Next
to his wife,
Nancy, the
banjo is
the love of
Doug Jacobs'
life
HEIDI PRESS
Local News Editor
Sweat pours off of him as he
finishes a set at the Deer Lake Rac-
quet and Country Club. Doug Jacobs
plays hard — the banjo that is — as
leader of the Red Garter Band. But
his Sunday morning brunch stints at
the Clarkston club are no match for
the marathon he'll do this Labor
Day, just as he has done for 15 prev-
ious Labor Days.
Jacobs, a much-younger-looking
45, will entertain the on-site studio
audience during the national por-
tions and the viewing audience for
the local cut-ins for the annual Jerry
Lewis Labor Day Telethon to be
aired 8:30 p.m. Sunday through 6:30
p.m. Monday on Channel 2. On Sun-
day, he will appear as usual with
the Red Garter Band as the featured
entertainment at the Deer Lake
brunch, catch a couple of hours of
sleep and hit the "boards" of the
Channel 2 studios for the next 22
hours.
The job is "strictly volunteer,"
according to Jacobs, but he pays out
of his own pocket for the extra musi-
cians. Although it's a long stretch,
he doesn't find it grueling.
"I find it very easy to do, espe-
cially with my musicians," he said,
but added that when he first took on
the assignment 15 years ago "at age
30 it was a lot easier."
It was Jacobs' work on behalf of
other charities that led him to work
on the Muscular Dystrophy telethon.
In his native San Francisco, he
entertained children in Shrine Hos-
pital programs. When he came to
Detroit in 1968, he got involved with
the March of Dimes and the United
Foundation. He asked friend Bob