Vancouver just lost one of its first ever female music stars. Susan Jacks of the Poppy Family group passed from kidney problems at Surrey memorial hospital at age 73 yesterday. She is remembered as a pioneer for female voices from this city.
My mother, who is also a fan of other female folk artists like Karen Carpenter and Tammy Wynette, introduced me to Susan’s music when I was a little girl. At the time I was unaware that she was from Vancouver and what kind of indelible mark she made on the music community here.
Susan sang all her life; born in Saskatoon and moved to New Westminster BC with her family of six as a young girl. She found her big break when she was one of the first females to be featured on the CBC-TV show “let’s go” and “Music hop” in the mid 1960’s.
In 1966 she met fellow Canadian artist Terry Jacks, who’s family was from Manitoba and moved to Vancouver in the mid-1960’s. A year later their union formed the “Poppy Family” band.
The rest was history as they went on to top the charts around the world with the soft-pop classic “Which way you goin’ Billy” in 1969. It was the first million-selling record by a Vancouver act. They went on to have several worldwide hits and put Vancouver on the map.
Susan Jacks is remembered for her natural singing ability, her warm and charismatic personality, and the humbleness she maintained despite her rise to stardom. Despite her brush with fame she has been described as a selfless, humble artist who disapproved of injustice and lack of sincerity. To see the career that someone like Susan had and the values that she upheld as a person is deeply inspiring to a local female songwriter like myself. Her legacy will live on undoubtedly.
