Kate Jacobs
Encyclopedia
Kate Jacobs is an American
singer-songwriter
.
, and she moved to Austria
when she was eleven.
Her family was a singing one, if not formally musical. Her father sang old Tin Pan Alley
songs at home, and her mother sang Russian ballads and American standards. At church she sang songs of the civil rights era and the folk revival, and some songs such as "Up, Up and Away
". She was a fan of Fred Astaire
, and her disparate musical tastes included standards written by Cole Porter
, Irving Berlin
, and Johnny Mercer
, as well as country music by artists like Loretta Lynn
.
During the early 1980s Jacobs moved to New York City
. She continued to dance, but by 1987 she had started to write songs. In 1992 she recorded her first album, The Calm Comes After Bar/None Records
. She followed in 1995 with What About Regret.
In 1999 she released her third album, Hydrangea, to which guests Peter Holsapple
, Vicki Peterson
and Susan Cowsill
added their musical contributions, as did long-time cohorts Dave Schramm and James MacMillan. The key songs on the album are taken from her family's history. "Never Be Afraid" is based on a phrase of her Aunt Katia's in 1938 when the family was emigrating to the US; "A Snowy Street" is based on a journal entry of her doctor grandfather in post-revolutionary Russia; "Eddy Went To Spain" is about an uncle who fought in the Abraham Lincoln Brigade
for the republican side
in the Spanish Civil War
, and "Good Doctor" was based on a journal of Elena, a fourteen year old Tuberculosis
patient of her great grandfather's, who fell in love with her physician.
After Hydrangea, she became busy with her family life, and did not release another album for six years. In 2004 she released her fourth album, You Call That Dark. Seven years later, she released her fifth album Home Game.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
.
Biography
Jacobs wanted to become a ballet dancer. Her father was in the United States Foreign ServiceUnited States Foreign Service
The United States Foreign Service is a component of the United States federal government under the aegis of the United States Department of State. It consists of approximately 11,500 professionals carrying out the foreign policy of the United States and aiding U.S...
, and she moved to Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
when she was eleven.
Her family was a singing one, if not formally musical. Her father sang old Tin Pan Alley
Tin Pan Alley
Tin Pan Alley is the name given to the collection of New York City music publishers and songwriters who dominated the popular music of the United States in the late 19th century and early 20th century...
songs at home, and her mother sang Russian ballads and American standards. At church she sang songs of the civil rights era and the folk revival, and some songs such as "Up, Up and Away
Up, Up and Away (song)
"Up, Up and Away" is a 1967 song written by Jimmy Webb and recorded by The 5th Dimension, that became a major pop hit, reaching #7 on the U.S. Pop Singles chart and #18 in Canada...
". She was a fan of Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire was an American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer and actor. His stage and subsequent film career spanned a total of 76 years, during which he made 31 musical films. He was named the fifth Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute...
, and her disparate musical tastes included standards written by Cole Porter
Cole Porter
Cole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. Born to a wealthy family in Indiana, he defied the wishes of his domineering grandfather and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn towards musical theatre...
, Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin was an American composer and lyricist of Jewish heritage, widely considered one of the greatest songwriters in American history.His first hit song, "Alexander's Ragtime Band", became world famous...
, and Johnny Mercer
Johnny Mercer
John Herndon "Johnny" Mercer was an American lyricist, songwriter and singer. He is best known as a lyricist, but he also composed music. He was also a popular singer who recorded his own songs as well as those written by others...
, as well as country music by artists like Loretta Lynn
Loretta Lynn
Loretta Lynn is an American country music singer-songwriter, author and philanthropist. Born in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky to a coal miner father, Lynn married at 13 years old, was a mother soon after, and moved to Washington with her husband, Oliver Lynn. Their marriage was sometimes tumultuous; he...
.
During the early 1980s Jacobs moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. She continued to dance, but by 1987 she had started to write songs. In 1992 she recorded her first album, The Calm Comes After Bar/None Records
Bar/None Records
Bar/None Records is an independent record label based in Hoboken, New Jersey.-Early history:Tom Prendergast started Bar/None in early 1986. Having previously worked in pirate radio and booked and promoted bands in his native Ireland, Prendergast moved to Hoboken in 1982 and started Pier Platters...
. She followed in 1995 with What About Regret.
In 1999 she released her third album, Hydrangea, to which guests Peter Holsapple
Peter Holsapple
Peter Holsapple formed, along with Chris Stamey, the singing, songwriting, and guitar-playing core of the dB's, a jangle-pop band from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He became the band's principal songwriter and singer after Stamey's departure. The dB's were at the forefront of the guitar bands...
, Vicki Peterson
Vicki Peterson
Vicki Peterson is an American rock musician ....
and Susan Cowsill
Susan Cowsill
Susan Claire Cowsill is a musician, vocalist and songwriter. She is the youngest member of The Cowsills and the only daughter of parents Bud and Barbara Cowsill.-The Cowsills:...
added their musical contributions, as did long-time cohorts Dave Schramm and James MacMillan. The key songs on the album are taken from her family's history. "Never Be Afraid" is based on a phrase of her Aunt Katia's in 1938 when the family was emigrating to the US; "A Snowy Street" is based on a journal entry of her doctor grandfather in post-revolutionary Russia; "Eddy Went To Spain" is about an uncle who fought in the Abraham Lincoln Brigade
Abraham Lincoln Brigade
The Abraham Lincoln Brigade refers to volunteers from the United States who served in the Spanish Civil War in the International Brigades. They fought for Spanish Republican forces against Franco and the Spanish Nationalists....
for the republican side
Second Spanish Republic
The Second Spanish Republic was the government of Spain between April 14 1931, and its destruction by a military rebellion, led by General Francisco Franco....
in the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
, and "Good Doctor" was based on a journal of Elena, a fourteen year old Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
patient of her great grandfather's, who fell in love with her physician.
After Hydrangea, she became busy with her family life, and did not release another album for six years. In 2004 she released her fourth album, You Call That Dark. Seven years later, she released her fifth album Home Game.
Discography
- The Calm Comes After (Bar/None, 1993)
- What About Regret (Bar/None, 1995)
- Hydrangea (Bar/None, 1998)
- You Call That Dark (Bar/None, 2004)
- Home Game (2011)
External links
- Kate Jacobs' homepage
- [ Kate Jacobs] at Allmusic