As rock royalty, doing the dishes and housework isn’t what Jesse Wood takes to naturally.
But as he’s married to domestic goddess Fearne Cotton he’s learning, saying: “I’m getting better”.
Jesse, 45, Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie’s eldest child, whose band Reef will be in Glasgow tonight to play QMU, celebrates his eighth wedding anniversary with Fearne in July.
The couple have two children and he has two other kids.
Fearne, best known as a Radio 1 DJ and party girl, is now a supermum with cook and self-help books, homeware ranges and the Happy Place podcast.
Jesse said: “I’m getting better doing the dishes and housework. She’s one of the tidiest, cleanest people I’ve met. So the bar was very high and I have the chance to eat a lot of the food.
“She’s an amazing mother. She’s a wonderful human. I’m a lucky man.”
And while he conceded there were “ups and downs” over Covid and the various lockdowns, he found it amazing to have time at their London home with Fearne and their daughter Honey, six, and son Rex, nine.
While he was born in California to Ronnie’s first wife Krissy Findlay, Jesse has a London accent which doesn’t betray the fact he has Scottish blood.
His mum, who died in 2005 from an accidental overdose, has Scots roots.
He said: “If I was a footballer I’d definitely consider playing for Scotland.”
His eldest daughter, Lola, 16, whose mum is his first wife Tilly, can go one better – she was born in Edinburgh.
Jesse, who also shares a son, Arthur, 20, with Tilly, said: "I was up in Edinburgh at the time of Lola’s birth playing the Festival with Wills & The Willing and we were staying for about a month and my daughter Lola was born a little bit earlier than expected!
“I want to bring her up as she’s not spent much time there. It would be lovely to come up just the two of us.”
Jesse has many memories of Scotland. His mum dated Brian Robertson, 66, from East Renfrewshire, who was in Thin Lizzy and Motorhead in the 80s. Jesse said: “We popped up to Scotland quite a bit. I even went on tour with Motorhead when I was little, when I was around six or eight years old.
“In London during a rehearsal I even fell asleep in front of the speakers.
“They all stopped playing and said: ‘Has he fallen asleep?’ I don’t remember but my mum used to tell it.
“She and Lemmy are no longer with us, unfortunately.”
We reflect on Stones drummer Charlie Watts’ passing last year. Jesse said: “That was very sad.
“I didn’t see him all the time but when I did we loved each other.
“He was so dapper and if he came up to you and went, ‘Hey, I like what you’re wearing’ you’d be ‘Aw s***’.
“He was also interested in what I was doing, and drummers. He was a big loss.”
Jesse, who has also worked as a model including for Liam Gallagher’s Pretty Green label, has music in blood. He’s played in a number of bands, including sister Leah’s, joining 90s favourites Reef in 2014 when their guitarist Kenwyne House quit.
It mirrored his dad Ronnie’s move into the Stones in 1974. But Ronnie, 74, never gave his eldest child any advice on how to play it joining an established band.
“None whatsoever,” Jesse said. ”That’s advice in itself. He’s always been like that with me. I’ve been lucky enough to play with him with a version of the Faces and his own solo stuff and he’s taught me without having to teach me how to feel and read guitars.
“It’s not reading music, it’s watching people’s hands. He’s always quietly in the background, hopefully gathering more pride like I do with my kids.
“He’s been a massive influence and inspiration as you can imagine.”
Ronnie has six children including five-year-old twins with wife Sally. Jesse “didn’t grow up with him” and feels music was in his blood through Ronnie and his brothers Art and Ted.
Jesse said: “I always had musical genes and a calling to be in the music business. The guitar felt natural and my mum always had guitars around the house.
“Guitar playing was just in me really.”
Jesse has shared that journey with the offspring of other pop greats, Zak Starkey, Ringo’s son, who has drummed with Oasis and The Who, George Harrison’s son Dhani, James McCartney and Julian and Sean Lennon.
Jesse said: “They are all fellow musicians who have a similar situation. We do it because we love it, like our mums and dads.”
In the 90s Reef had a UK No1 album, Glow, which included anthem Place Your Hands. Jesse’s first album with them was 2018’s Revelation – the band’s first in 18 years.
The band, with founder members Gary Stringer on vocals and Jack Bessant on bass, release their next album, Shoot Me Your Ace, this month and it’s fantastic – especially the ballsy title track and the AC/DC-style Best of Me.
There’s a punch to the album thanks to producer Andy Taylor, Duran Duran and Power Station guitarist, who traded licks with Jesse in the studio.
Jesse said: “Andy is such a great guitarist and it was so good to have him on the album so we could weave which is what my dad and Keith are very good at in the Stones. Andy couldn’t make the tour but is ably replaced by Amy Newton.
“I feel so lucky to be on stage with the guys and to have ended up in one of my favourite bands
“It’s still a trip I’m really enjoying.”
● Reef play Glasgow QMU tonight. Their new album Shoot Me Your Ace is out on April 29.
