![Knoblick Upper 10,000](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/Knoblick_Upper_10%2C000.jpg)
Erik Jacobsen (born May 19, 1940) is an American record producer, song publisher and artist manager. He is best known for his work in the 1960s with
Tim Hardin
James Timothy Hardin (December 23, 1941 – December 29, 1980) was an American folk and blues musician and composer. As well as releasing his own material, several of his songs, including " If I Were a Carpenter" and "Reason to Believe", becam ...
,
the Lovin' Spoonful
The Lovin' Spoonful is an American rock band popular during the mid- to late-1960s. Founded in New York City in 1965 by lead singer/songwriter John Sebastian and guitarist Zal Yanovsky, the band is widely known for a number of hits, including ...
,
the Charlatans, and
Sopwith Camel
The Sopwith Camel is a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter aircraft that was introduced on the Western Front in 1917. It was developed by the Sopwith Aviation Company as a successor to the Sopwith Pup and became one of the b ...
, and later with
Norman Greenbaum
Norman Joel Greenbaum (born November 20, 1942) is an American singer-songwriter. He is primarily known for his 1969 song "Spirit in the Sky".
Early life
Greenbaum was born in Malden, Massachusetts. He was raised in an Orthodox Jewish household ...
, Tazmanian Devils and
Chris Isaak
Christopher Joseph Isaak (born June 26, 1956) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional actor. He is widely known for his breakthrough hit and signature song "Wicked Game", as well as other songs such as "Blue Hotel", "Baby D ...
. Though semi-retired, Jacobsen continues to manage many of his published songs and masters for various uses.
Early life
He was born in
Oak Park, Illinois
Oak Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, adjacent to Chicago. It is the 29th-most populous municipality in Illinois with a population of 54,583 as of the 2020 U.S. Census estimate. Oak Park was first settled in 1835 and later incorporated in ...
, on the west side of Chicago. His early musical influences were wide ranging, including a unique opportunity to listen to the first urban radio stations broadcasting polka, blues and country.
Musician
In high school he played the tuba and sousaphone. Later, at
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio. It is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational liberal arts college in the United S ...
he began playing bluegrass style banjo and by his senior year, took over leadership of the Oberlin bluegrass band, the Plumb Creek Boys. After graduation in 1962, he formed the Knob Lick Upper 10,000, with Dwain Story and Pete Childs, also Oberlin graduates.
They performed at
The Bitter End
The Bitter End is a 230-person capacity nightclub, coffeehouse and folk music venue in New York City's Greenwich Village. It opened in 1961 at 147 Bleecker Street under the auspices of owner Fred Weintraub. The club changed its name to ''The Ot ...
coffee house in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, where they were signed by manager
Albert Grossman
Albert Bernard Grossman (May 21, 1926 – January 25, 1986) was an American entrepreneur and manager in the American folk music and rock and roll scene. He was famous as the manager of many of the most popular and successful performers of folk an ...
. They recorded two albums for
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it is ...
, ''Introducing The Knob Lick Upper 10,000'' (1962), and ''Work Out!!!'' (1963),
and were among the first folk and bluegrass artists to play
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...
.
In 1964, after hearing the Beatles, Jacobsen quit the Knob Lick Upper 10,000, intending to produce records that combined folk music with electric instruments and drums. Returning to New York, he soon met
John Sebastian
John Benson Sebastian (born March 17, 1944) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and harmonicist who founded the rock band The Lovin' Spoonful. He made an impromptu appearance at the Woodstock festival in 1969[Jerry Yester
Jerome Alan Yester (born January 9, 1943) is an American folk rock musician, record producer, and arranger.
Biography
Yester was born in Birmingham, Alabama, United States, and grew up in Burbank, California. He formed a duo with brother ...]
,
Zal Yanovsky
Zalman Yanovsky (December 19, 1944 – December 13, 2002) was a Canadian folk-rock musician. Born in Toronto, he was the son of political cartoonist Avrom Yanovsky and teacher Nechama Yanovsky (née Gemeril), who died in 1958. He played lead guit ...
,
Jesse Colin Young
Perry Miller (born November 22, 1941), known professionally as Jesse Colin Young, is an American singer and songwriter. He was a founding member and lead singer of the 1960s group the Youngbloods. After their dissolution in 1972, Young embarked ...
,
Cass Elliot, and
Denny Doherty
Dennis Gerrard Stephen Doherty (November 29, 1940 – January 19, 2007) was a Canadian singer. He was a founding member of the 1960s musical group the Mamas and the Papas for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.
...
.
Jacobsen produced various demos for different combinations of these musicians, prototypes of the
folk rock
Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers suc ...
style, some of which were issued on the 1966
Elektra album ''
What's Shakin'
''What's Shakin' '' is a compilation album released by Elektra Records in May1966. It features the earliest studio recordings by the Lovin' Spoonful and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, as well as the only released recordings by the ''ad hoc'' ...
'', and others on a 1999 compilation ''The Magic Circle''. Jacobsen was also introduced to singer-songwriter Tim Hardin, began working as his manager, and produced his demos for
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
.
The Lovin' Spoonful
![Erik Jacobsen with John and Zal](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Erik_Jacobsen_with_John_and_Zal.jpg)
Starting in 1965, Jacobsen produced the albums ''Do You Believe in Magic'', ''Daydream'', and ''Hums of the Lovin' Spoonful'',
which yielded seven straight top-10 singles, including "Do You Believe in Magic", "You Didn't Have to Be So Nice", "Daydream", and the number one hit, "Summer in the City", which was subsequently voted the number one summertime single of the 20th century by Billboard Magazine. The Lovin’ Spoonful also recorded soundtracks for Woody Allen's first movie ''What’s Up Tiger Lily'' as well as Francis Ford Coppola’s ''You're a Big Boy Now''. Jacobsen published the band's original songs through his Faithful Virtue Publishing Company and was a major factor in their development.
Sebastian has said, "I felt like Erik, just as a collaborator, was a fifth member of the Spoonful."
Tim Hardin
Jacobsen discovered singer-songwriter Tim Hardin in 1964, managed him, and produced his first album, ''
Tim Hardin 1
''Tim Hardin 1'' is the debut album by folk artist Tim Hardin, released in 1966 on Verve Records.
History
''Tim Hardin 1'' contains one of his most well-known and frequently covered songs, " Reason to Believe"a notable hit for Rod Stewart in 1971 ...
''.
The album includes modern classics like "Reason to Believe", "Misty Roses", "Don't Make Promises", and "How Can We Hang on to a Dream". To encourage Hardin to write original songs, Jacobsen bought him a tape recorder and paid him $50 for every song Hardin recorded that had at least two verses and a chorus. Songs that Hardin later recorded as demos for Jacobsen also include "If I Were a Carpenter" and others that appeared on ''
Tim Hardin 2
''Tim Hardin 2'' is the second album by folk artist Tim Hardin, released in 1967.
History
The original LP release has a long poem on the back cover by Hardin titled "A Question of Birth..."
''Tim Hardin 2'' contains Hardin's most popular and m ...
''. Hardin's songs were published through Faithful Virtue Music Company. In 1965, Jacobsen also produced the original blues-style recordings that were eventually released as ''
Tim Hardin 4'' on Verve Records.
Other artists
Jacobsen expanded his search for talent to California and worked there with the first of the newly emerging San Francisco rock bands, the Charlatans. While having little recording success, the band served as a launching pad for the songwriter and singer
Dan Hicks, composer of the iconic song "I Scare Myself," among many others.
In 1966, Jacobsen recorded the group
Sopwith Camel
The Sopwith Camel is a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter aircraft that was introduced on the Western Front in 1917. It was developed by the Sopwith Aviation Company as a successor to the Sopwith Pup and became one of the b ...
.
Their song "Hello Hello" was the first pop hit to come out of San Francisco's psychedelic era.
He went on to produce their 1973 cult classic, ''The Miraculous Hump Returns from the Moon''.
In 1968, he began working with Norman Greenbaum.
They made three albums together, and Jacobsen produced Greenbaum's "
Spirit in the Sky
"Spirit in the Sky" is a song by American singer-songwriter Norman Greenbaum, originally written and recorded by Greenbaum and released in late 1969 from the album of the same name. The single became a gold record, selling two million copies f ...
",
which became a number one worldwide hit and went on to be one of the most licensed recordings of all time, appearing in over 40 films and many TV shows and commercials.
In 1969, Jacobsen produced and published the song "Mill Valley", a number one Adult Contemporary hit for
Rita Abrams
Rita Abrams (born August 30, 1943) is an American songwriter, performer and writer. Her song "Mill Valley", recorded with children at the school where she was teaching, was released under the name Miss Abrams and the Strawberry Point Fourth Grade ...
, a kindergarten school teacher, singing with the Strawberry Point School Third Grade Class. They were featured on the cover of ''Life'' magazine and were guests on ''The Smothers Brothers'' TV show. A young Francis Ford Coppola made a video for the song.
In 1975, Jacobsen began working with singer/songwriter Brian Elliot. One album was released by Warner Brothers Records. In 1986 the Elliot/Jacobsen Publishing Company had Elliot's song "
Papa Don't Preach
"Papa Don't Preach" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Madonna for her third studio album ''True Blue (Madonna album), True Blue'' (1986). The song was written by Brian Elliot with additional lyrics by Madonna, who produced it alo ...
" covered by Madonna. Her record went on to become an international number one hit, selling over one hundred million copies. Elliot and Jacobsen have continued to work together, releasing the album ''Full Mental Nudity'' in 2014.
In 1980-1984, he produced two albums with the San Francisco ska- and reggae-oriented band Tazmanian Devils on Warner Brothers Records.
In 1981, he teamed up with Chris Isaak as Isaak's producer, publisher, and manager.
They worked and toured together through 1998, making seven albums, including the double platinum album ''
Heart Shaped World''. The breakthrough single, "
Wicked Game
"Wicked Game" is a song by American rock musician Chris Isaak, released from his third album, '' Heart Shaped World'' (1989). Despite being released as a single in July 1989, it did not become a hit until it was featured in the 1990 David Lync ...
", was made into a music video, which has been voted one of MTV’s sexiest videos of all time.
Isaak’s music has also been featured in numerous movies, TV shows, and advertisements.
Song publisher
Jacobsen's song publishing credits include, among others:
* Lovin' Spoonful and Tim Hardin published by Faithful Virtue Music Company
* Sopwith Camel and Norman Greenbaum published by Great Honesty Music
* Chris Isaak published by C. Isaak Music Publishing Co.
* Brian Elliot through Elliot/Jacobsen Music Publishing Co.
* Dan Hicks and Rita Abrams published by Oh Boy Music Publishing Company
Discography
* Knob Lick Upper 10,000: ''The Introduction Of Knob Lick Upper 10,000'' (1963, Banjo)
* Knob Lick Upper 10,000: ''Workout!!!'' (1963, Banjo)
* Lovin' Spoonful: ''
Do You Believe in Magic'' (1965, Producer)
* Lovin' Spoonful: ''
Daydream
Daydreaming is the stream of consciousness that detaches from current, external tasks when attention drifts to a more personal and internal direction. This phenomenon is common in people's daily life shown by a large-scale study in which partici ...
'' (1966, Producer)
* Lovin' Spoonful: ''
ums of the Lovin' Spoonful' (1966, Producer)
* Lovin' Spoonful:
''What's Up Tiger Lily?'' (soundtrack) (1966, Producer)
* Tim Hardin: ''
Tim Hardin 1
''Tim Hardin 1'' is the debut album by folk artist Tim Hardin, released in 1966 on Verve Records.
History
''Tim Hardin 1'' contains one of his most well-known and frequently covered songs, " Reason to Believe"a notable hit for Rod Stewart in 1971 ...
'' (1966, Producer)
* The Charlatans: "The Shadow Knows" (1966, Producer)
* Lovin' Spoonful:
''You're A Big Boy Now'' (soundtrack) (1967, Producer)
* Sopwith Camel: ''Sopwith Camel'' (1967, Producer)
* Leonard Schaeffer: ''A Boy & His Dog'' (1968, Producer)
* Tim Hardin: ''
Tim Hardin 4'' (1969, Producer)
* Norman Greenbaum:
''Spirit in the Sky'' (1969, Producer)
* Blue Velvet Band: ''Sweet Moments with the Blue Velvet Band'' (1969, Producer)
* Norman Greenbaum: ''Back Home Again'' (1970, Producer)
*
The Stovall Sisters
The Stovall Sisters were a gospel trio of recording artists consisting of Lillian, Netta, and Joyce Stovall. Definitive works include the album ''The Stovall Sisters'' ( Reprise Records 1970) which included the funk/soul track “Hang on in There ...
: ''The Stovall Sisters'' (1970, Producer)
* Miss Abrams and the Strawberry Point 3rd Grade Class: "Mill Valley" (1970, Producer)
* William Truckaway: ''Breakaway'' (1971, Producer)
* Norman Greenbaum: ''Petaluma'' (1972, Producer)
* Miss Abrams and the Strawberry Point 4th Grade Class: ''Miss Abrams and the Strawberry Point 4th Grade Class'' (1972, Producer)
* Sopwith Camel: ''The Miraculous Hump Returns from the Moon'' (1973, Producer)
* Indigo: ''Indigo'' (1977, Producer)
* Brian Elliot: ''Brian Elliot'' (1978, Producer)
* The Tazmanian Devils: "The Tazmanian Devils" (1980 Producer)
* The Tazmanian Devils: "Broadway High Life" (1981 Producer)
* Chris Isaak: ''
Silvertone'' (1985, Producer)
* Chris Isaak: ''
Chris Isaak
Christopher Joseph Isaak (born June 26, 1956) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional actor. He is widely known for his breakthrough hit and signature song "Wicked Game", as well as other songs such as "Blue Hotel", "Baby D ...
'' (1986, Producer)
* Chris Isaak: ''
Heart Shaped World'' (1989, Producer)
* Chris Isaak: "
Wicked Game
"Wicked Game" is a song by American rock musician Chris Isaak, released from his third album, '' Heart Shaped World'' (1989). Despite being released as a single in July 1989, it did not become a hit until it was featured in the 1990 David Lync ...
" (1991, Producer)
* Chris Isaak: ''
San Francisco Days
''San Francisco Days'' is the fourth album by Chris Isaak, released in 1993. The album's sound was more upbeat than that of its predecessor, the darker '' Heart Shaped World'', and Isaak's breakthrough hit " Wicked Game". It did not perform as we ...
'' (1993, Producer)
* Chris Isaak: ''
Forever Blue'' (1995, Producer)
* Chris Isaak: ''
Baja Sessions
''Baja Sessions'' is the sixth studio album by Chris Isaak, released in 1996, featuring largely acoustic arrangements. The album contains a large number of covers, many of which are classic songs (such as the Hawaiian-tinged "Sweet Leilani" and ...
'' (1996, Producer)
* Chris Isaak: ''
Speak of the Devil
"Speak of the devil" is the short form of the English-language idiom "Speak of the devil and he doth appear" (or its alternative form "speak of the devil and he shall appear"). The form "talk of the devil" is also in use in England. It is used ...
'' (1998, Producer)
* Chris Isaak: ''
Best of Chris Isaak
''Best of Chris Isaak'' is a greatest hits album by Chris Isaak released on May 9, 2006 on the Reprise/Warner Bros. Records label. The 18 song collection has three new tracks: "King Without a Castle", "Let's Have a Party" and a cover of Cheap Tric ...
'' (2006, Producer)
* Brian Elliot: ''Full Mental Nudity'' (2014, Producer)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jacobsen, Erik
1940 births
Living people
People from Oak Park, Illinois
Record producers from Illinois