WADE JACOBSON

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Wade got his first guitar at the age of five. His whole family was musical, and his parents encouraged him in his love of music. By the age of nine, he formed a four-piece band. Two of the members were his older sisters. He taught one of them to play bass in the group. A real “pusher,” Wade did all the instrumental and vocal arrangements and booked jobs for the group. (Fortunately for him, his sisters were much older, since otherwise he would not have been allowed in the local bars where they performed.) In high school he performed in the pit orchestra for school musicals. After graduation he met two men who were influential in the music business, Bob and Dean McNett (formerly associated with Hank Williams). Wade performed with the McNett brothers, and they helped him secure his first full-time, professional position working on the road. The first job was with a group call the Nashville Review, a large Western swing group. Wade played bass in the group and sang. Living in Hendersonville, Tennessee, he would go to auditions whenever possible. From the time he was five, Wade has idolized Chet Atkins, and it was his privilege to play with Chet. He also performed with Ernest Tubb, Mel Tillis, Faron Young, Johnny Russell, Grandpa Jones, Tammy Wynette, Boxcar Willie, Lee Moore, and other country stars. Although he can play (and sing) many types of popular music, country is still Wade’s favorite. After he left the road, Wade became interested in Jass, Classical and New Age music. He wrote and recorded a few guitar pieces, and did some studio work with various local artists. Moving to Syracuse, New York, he worked with George C. and the Houston Band. He started playing at the Country Music Park in Cortland, New York, in 1985. He moved to Cortland and joined Tailor Made, a local band that played pop and country music. He was second lead guitar, and played lead in the old country pieces. After leaving Tailor Made, he worked for a couple of years with a group called Generations, playing 50’s and 60’s songs. He volunteered in local schools, talking to the students on Career Days about the possibilities in music as a career. He also had a number of guitar students. In 2003, Wade joined with two friends to form a gospel trio, calling themselves, Three Guys. The have performed in various churches in central and western New York, and they have recorded three CD’s, two of old standard hymns and gospel songs and an album of original songs for which Wade wrote and arranged the music. Wade is now working with the Route 66 Band as a keyboard player and vocalist. He admires their work and enjoys playing with them. Music has been the main interest in his life for thirty-five years, so far, and will always be a part of him.