Multi-Talented

"I love music, and I love per- badour on the road singing
forming. I was always interested my songs.
"I think that some of the fun-
in community theater, but I nev-
er could do it because I was work- ny stories that I tell when I do a
ing nights. Three years ago, I concert of my own songs are
started with one play, and one about talking to truckers on the
road. It was an introduction to a
thing led to another."
For anyone who would like to whole different world, and I had
chase a dream, Ms. Jacobs pro- to learn to speak the CB lan-
vides a successful example to guage."
Her song "Tugboat Annie" de-
follow.
scribes those experiences and got
As
a
youngster,
she
enjoyed
after the music quieted, she
a lot of airplay.
is gaining new attention by playing instruments by ear, tak-
During the sporadic weeks she
ing
private
acting
lessons
and
bringing her talents to pri-
was
touring, Ms. Jacobs looked
vate parties and community participating in a Temple Beth to family and friends to help take
El
theater
program.
She
went
on
theater productions.
care of her son, Jonathan, who
While Ms. Jacobs gets paid for to Northwestern University to now is married and living near
pursue
a
stage
career,
but
gave
singing folk songs and/or stan-
Muskegon, where he works in
dards at birthday, anniversary up on her goal to get married, sales. When she was booked in
changing
her
professional
direc-
and graduation celebrations, she
town, she considered it an ad-
literally is a free agent as she acts tion to education and completing vantage working nights because
her
schooling
at
Wayne
State
and works behind the scenes with
she could be with him during the
the Ridgedale Players in Troy, University.
daytime.
"While
I
was
teaching,
I
dis-
most recently in Quilters.
After the popularity of folk mu-
In January, she is starting to covered the guitar," recalled the sic started to wane and piano
lawyer/entertainer,
who
then
be-
prepare for the Ridgedale
bars seemed less and less stable,
production of the musical Mack came part of a group formed with Ms. Jacobs sought career options
classmates
from
her
folk
guitar
and Mabel, in which
that she considered more secure.
she hopes to get a sessions at the Jewish Commu-
"I didn't want to wake up one
nity
Center.
The
group
—
Za-
role. After that, she
day and find I couldn't make a liv-
marim
(Hebrew
for
singers)
—
will be assistant di-
ing," said Ms. Jacobs, whose son
rector for the last performed at weddings, PTA was grown by that time. "I
play of the season, events and coffee houses.
"At that time, there were many
Legends.
"For 20 years, I open-mike nights so I started go-
made my living as ing on stage singing folk songs on
an entertainer," said my own," she recalled. "Soon I
Ms. Jacobs, whose was working weekends."
She decided to take a year's
current lyrics ex-
leave
after teaching elementary
press the seasoned
outlook of a woman school in Ferndale for 10 years
in her middle 50s. and see how far she could take decided to go to law school, fig-
"What's nice now is her music. Steady work came uring I could get a job and earn a
that I can do what I quickly with her first job at the decent income.
want and not have Railroad Crossing in Detroit and
"I went to the Detroit College
to worry about mak- her second at the Ann Arbor of Law during the day and kept
Roadhouse.
ing a living at it."
About two years later, her first singing and playing the piano at
In her Troy
night. I found out that I loved the
apartment, Ms. Ja- album, Free, came out.
law and being a law student. I'm
"That's
when
my
whole
life
cobs has instru-
ments she learned changed," she said. "I was living sure I was the oldest person in
to play by ear — a the dream of my life, and I was my class."
After graduation in 1986, Ms.
Chickering piano having the time of my life. I was
from the home of making a living — I had gotten Jacobs moved to Grand Rapids
her late parents divorced — and buying some ex- to work with the Michigan Court
of Appeals as a research attorney.
(Robert and Freda tras for my son."
She left to join a law firm, which
Working
with
a
local
manag-
Wisok) as well as a
guitar, dombra and er, Harvey Yates, Ms. Jacobs she ultimately decided was not
harmonica. This is found her tour bookings through for her.
Ms. Jacobs then became a re-
where she practices the National Entertainment Con-
for the engagements ference, which arranged for col- search attorney for a judge, and
she generally gets lege concerts. She also recorded three years later, in 1993, went
back to the Court of Appeals, this
through personal another album, Everything's time in the Southfield office.
recommendations. Jake.
'When I was with the judge,
As she traveled all over the
"Some of the
my
life became manageable
things I'm doing at country, she did a lot of opening
parties are the acts for people like Jay Leno, Rod- enough so I could begin music
again and get into community
things I used to do ney Dangerfield and Harry
at the Raven," Ms. Chapin. Most of her traveling was theater," said Ms. Jacobs, who
Jacobs said. "I also by car, and she became interest- had cut herself off from perform-
play the type of mu- ed in CB radio, which kept her in ing to spend more time gaining
sic I did at piano contact with truckers driving the experience in her new field.
Now back in the swing of her
bars. I can sit and same highways during the same
stage interests, Ms. Jacobs is
play for five hours early morning hours.
"I loved to travel, but it could preparing to take her activities a
straight and also
sing softly if they get very lonely," Ms. Jacobs said. few steps further. With a goal of
want. To me, it's the "I've always been imaginative, getting more involved with
easiest thing in the and I romanticized the whole Ridgedale musicals, she has be-
world. thing. I became a wandering trou- gun tap lessons. LI

Lori Jacobs will add theater to her singing and legal careers.

SUZANNE CHESSLER SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

I

PHOTO BY GLEN N TRI EST

f you enjoyed folk music,
guitar-playing poets and cof-
fee houses when they reached
peak popularity in the '60s and
'70s, then you probably listened
to the music of Lori Jacobs.
The Detroit-based song-
writer/singer/musician, who reg-
ularly appeared at the Raven
Gallery during those years,
recorded two albums played on
0 radio stations across the country
and toured nationally with most
stops at college campuses.
Her original lyrics in songs like
"Constant Disappointment" and

"I've Never Been a Fool Like
This Before" often captured the
feelings of young adults.
Later, when university crowds
turned their attention to hard
rock groups, Ms. Jacobs changed
her style, too, but followed the
beat of an older drummer. She
became a standards singer/
pianist at local clubs including
Little Harry's, the Rhinoceros
and Nifty Norman's.
Today, Ms. Jacobs continues
to write and perform, but more
with a sense of play than work.
Becoming a practicing attorney

Records, law books
and the Ridgedale
stage.

Lori Jacobs Is career traveling.

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