Chuck Jacobs, Longtime Kenny Rogers Bassist, Dies at 76
Chuck Jacobs, who spent forty years touring and recording with Kenny Rogers, has died. He was 76 years old.
The news was shared by the Kenny Rogers Band Facebook page, which explained he
“We lost our friend and fellow ‘road warrior,’ Chuck Jacobs, this past Wednesday, January 7,” they shared. “Chuck played bass with Kenny Rogers from 1979 until Kenny’s final live performance in December of 2017. In all those years, he never missed a single show. Not one.”
Jacobs was born and raised in northern Michigan, where he began playing at just 10 years old. He was a member of “The Rainmakers” in the 1960s and scored regional hits before he moved on in his career. He worked for various groups in the Midwest, including The Dapps, a soul band on James Brown’s King Records label.
In November of 1972, Jacobs replaced Jaco Pastorius in Wayne Cochran & the C.C. Riders.
“When Jaco Pastorius decided to leave Wayne’s band, I auditioned and got the gig,” Jacobs shared on Facebook. “It was a bit daunting to come on the band and have to sight-read Jaco’s original songs, but I did the best I could. It was a kick-ass gig for sure!”
He then moved to New York City to play jazz in the Roy Meriwether Trio until he hooked up with Kenny Rogers in January 1979. He first appeared on the album Kenny and was with “The Gambler” singer until his retirement in 2018.
He also served as a consummate session musician in Nashville and Los Angeles, contributing to music by Lionel Richie, Dolly Parton, Smokey Robinson, Garth Brooks, Ray Charles, Alison Krauss, Wynonna Judd, and many others. He authored two instructional books: The Bottom Line and Bass Beginnings.
His work with Rogers, who died in 2020, was a career-defining gig.
“In 2018, Chuck and Don Gatlin had the idea to get the band back together. We did just that, and we’ve been grateful to keep Kenny’s legacy alive ever since,” the Kenny Rogers Band added. “Last Saturday, as we prepared for a show near Fort Lauderdale, Chuck wasn’t feeling well and was taken to the hospital. We played the show without him, just as he would have wanted. As the old cowboys used to say, ‘He died with his boots on.'”
Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Chuck Jacobs.
In his time with No Treble, Kevin has met hundreds of amazing bassists and interviewed icons like Jack Casady, Victor Wooten, Les Claypool, Marcus Miller, and more. He's a gigging bassist performing jazz in Northern Virginia and bluegrass with The Plate Scrapers up and down the East Coast. Kevin appreciates all genres of music, from R&B to metal and everything in between. Connect with Kevin on Facebook and check his performance schedule on his website.
