Jake Thackray was a British entertainer, born in Yorkshire in 1938. He was originally a teacher, and he spent much of this career working in France and Leeds. His songs first appeared in folk clubs and local radio, and during his early musical years he built up a growing band of fans.
He became a well-known face to the general public after a number of guest spots on UK television shows - in particular The David Frost Show, The Braden Beat with Bernard Braden, and That's Life, with Esther Rantzen.
Jake sang and accompanied himself on a nylon-strung guitar, which was quite an 'adventurous' choice when playing live concerts as the strings constantly need retuning. His playing style was classical fused with jazz chords.
Jake admitted to preferring singing in a folk club to big venues. Indeed, when he went on tour he was more likely to be found in community halls rather than big theatres. Despite his reticence about big venues, he appeared on the same bill as Louis Armstrong and other notables, and also performed before the Royal Family on a number of occasions.
People have described him as lugubrious1, and this is probably accurate. Most of his songs can best be described as slightly surreal, and they can certainly be amusing to listen to. Subjects include the plight of Isabel whose ambition was to make love on all the National Monuments in the National Trust Guide, and the 'Castleford Ladies Magic Circle', who, after a satanic orgy, 'pop off home for cocoa and the epilogue'.
The songs that Thackray wrote himself often do unusual things to the English language - it is common to find the end-of-sentence rhyme slap bang in the middle of a phrase where logic says it shouldn't be, or even within a multi-syllabic word. This invariably adds to the humour of the song.
Jacke eventually retired from touring and settled in Monmouth, South Wales, UK. Sadly, Jake Thackray died on December 24, 2002 at the age of 64.
1 Meaning mournful or dismal...
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