that five guys who took over a shed behind a church in that small town would eventually make their way to Nashville and have their music make the largest impact on popular music the world has ever seen.

Well, not really. But if you really want to know the true story of JV, stay tuned, more coming!

OASIS

1992 - 1995

  • September 1992

    Formation

    Mike Powell (drums), Shane Akers (guitars), DeWayne Collins (keyboards), Gerald Alderman (lead vocals, guitars) and Bobby Marko (bass) hold their first rehearsal together. All men are graduates of East Bay High School and grew up in their town of Riverview, Florida.

  • October 1992

    First Show

    The band, who had just settled on the name Oasis, play their first public show after several weeks of rehearsing in a residential civic area called Summerfield near their hometown of Riverview.

  • February 1993

    First EP

    In February of 1993 the group enters into a Clearwater studio called Hurricane Pass and for a full weekend to record their first EP, self-titled. Tracks contained Love Falling, He Holds Tomorrow, Draw The Line, and Love Is The Reason.

  • Summer 1994

    Radio Airplay

    In the Summer of 1994 Oasis was one of the few bands to receive radio airplay as an unsigned artist on Life91 out of Lakeland, Florida.  At the time Life91 was one of the largest Christian radio stations in the country.

Oasis to Jesse's Vineyard

Oasis EP 1993

Tracks: In the Fields, Love Falling, Waiting For Love

Aslan

1995 - 1997

  • March 1995

    Name Change

    After seeing the British band Oasis performing live on television the group knew it needed to change the band name. Being influenced by the literary works of C.S. Lewis, the group settled on Aslan as the new band name.

  • May 1995

    One Desire EP

    The band released their new 6 song EP titled One Desire. It was recorded and produced by Mike Conway at Conway Studios in Tampa, Florida. It featured the tracks Follow Me, a remix of Love Falling, Little Part of Me, He Holds Tomorrow, Don't Throw It All Away, and One Desire.

  • Fall 1995

    Opening for Major Acts

    The fall of 1995 was busy for the band. They were playing show all over the state and opening for such acts as The Waiting and Jars of Clay.

  • Spring 1996

    First Full Length Album: Candle

    In the early Spring of 1996 the band released their first full-length album titled Candle. This was the second project where the band teamed up with producer and engineer Mike Conway.

  • Summer 1996

    GMA Southest Win

    In the Summer of 1996 the band entered and won Best Performance Group for the GMA Southeast Regional competition and earned a spot to perform with the other finalists in Nashville, Tennessee that Fall. This prompted the band to start looking at a possible move to Music City.

  • Summer 1996

    'Best of Me' Single

    After the release of Candle, Life91 in Lakeland decided to use the track 'Best of Me' as a single and began radio airplay. The trach stayed on rotation for several months and even made their top 10 lists for three weeks in a row.

  • May 1997

    Final Show, New Line-up, New Name

    The band was relocating to Nashville, Tennessee but held a farewell concert as Florida residents and to give thanks to all who supported them. They would also announce the departure of Shane Akers and a new band name, Jesse's Vineyard.

Aslan One Desire EP Cover

Aslan EP 'One Desire' 1995

Tracks: Follow Me, Love Fallin (remix), Little Part of Me, He Holds Tomorrow, Don't Throw It All Away, One Desire

Aslan Candle Album Cover

Aslan - Candle 1996

Tracks: It's Not Enough, Cry, Candle, On and On, Best of Me, Shadow, Closer, Lay Me Down, Come Home, The Letter

Jesse's Vineyard

1997 - 2000