Shakey Jake (sometimes “Shakin’ Jake”; August 24, 1925 – September 16, 2007), born Jake Woods in

Little Rock, Arkansas (The Little Rock, The "Little Rock") , government_type = council-manager government, Council-manager , leader_title = List of mayors of Little Rock, Arkansas, Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_ ...

, was a street musician and storyteller well known to students and residents of

Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County, Michigan, Washtenaw County. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851. It is the principal city of the Ann Arbor ...

, from the time of his arrival there in 1973 until his death. Woods, who had moved as a child with his family from Little Rock to

Saginaw, Michigan Saginaw () is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw and Saginaw County are both in the area known as Mid-Michigan. Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township and considered part of Greater ...

, travelled from Saginaw to Ann Arbor for a brief appearance at the

Ann Arbor Blues Festival Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival is a music festival in Ann Arbor, Michigan, that started in 1972 from the Ann Arbor Blues Festival, which itself began in 1969. Although the festival has had a tumultuous history and suspended operations in 200 ...

in 1973, and decided to stay.“Shakey Jake Movin’ On”
WFMU, Beware of the Blog, Sept. 23, 2007 Jake could be seen regularly on the streets of Ann Arbor in his unconventional clothing, strumming his guitar and singing (generally tuneless) songs to passers-by.Weekend Edition
NPR, April 15, 2006"Remembering Shakey Jake"
Sept. 18, 2007, Michigan Public Radio He also sold cassettes and CDs of his music, and T-shirts and bumper stickers bearing the slogan, “I brake for Jake”.
Ann Arbor News, Sept. 17, 2007 In conversation, Jake enjoyed recounting a variety of implausible stories about his life and upbringing – claiming, for example, that he had been born on Halloween in 1900 and was 104 years old, that he had been a smoker since the age of one, or that he had dozens of invisible bodyguards.
Ann Arbor News, Sept. 19, 2007
Ann Arbor News, October 3, 1999, republished September 19, 2007 Despite his disheveled appearance and quirky conversational style, Jake was unthreatening, and was well-liked by those who knew – or even merely knew of – him. Indeed, he was a welcome patron at many Ann Arbor retail establishments.
Ann Arbor News, Sept. 19, 2007 By many accounts, Jake was one of the most popular parts of the city's annual Fourth of July parade. Although many believed him to be homeless, he lived in rented rooms or in public housing. Shakey Jake was the inspiration for Calhoun Tubbs, a sketch character created and portrayed by

David Alan Grier David Alan Grier (born June 30, 1956) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his work as Bernard on '' Damon'' (1998), as David Bellows on ''Life with Bonnie'' (2002–2004), as Joe Carmichael on ''The Carmichael Show'' (2015� ...

in the television comedy series '' In Living Color''. Jake died in 2007 of kidney failure, at the age of 82. A memorial service drew 400 mourners. Afterwards a smaller group paraded for an hour through the streets of Ann Arbor past some of Jake's favorite spots, singing songs and playing instruments."Movin' on! Hundreds say farewell to Shakey Jake"
Ann Arbor News, Sept. 24, 2007

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jake, Shakey 1925 births 2007 deaths People from Ann Arbor, Michigan Street people