Jez is an English folk singer-songwriter, born and raised in County Durham, in a coal mining family with Irish roots. He is known primarily for his compositions dealing with daily life in North-East England, particularly in his hometown of Easington Colliery. 

In 2006 Jez contributed to the BBC Radio 2 'Radio Ballads' documentary series ,  a homage to the original series of the same title pioneered by Ewan MacColl and Charles Parker in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Jez was commissioned to write 22 new songs for the documentary-folk series, which were not all performed by himself but featured guest vocals from the likes of Barry Coope, Bob Fox and many more. The series went on to win two Sony Radio Academy Awards.