- Born
- Birth nameTerrance Ross Jacks
- Singer, songwriter, guitarist and record producer Terry Jacks was born on March 29, 1944 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. A member of the hippie generation, Jacks resisted his family's wishes to become an architect and decided to pursue a career in music instead. In the mid 60s Terry joined the Vancouver, British Columbia-based band The Chessmen as both a singer and guitarist. The group had a few minor local hits before breaking up. Jacks subsequently met singer Susan Jacks and formed a duo with her called The Poppy Family. Terry and Susan eventually married. The Poppy Family scored a big smash with the touching ballad "Which Way You Goin' Billy?"; the song was a #1 hit in Canada and peaked at #2 on the Billboard pop charts in America. "Which Way You Goin' Billy?" sold over two million copies and won several Juno Awards. The follow-up singles "That's Where I Went Wrong" and "Where Evil Grows" likewise did pretty well. Alas, Jacks and Susan broke up in 1973. In 1974 Terry scored himself a massive international success with the sad, sappy song "Seasons in the Sun;" the song peaked at #1 in both Canada and America alike, reportedly sold over eleven million copies worldwide, and went on to win three Juno Awards. Terry was never able to either match or surpass the monumental success of "Seasons in the Sun," but did manage to eke out a nice career as a record producer (among the artists he's worked as a producer for are the Beach Boys, Nana Mouskouri, D.O.A., and Chilliwack). In 1986 Jacks produced, acted in, and composed the score for a flop made-for-TV adaptation of his signature hit song "Seasons in the Sun." A dedicated environmentalist, Terry Jacks is the founder of the organization Environmental Watch, which makes sure that major pulp and logging companies are properly adhering to Canadian pollution laws. He lives in Pender Harbour, British Columbia, Canada.- IMDb Mini Biography By: woodyanders
- SpousesDiane Soza(2008 - present)Maggi MacDonald(1979 - 2002) (divorced, 1 child)Susan Jacks(1967 - 1973) (divorced)
- Named his power boat Seasons in the Sun after his hugely successful 1974 international smash hit song of the same name.
- He spent a lot of time with Buddy Knox in the 1970s and produced a single for him with two songs: "Me and You" (written by Jacks) and the George Jones song "White Lightnin'"; the single remains unreleased.
- In 2011, Jacks' friend Al Jardine released a new version of "Don't Fight the Sea", recorded along with Beach Boys members Mike Love, Brian Wilson, Bruce Johnston, and the late Carl Wilson, who sang part of the lead vocal. A limited edition white vinyl 45 was made and sold to benefit Japanese tsunami victims.
- In the 1980s, he became involved in the environmental movement, focusing on pulp mill pollution issues in Canada. His environmental work has earned him several awards including one from the United Nations Association in Canada and the Western Canada Wilderness Committee.
- Jacks produced two songs for Nana Mouskouri: "Scarborough Fair" and "Loving Arms" in 1976.
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