Primarily self-taught, Jake briefly studied with Jerry Portnoy, harmonica player for Muddy Waters and Eric Clapton.Growing up in New England in the '70's, Jake immersed himself in the thriving regional blues scene, which boasted such talents as Roomful of Blues, Ronnie Earl, Johnny Nicholas, Duke Robillard and Sugar Ray as well as many touring Blues artists including Albert Collins, Big Walter Horton, Roosevelt Sykes, Johnny Shines, Big Joe Turner, BB King and many others. Other influences include...Big Walter Horton, Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson, Jr. Wells, James Cotton,Paul Butterfield, Norton Buffalo,Jimmy Hall and Wet Willie, Lee Oskar and War, The Meters, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, ReBirth Brass Band, Wild Tchoupitoulas, Wild Magnolias, Neville Brothers, Clifton Chenier, Chubby Carrier, Terence Simien, Rockin' Sydney, Slim Harpo, Lazy Lester, Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, Fabulous Thunderbirds, Kim Wilson, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Pharaoh Sanders, Grant Green, Jimmy McGriff, Jimmy Smith,Toots Thielemans, Larry Adler, J. Geils Band, Rolling Stones, Allman Bros., Grateful Dead, Old and In The Way, David Grisman, Sun Ra, Herbie Hancock,Sonny Rollins, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, NRBQ, Jeff Potter (harp on Al Anderson's 1st solo LP),Louis Armstrong, Shecky Greene, Jerry Lewis, Bugs Bunny and Friends, Huckleberry Hound, TJ Wheeler, Lenny Bruce, and many many more.
MOVIES:Dr. Strangelove; The Nutty Professor (original); Pink Panther (original); Twelve Angry Men; The Godfather 1-3; Goodfellas; The Producers (original);virtually anything by Elia Kazan (On The Waterfron, Streetcar Named Desire, Baby Doll, etc.) ...
BOOKS: The Grapes of Wrath, Winter Of Our Discontent and anything by John Steinbeck; Raymond Chandler; Charles Bukowski; Beat poetry and prose; Ringolevio by Emmet Grogan; Kerouac, John Sinclair
TV: Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, King of Queens, Entourage, Emeril Live, Food Channel, THE SAINTS (who dat?!)
Based out of New Orleans since 1990, Rockin' Jake relocated briefly to Ft. Worth Texas since being flooded out by Hurricane Katrina, then settled in St. Louis where he now makes his home. Rockin' Jake has been hailed by many as one of the premier harmonica players in the country. His original sound is a hybrid of second line, swamp funk, blues and zydeco with influences from Paul Butterfield, Big Walter Horton, James Cotton, The Meters,WAR, J. Geils Band, Clifton Chenier, and the Fabulous Thunderbirds. Jake has conjured up this formula that is blowing crowds away from coast to coast. Widely known as a touring juggernaut among his peers, his schedule of over 200 performances per year include clubs, concert venues, and festivals.
Originally from the East Coast, the "blues bug" bit at an early age for Jake. He immersed himself in the thriving regional blues scene, which boasted such talents as Roomful of Blues, Ronnie Earl, Duke Robillard and Sugar Ray. Primarily self-taught, Jake briefly studied with Jerry Portnoy, harmonica player for Muddy Waters.
In 1990, Jake moved to New Orleans where he began to work with such notable New Orleans mainstays as: blues diva Marva Wright, Mem Shannon, Coco Robicheaux, Little Freddie King, Tommy Ridgley, Eddie Bo and other local legends. During this time Jake also toured nationally with G. Love & Special Sauce, blues and pop legend Maria Muldaur as well as logging international miles with bluesman T.J, Wheeler. He was selected to perform in an all-star band featuring blues legends Pinetop Perkins and Hubert Sumlin at the Howlin' Wolf.
In 1995 he formed the Rockin' Jake Band as an outlet for his original music and his unique swampy sounds. One year later Jake recorded his debut CD, "Let's Go Get 'Em" (on Rabadash Records) which earned him national recognition. In 1999 Jake produced "Badmouth", on Zuluzu records followed by "Full-Time Work" in 2002 on the same label. It included an all-star cast of musicians such as John Gros (Papa Grows Funk), Ron Johnson (Karl Denson's Tiny Universe), Bryan Stoltz (the funky Meters), Ben Ellman and Theryl "Houseman" de Clouet (Galactic). In the spring of 2004 he recorded his band's first live cd. Over four days in Key West, Florida at the Green Parrot, he and his band recorded 5 p.m. Breakfast on Zuluzu records. Jake's work has also been heard on the soundtrack of "The Big Easy" television series, the theme for the "Mike Ditka Show, " and a Miller Beer commercial.
He is a five-time winner of Off Beat Magazine's coveted Best of the Beat award for best harmonica player. Jake is truly a hard working musician with extraordinary talent. He and his band pour out their souls in every performance with high energy and electricity which consistently brings the audience to their feet.
In his spare time Jake managed to snare some culinary kudos in New Orleans, taking the trophy for "Best Barbequed Brisket" at the 1999 New Orleans Musicians Barbeque Competition, and launching his own line of signature hot sauce: "Badmouth" (the edible version)..."man it's hot!"...just like the band! Jake also takes time to give back to his New Orleans community with Project Prodigy Music Camp for children as well as the Blues in the Schools programs in New Orleans and other cities in the US.
