Phoebe Jacobs (June 21, 1919 – April 9, 2012Nate Chinen, "Phoebe Jacobs, Publicist for Jazz Greats, Dies at 93," ''New York Times'' (May 6, 2012), p. A26.) was an American promoter of jazz musicians. She was particularly associated with

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

Career

She was born Phoebe Pincus to Hyman Pincus, a bootlegger, and the former Beatrice Watkins in

The Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

. She began her career when she was 17 years old, obtaining a job at Kelly's Stables, a jazz nightclub based in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

run by her mother's relative Ralph Watkins."Phoebe Jacobs," ''Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation'' (website, accessed 30 June 2019).
/ref> While at the nightclub she came into contact with

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday had an innovative influence on jazz music and pop si ...

Nat King Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's music career began after he dropped out of school at the age of 15, and continued f ...

and the arranger

Sy Oliver Melvin James "Sy" Oliver (December 17, 1910 – May 28, 1988) was an American jazz arranger, trumpeter, composer, singer and bandleader. Life Sy Oliver was born in Battle Creek, Michigan, United States. His mother was a piano teacher, and his ...

. Oliver enabled her to get a job at

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American ...

where she was responsible for contacting and hiring musicians for recording sessions. When Ralph Watkins became part owner of the

Basin Street East Basin Street East was a notable nightclub of the 1960s in New York City. Several live albums were recorded there, including Peggy Lee's ''Basin Street East Proudly Presents Miss Peggy Lee'' (1961), and Billy Eckstine's '' At Basin St. East'' (1961 ...

, Jacobs followed him, working as a publicist and general assistant for the nightclub. For the major part of her career Phoebe Jacobs was an independent publicist for such prominent musicians as

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based ...

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...

Peggy Lee Norma Deloris Egstrom (May 26, 1920 – January 21, 2002), known professionally as Peggy Lee, was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress, over a career spanning seven decades. From her beginning as a vocalis ...

Della Reese Delloreese Patricia Early (July 6, 1931 – November 19, 2017), known professionally as Della Reese, was an American jazz and gospel singer, actress, and ordained minister whose career spanned seven decades. She began her long career as a s ...

and

Sarah Vaughan Sarah Lois Vaughan (March 27, 1924 – April 3, 1990) was an American jazz singer. Nicknamed "Sassy" and "Jazz royalty, The Divine One", she won two Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, and was nominated for a total of nine ...

. A major part of her career consisted of working for the

Rainbow Room The Rainbow Room is a private event space on the 65th floor of 30 Rockefeller Plaza at Rockefeller Center in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Run by Tishman Speyer, it is among the highest venues in New York City. The Rainbow Room serves clas ...

, where she functioned as Director of Public Relations and Producer of Special Events. In this position she came into contact with many prominent performers in addition to her own clients including

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing". From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. His co ...

and

Cy Coleman Cy Coleman (born Seymour Kaufman; June 14, 1929 – November 18, 2004) was an American composer, songwriter, and jazz pianist. Life and career Coleman was born Seymour Kaufman in New York City, United States, to Eastern European Jewish parents ...

. She worked very closely with Louis Armstrong during the last decade of his life, initially as a public relations specialist. In 1969, she helped found the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation and served as that organization's Executive Vice President and Director. In 1989, she was a co-founder of the

Jazz Foundation of America The Jazz Foundation of America (JFA) is a non-profit organization based in Manhattan, New York that was founded in 1989. Its programs seek to help jazz and blues musicians in need of emergency funds and connect them with performance opportunitie ...

, a nonprofit that provides support to musicians in need. She was a supporter of Beth Israel Hospital's Louis Armstrong Center for Music and Medicine.Harris M. Nagler, "Jacobs, Phoebe," (paid obituary), ''New York Times'' (April 10, 2012), p. A17. Jacobs died in at Beth Israel Hospital in New York City.

Personal

Phoebe Jacobs was married three times; her third husband Lou Jacobs pre-deceased her. She had two children, a son, Jerry Fella, and a daughter, Susan Devens as well as grandchildren, Chris and Seth Kunin, and great-grandchildren, Jacob Kunin, Kayla Kunin, Phoebe Kunin, and Zachary Kunin.

References

External links

The Phoebe Jacobs papers
in th
Music Division
of The

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, at 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, is located in Manhattan, New York City, at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on the Upper West Side, between the Metro ...

.
Guide to the Phoebe Jacobs Papers 2000-2003
at th
University of Chicago Special Collections Research Center

Finding aid to Phoebe Jacobs papers at Columbia University. Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jacobs, Phoebe 1919 births 2012 deaths Music promoters People from the Bronx Women music promoters 20th-century American women