Beware of the Bull: The Enigmatic Genius of Jake Thackray

Product Information

Not, however, that the man himself would have felt at ease with such eulogies or wanted to be mourned as a legendary performer who died too soon, as the defiant lyrics of his first album's title song, The Last Will and Testament of Jake Thackray, demonstrate. These things are true, of course, but what becomes evident was that Thackray in fact relished the opportunity to simply be a member of the small Monmouth community in which his one-bedroom council flat was situated, to be ‘Jake’ as opposed to ‘Jake Thackray: performer’. Even so, by April 1967 Thackray was in the EMI studios at Abbey Road at his first recording sessions.

For Old Molly Metcalfe, for Leopold Alcocks, for Sister Josephine, but mostly for yourself, if your hands aren't too encumbered, gather a book or two for Jake. It might be worth diving into the “warts and all” aspects I mentioned, since they are, thankfully, not ignored. His anti-capitalist principles meant he even turned down a lucrative deal with Dulux to appear in an advert that would have solved his family’s money problems. John Philip Thackray (‘ Jake’ was a nom de plume adopted in his twenties) was the third son of Ernest and Molly, whom the authors describe as an unlikely couple given their respective characters.TV work dried up because formats were changing but also his audience was getting smaller because that 70s folk era was in a process of change.

Most purchases from business sellers are protected by the Consumer Contract Regulations 2013 which give you the right to cancel the purchase within 14 days after the day you receive the item.His TV breakthrough came in March 1968 on the wonderfully named Beryl Reid Says ‘Good Evening,’ a comedy sketch show vehicle for the celebrated actress, which featured him performing one of his songs each week. By most estimations it is Thackray’s finest, not least for the musical arrangements which infuse the songs with a laconic jazz acoustic aura that perfectly complements them. Chronological biographies don't always work, but the fascinating arc of Jake Thackray's life suits the format perfectly, and the parallel insights into changing fashions at the BBC and in the record industry provide constant wider interest.