Bunky and Jake

History

Andrea "Bunky" Skinner and Allan "Jake" Jacobs (who later formed Jake and The Family Jewels, a duo with Jerry Burnham), met in 1962 at the School of Visual Arts in New York and performed in the Greenwich Village folk circuit. The duo appeared at The Bitter End on the bill with Joni Mitchell and David Steinberg, and were written about in Rolling Stone. In 1965, Jacobs joined the folk-rock band The Magicians, with Garry Bonner, Alan Gordon, and John Townley. The band gained a following in New York, and took over as the house band from the Lovin' Spoonful at the Night Owl Cafe. The Magicians disbanded in 1967, and Jacobs and Skinner signed with Mercury Records, releasing their 1968 debut album, Bunky & Jake. It was followed a year later by L.A.M.F. (Mercury SR61199).

All songs on the first album were written by Skinner and/or Jacobs. The second album, in addition to original songs, included two by Chuck Berry, one by Don & Dewey, and a Jacobs-Skinner arrangement of "I Am the Light," by the Reverend Gary Davis. The band included Skinner (vocals and guitar); Jacobs (guitar and vocals); Douglas Haywood Rauch (bass); and Micheal Rosa (drums). Other musicians appearing were Mike Matthews, Charlie Chin, Felix Pappalardi, Buzzy Linhart, Perry Robinson, Ray Barretto, Ernie Hayes, and Chuck Rainey.

The duo released a children's album Oo-Wee Little Children, on their own B&J Music label (cassette, 1993 and CD, 2004.)

Skinner died on Sunday, March 20, 2011 after a brief illness. As of April 2011, Jacobs lives in Manhattan. In October 2012, Jacobs released a new collection of songs on a 16-song CD entitled A Lick and a Promise by Jake and the Rest of the Jewels.

Discography