Canadian singer-songwriter, Susan Jacks has passed away at the age of 73 after a long struggle with kidney disease.
Jacks was inducted into the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame on 27 June 2010. Her album Dream, originally released in 1976, but abruptly removed from the market, was re-released in 2015. In 2016, Jacks was hospitalized with life-threatening complications from kidney failure. She recovered and planned to return to the studio to record a new album in 2018.
Jacks was born Susan Pesklevits into a family of eight children in Saskatoon and moved to British Columbia when she was 9. She got her start at the age of 15, appearing on the Canadian TV show Music Hop. In 1967, at the age of 19, she married Terry Jacks – after asking him to accompany her on guitar for an upcoming appearance. They began performing under the moniker Powerline. They eventually changed the name to The Poppy Family, and Satwant Singh joined the group on tablas.
Their song, “Which Way You Goin’ Billy?,” written by Terry, was a hit in the U.S. and UK, reaching No 1 on the Cash Box chart and No. 2 on the Billboard chart.
The Poppy Family name was dropped in 1972, and Jacks went on to record solo albums. Jacks and Terry split in 1973. Her first solo effort, I Thought of You Again, was released in 1973 and earned her a JUNO nomination for Canadian Female Vocalist of the Year. She received JUNO nominations for her singles, “Anna Marie,” “All the Tea in China,” and “Another Woman’s Man.”
