Life and career
Jack defies categories. He sings real folk songs in real folk styles but writes about his passions and times too. He learns from oral tradition but is not a scholar. He arranges and adapts with respect for his sources. He's earned respect too, in the Encyclopaedia of Appalachia for "Payday at Coal Creek." An engaging, veteran performer with a fresh, modern outlook and a keen sense of social justice. He lives in Hampshire, UK, works with other musicians and solo.
Raised in New York City by liberal parents, Jack's artistic and musical ability showed up in childhood. He competed for entry and was accepted at the famous High School of Music and Art, electing to study architecture. At 16 he was attending Greenwich Village folksong sessions, concerts by The Weavers and playing guitar. At university in Ohio, he met lifelong friend and music accomplice Stuart Burns. He listened and learned from performers like Pete Seeger, The Weavers, Peggy Seeger and Ewan MacColl, The New Lost City Ramblers, Tom Paley, Dave Van Ronk, Doc Watson and the Carter Family. He researched and, like the Ramblers, learned from early recordings of traditional singers and musicians. He co-founded the University Folk Club, hosting weekly "hootenannies," organizing talent shows, festivals and concerts. He formed a trio, the Wanderers, modeled on The Weavers, with Nicholas Bocher and Lynn Sandage, and later a duo with Kathy Davis, performing in the Midwest, then joining other hopefuls like Bob Dylan, Peter Paul and Mary, Judy Collins and others at New York's Gerdes Folk City's open sessions. In 1963 he and Davis were spotted at the legendary Bitter End in Greenwich Village by music agent Peter Paul. A string of performances alongside then aspiring Jose Feliciano, the Mamas and the Papas and Happy Traum followed. They were also mentored by Ed McCurdy.
By 1966, Jack had moved to London and joined The Critics Group, the left wing folk/theatre group led by Ewan MacColl. He started writing songs, while co-founding the Stop it Committee, the UK American Anti-war Group, being passionately active in both. The Critics Group split up in 1973 and the Stop it Committee disbanded after US withdrawal from Vietnam in April 1975.
In 1973 he co-founded Combine Theatre with former Critics Group members and from then to 1982 performed in themed programmes at The Knave of Clubs, Bethnal Green. These included a 1974 multi media show about Sacco and Vanzetti scripted around Woody Guthrie's famous 1951 album for Folkways Records. He also collaborated with Sandra Kerr in performances at schools, songwriting workshops, concerts, political and union events and benefits. Meanwhile Combine's output culminated in the Vietnam Victory Show, performed at the ASLEF hall in April 1975 following the liberation of Saigon.
From 1968 to 1972 he worked with BBC Radio Ballad producer Charles Parker,(a member of the Critics Group) Peggy Seeger and others, making anti-war radio programmes intended for broadcast to Vietnam GIs. Entitled "Off Limits" the programmes contained specially written songs and interviews with American deserters, critics, contemporary news clips, a Vietnamese girl, survivor of the 1969 My Lai Massacre and an extract from the US television interview by journalist Mike Wallace of Lt. William Calley, who was convicted for ordering the massacre. The US Government had marked him as a fugitive for resisting conscription, refusing to renew his passport. After Jimmy Carter's amnesty in January 1977, his passport was restored.
Between 1966 and 1972/3 he performed with Critics Group members on albums, anti-war concerts and MacColl's Festival of Fools. In 1968 He formed a duo with singer/actor Carol (Buff) Rosenthal. They toured the UK until 1974.[1] He was also active in supporting the Chile Solidarity and Human Rights campaigns after the 1973 Chile coup, writing "We Will Fight" and performing at many benefits alongside Chilean groups such as Karaxu.
He was a resident singer and organizer at MacColl's Singers Club Folk club, 1967–85; West London Folk Club, 1970–75; Knave of Clubs, 1973-82 and Court Sessions, 1980–90. He recorded his first album "Long Time Gone" in 1979, re-releasing it in 2010, which included one of the great protest songs of our ti me, "If They Come in the Morning." Retitled "No Time for Love" by Christy Moore it remains widely heard and sung.
In 1978 he and Kerr recorded an album with South African exile Barry Gilder, made up primarily of Gilder's (now former South African Director of Intelligence) freedom songs and two songs by MacColl and Peggy Seeger. Smuggled into South Africa, immediately banned but distributed clandestinely, it became popular amongst freedom fighters. Around that time Jack produced and performed in a series of programmes in the UK and Ireland supported by the US Embassy cultural section. In 1979 he toured Republican venues in the North of Ireland with singer Breege Keenan.
As an Architect, Jack had developed a successful career in historic conservation. A declining folk scene and growing family put a stop to touring until 2009. He sang at benefits and festivals, organized a concert for his Union branch to support the 1984/5 UK miners' strike and performed at Whitwell Derbyshire colliery village. From 2006, his re-emergence as a singer/songwriter, performing a mix of traditional and original songs, has included touring with Austin Texas folk/blues legend Stuart Burns, many new songs, a new following in clubs and on line and several albums.
Now in his 8th decade after 60 years of performing, Jack's repertoire and songwriting has followed events great and small, funny and profound in love songs and stories, political events like Vietnam, 9/11, the Miners Strike, government snooping, Michael Brown, Charlie Hebdo, disasters like the Moore Oklahoma tornado, US and UK politics, and celebrates folk legends like Pete Seeger.
Jack defies categories. He sings real folk songs in real folk styles but writes about his passions and times too. He learns from oral tradition but is not a scholar. He arranges and adapts with respect for his sources. He's earned respect too, in the Encyclopaedia of Appalachia for "Payday at Coal Creek." An engaging, veteran performer with a fresh, modern outlook and a keen sense of social justice. He lives in Hampshire, UK, works with other musicians and solo.
Raised in New York City by liberal parents, Jack's artistic and musical ability showed up in childhood. He competed for entry and was accepted at the famous High School of Music and Art, electing to study architecture. At 16 he was attending Greenwich Village folksong sessions, concerts by The Weavers and playing guitar. At university in Ohio, he met lifelong friend and music accomplice Stuart Burns. He listened and learned from performers like Pete Seeger, The Weavers, Peggy Seeger and Ewan MacColl, The New Lost City Ramblers, Tom Paley, Dave Van Ronk, Doc Watson and the Carter Family. He researched and, like the Ramblers, learned from early recordings of traditional singers and musicians. He co-founded the University Folk Club, hosting weekly "hootenannies," organizing talent shows, festivals and concerts. He formed a trio, the Wanderers, modeled on The Weavers, with Nicholas Bocher and Lynn Sandage, and later a duo with Kathy Davis, performing in the Midwest, then joining other hopefuls like Bob Dylan, Peter Paul and Mary, Judy Collins and others at New York's Gerdes Folk City's open sessions. In 1963 he and Davis were spotted at the legendary Bitter End in Greenwich Village by music agent Peter Paul. A string of performances alongside then aspiring Jose Feliciano, the Mamas and the Papas and Happy Traum followed. They were also mentored by Ed McCurdy.
By 1966, Jack had moved to London and joined The Critics Group, the left wing folk/theatre group led by Ewan MacColl. He started writing songs, while co-founding the Stop it Committee, the UK American Anti-war Group, being passionately active in both. The Critics Group split up in 1973 and the Stop it Committee disbanded after US withdrawal from Vietnam in April 1975.
In 1973 he co-founded Combine Theatre with former Critics Group members and from then to 1982 performed in themed programmes at The Knave of Clubs, Bethnal Green. These included a 1974 multi media show about Sacco and Vanzetti scripted around Woody Guthrie's famous 1951 album for Folkways Records. He also collaborated with Sandra Kerr in performances at schools, songwriting workshops, concerts, political and union events and benefits. Meanwhile Combine's output culminated in the Vietnam Victory Show, performed at the ASLEF hall in April 1975 following the liberation of Saigon.
From 1968 to 1972 he worked with BBC Radio Ballad producer Charles Parker,(a member of the Critics Group) Peggy Seeger and others, making anti-war radio programmes intended for broadcast to Vietnam GIs. Entitled "Off Limits" the programmes contained specially written songs and interviews with American deserters, critics, contemporary news clips, a Vietnamese girl, survivor of the 1969 My Lai Massacre and an extract from the US television interview by journalist Mike Wallace of Lt. William Calley, who was convicted for ordering the massacre. The US Government had marked him as a fugitive for resisting conscription, refusing to renew his passport. After Jimmy Carter's amnesty in January 1977, his passport was restored.
Between 1966 and 1972/3 he performed with Critics Group members on albums, anti-war concerts and MacColl's Festival of Fools. In 1968 He formed a duo with singer/actor Carol (Buff) Rosenthal. They toured the UK until 1974.[1] He was also active in supporting the Chile Solidarity and Human Rights campaigns after the 1973 Chile coup, writing "We Will Fight" and performing at many benefits alongside Chilean groups such as Karaxu.
He was a resident singer and organizer at MacColl's Singers Club Folk club, 1967–85; West London Folk Club, 1970–75; Knave of Clubs, 1973-82 and Court Sessions, 1980–90. He recorded his first album "Long Time Gone" in 1979, re-releasing it in 2010, which included one of the great protest songs of our ti me, "If They Come in the Morning." Retitled "No Time for Love" by Christy Moore it remains widely heard and sung.
In 1978 he and Kerr recorded an album with South African exile Barry Gilder, made up primarily of Gilder's (now former South African Director of Intelligence) freedom songs and two songs by MacColl and Peggy Seeger. Smuggled into South Africa, immediately banned but distributed clandestinely, it became popular amongst freedom fighters. Around that time Jack produced and performed in a series of programmes in the UK and Ireland supported by the US Embassy cultural section. In 1979 he toured Republican venues in the North of Ireland with singer Breege Keenan.
As an Architect, Jack had developed a successful career in historic conservation. A declining folk scene and growing family put a stop to touring until 2009. He sang at benefits and festivals, organized a concert for his Union branch to support the 1984/5 UK miners' strike and performed at Whitwell Derbyshire colliery village. From 2006, his re-emergence as a singer/songwriter, performing a mix of traditional and original songs, has included touring with Austin Texas folk/blues legend Stuart Burns, many new songs, a new following in clubs and on line and several albums.
Now in his 8th decade after 60 years of performing, Jack's repertoire and songwriting has followed events great and small, funny and profound in love songs and stories, political events like Vietnam, 9/11, the Miners Strike, government snooping, Michael Brown, Charlie Hebdo, disasters like the Moore Oklahoma tornado, US and UK politics, and celebrates folk legends like Pete Seeger.