Wood’s Tea founder dies
Burlington Free Press.com | Living
Rusty Jacobs, founder of the folk group Wood’s Tea Company, died Wednesday at his home in South Burlington. He was 56. The cause of death is pending, said band member and friend Howard Wooden.
Jacobs moved to Burlington to attend the University of Vermont and settled here. He was a rock ‘ n’ roll musician who became enamored of the Chieftans, a traditional Irish group and, influenced by their music, turned to traditional music in his own playing, Wooden said.
“Rusty was a master pennywhistle player and great rhythm guitar player,” Wooden said. “More than that, he was a personality. He had an engaging, soft soul. He was a gentle and peaceful man, and that came through on stage.”
Wood’s Tea Company is my brother’s band. I had the pleasure of meeting Rusty several times at gigs and at my brother’s home. He was a sweet man with a sparkling eye. I can hardly believe this news is true. Please read the linked article to learn more about this wonderful person.
technorati tags:Woods-Tea-Co, Rusty-Jacobs, death, obit, music, Vermont, folk
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Musings from Sumigirl 
September 9, 2007 at 7:49 pm
I turned on my TV and Wood’s Tea Company was on one of the local PBS stations. I had never seen or heard of them before. I thought the music was fun and sweet. It made me think of how growing up we often heard and sang such music. It was “American music”. I’ll be turning 56 in a couple of days, so I assume Rusty and the members of the band know how important this type of music was as a way to make social comment in the 60’s. I sometimes feel sad that we’ve lost touch with this American music. I think the younger generation misses something about America’s roots when they don’t know about this music. God bless Rusty, you and your family and friends.