The European Union Band, aka E.U. Band, was formed by Jerome “MrJay” Désoteux” in 2014, but its name only came to light in 2017 when Darryl Worley performed at the International Country Music Festival of Santa Susanna. It was Darryl who coined the name because the band members, the musicians, all come from different parts of Europe, from Germany, France, Switzerland, the United Kingdom... and more. The band is now a major household name on the International Country scene, and regularly backs North American artists during their European tours. Darryl Worley, Buddy Jewell, Michael Peterson, Trent Willmon , Paul Overstreet, Carlton Moody, Danielle Peck, James Lann, Ray Scott... and many more, are just some of the Nashville artists that have come over to Europe to perform alongside the E.U Band. And that is just the beginning!!
MrJay is the leader of the European Union Band. Recognised as one of the most phenomenal country guitar player/singers in Europe, Mr. Jay has been on stage alongside legendary artists such as Darryl Worley, Buddy Jewell, Michael Peterson, Trent Willmon, Danielle Peck, James Lann... and many others. He has won 3 awards including Musician Of The Year and Best Male Singer in 2015, 2016 and 2018.
Jackson Mackay, born in Alsace, France, is a bass player and composer, graduating from Sacem as an arranger, and has been performing live with European and American artists since the 1980's. As a singer-songwriter, he has released seven albums, won awards for his music work and presented it in many countries around the World. Jackson writes music for soundtracks, cabaret and TV and regularly performs on the local scene with a music and poetry show.
Bastiaan Sluis is a drummer, on stage and in the studio, for French and international artists including Darryl Worley, Chris Thompson, Clyde Wright, Cookie Dingler, Christian Fougeron, Jyzzle… With a French Diplôme d'état, Bastiaan is a Graduate in Current Music and regularly conducts training courses on rhythm and its concepts for drummers, other musicians, schoolmasters etc. He is the author of the drum book for beginners « Pulse ! ».
©Photo Gilbert Fischer
Thierry “Rooster” Lecocq is a singer/ songwriter/ multi instrumentalist (guitar, fiddle, bass, mandolin..) who, not only plays Country, Rock, Bluegrass and Cajun, but also Celtic, Jazz and classical music... Thierry has played everywhere around the world and on many records. He has released a CD of his own songs called “Push”.
Emmanuel Boch is a Rock'n'Roll and Blues keyboard player who got into country music in the late 80's, playing with Lionel Wendling, a well known French Pedal Steel Guitar player. Since that time, Emmanuel has appeared on many European stages with Chuck Berry, Wanda Jackson, Katie Moffat, Narvel Felts, Buddy Jewell and Darryl Worley, to name but a few.
Dietmar Watchler is a professional musician who plays Pedal Steel, Lap Steel, Dobro and Resonator slide. He is one of the best pedal steel players in Germany and has 35 years experience performing in Europ, Asia and the USA. Having played in the most prestigious festivals, Dietmar is very much appreciated in the business and very popular. He is used to performing for American artists, at festivals, radios shows, on tour, and is a well known recording session musician in Europ.
Sarah Jory is widely recognized as one of the most talented female Pedal Steel Guitar players in the World and has won many awards in her long, 40 year career. Not only as a musician, but also as a singer. Sarah has performed alongside the biggest names in the business, including Albert Lee, Van Morrison, Darryl Worley and many more.
Didier Beaumont is a singer/ songwriter with many hits, including “Ouzo & Black” and “White Whisky”, who reached #1 on Amazon most downloaded singles. Didier is a multicultural artist, having been raised in the U.K. and spent a lot of time in Kentucky USA. He was awarded Best Male Singer of the year in 2018.
Born in Zurich (CH), Andrea started playing guitar at the age of eight years and fell for Country music from very early on. She is a music school graduate and has shared the stage with various American country artists in Europe and overseas. Andrea is currently the lead guitarist for Texan Country singer Austin Freeman and for the young Austrian band the Groovecake Factory. In addition to playing, Andrea also teaches guitar and music theory.
