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Jake Henry and Bill Jolliff captivated the PeaceStrings audience in 2002. This is what I said about them before their performance then: Jake Henry and Bill Jolliff have been playing music together for five years -- since Jake was eight. Together, their combination of bluegrass, gospel, and traditional Appalachian folk music has delighted crowds throughout Oregon and beyond. I asked Jake what prompted an eight-year-old boy to take up the mandolin and his reply, "Well, my dad said I had to learn music and how to play an instrument. He gave me several choices and told me to decide. After a while, when I hadn't decided on anything, he just said, 'Well, OK, you're going to play the mandolin.' At first I didn't really care about it one way or the other and I practiced because I had to. Then I kind of got interested in it myself. (He shrugged.) So now I really like it and no one has to tell me to practice anymore." And that's an understatement bigger than Jake himself! According to Bill, when Jake's playing you know the music is going to be going "to the nines." I've listened, totally enthralled. I'd say it's more like mach 10." The Jake Henry and Bill Jolliff band includes:
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Jake Henry, who has come beyond the days of "enforced" practice and is now tightly focused in his musical apprenticeship. His precocious mandolin chops have placed him on stage with such luminaries as David Grisman and Ricky Skaggs. According to well-known bluegrass mandolin players four times his age and more, he's definitely a "hard act to follow." 2003 adendum: Local bluegrass fans have been watching Jake grow up and mature. His voice is stronger, his stage presence more comfortable and confident. A year ago, Jake was phenominally good and, like all kids, played "the faster, the better." His music has matured along with him. His chops are cleaner, sharper, more polished. And that breathtaking speed? I'd say it's more like Mach 15 and rising these days. |
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Bill Jolliff, a professor at George Fox University by trade, is a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who came by his music through the folk process: listening to one grandmother's guitar and the other grandmother's phonograph. A testament to his genius is the fact that he assigned the mandolin to Jake. In his efforts to be humble, he claims it was only a practical consideration since he could teach Jake how to play. I gotta' tell you . . . he's some teacher! |
![Louanne Fugal - No Photo Available]()
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Louanne Fugal (sorry, no photo available at this time), keeps the four-members of The Jake Henry and Bill Jolliff band in time, driving out the rhythm and beat on her upright bass. She is well known and respected in the bluegrass community for her solid performance and good nature. Watching Louanne is a treat . . . a real "feel good" experience . . .you just know she loves the music she's sharing and you will, too. |
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Steve Blanchard rounds out the quartet with guitar . . . the mainstay and melody for all bluegrass. Banjo and mandolin sing over the top of the solid music provided by the guitar and bass. Steve's a songwriter and cowboy at heart and his own band, "Steve Blanchard and the Open Range" keeps him busy when he's not performing with Jake Henry and Bill Jolliff. |
Jake Henry and Bill Jolliff frequent churches and benefits, so keep an eye and an ear open to opportunities for watching them perform. You can always drop them an email at wjolliff@georgefox.edu for more information, scheduled events or to book them for your event.
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