John Watterson has been performing the songs of Jake Thackray in pubs, clubs, and after-dinner venues across the UK for many years, and has staged several ‘Jake nights’ to sell out audiences in his home town of York.

His interest started when he met Jake in the 1970s when Jake was at the height of his performing career – ‘Jake put on a fantastic show and he was happy to stand with a pint during the interval and chat as if he were just another member of the audience –a thoroughly nice bloke’ John recalls.

Jake’s songs are exquisitely funny, satirical, sad, incisive, irreverent, witty and gloriously ‘un-PC’ – and sometimes all of the above at once. Jake was a one off, his poetry broke the rules yet worked beautifully, a true craftsman of the English language. His legacy of scores of songs continue to delight audiences of all ages today.