Greg Jacobs

Singer/songwriter Greg Jacobs spent several years early in his career in Stillwater, OK, the nucleus of a sound that came to be known as "red dirt." The college town nurtured the laid-back Jacobs' budding career, as well as those of such musical artists as country superstar Garth Brooks, contemporary country artist Bob Childers, country-rock's Jimmy LaFave, the Skinner Brothers, and country-rockers the Red Dirt Rangers. Jacobs drifted to Kentucky but still kept in touch with the music makers from Oklahoma, traveling to Nashville to visit each month with Brooks and the others, who had relocated to the Music City. They spent time writing songs and playing, and the experience convinced Jacobs to also settle down in Nashville in pursuit of a career writing songs. The dream wouldn't pan out, however. The fledgling writer tended to write personal songs, while Nashville wanted more of whatever was currently a hit. He packed up his high hopes and went home to Oklahoma, where he kept honing his craft. He also played shows, including the Stillwater Musicians Reunion. He also worked as the opening act for Kevin Welch and LaFave. With his career picking up speed in the right direction, Jacobs started to record, working on Looking at the Moon in 1994. He put out Reclining With Age two years later. The albums contained highly personal songs about life and love that were divided between a country blues mix and country folk, and Jacobs recorded them with the sole intent of distributing them to his friends and at shows. By 1997, he was back in the studio, where he put together South of Muskogee Town, a collection of 14 new tunes from Jacobs and fellow Oklahomans about their state's history. An independent label, Binky Records, liked what he'd done and seized the chance to work with him. The deal put him on the label's roster with old Stillwater friends Childers and Tom Skinner. Jacobs followed up in 1999 with an album about love and loss, Look at Love. His next album, Reclining With Age, recycled the title of his 1996 release when it was issued in 2001. ~ Linda Seida, Rovi