Studio guitarist Randy Jacobs recalls the reaction from his management five years ago when he got off the road with Was (Not Was) and announced he wanted to do a solo album.
"They said, `Maybe you should think about getting a day job,' " Jacobs said. "I was crushed."Now, after recording with Orquestra Was, Seal, Bruce Hornsby, Tears for Fears, Bonnie Raitt, Paula Abdul and Was (Not Was), Jacobs has his solo project - the Boneshakers - with longtime friend and ex-autoworker Sweet Pea Atkinson on vocals.
The Boneshakers' bluesy "Book of Spells" (Pointblank/Virgin) has just been released. The band, which also includes Jeff Young (keyboards), Trent Stroh (bass) and Denny Weston (drums), appears May 21 and 28 at the newly reopened Mint in Los Angeles.
Jacobs said he got Atkinson involved in the 'Shakers after the singer called and jokingly said, "Nobody wants to see a 50-year-old Jodeci."
- Fred Shuster