Terry Jacks

Cast

Born

March 29, 1944 · Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Birth name

Terrance 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.