Local Spins spotlights the award-winning singer-songwriter who plays next week’s Nor-East’r festival. We also debut tracks from other Michigan acts, including Lee Emi, J. King Crayne and Michigander.
Embracing Non-Conformity: Jill Jack covers a lot of territory with all-star help on her upcoming release. (Courtesy Photo)
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Revered Detroit-area singer-songwriter Jill Jack relishes her memories of plunging into the music business as a fledgling artist nearly three decades ago, but remains just as passionate about releasing her 13th album later this year.
“I miss those days. … I didn’t know anything about the music business. Basically just writing. It was just coming out of me. I didn’t think about it,” Jack recalls. “So I do miss the newness of being a new artist like how I was in ’97 and just the vulnerability.
“But there’s a different vulnerability now because as you put out more and more albums, there’s always that question, ‘Is anyone going to listen? Is anyone going to care anymore?’ You constantly have to fight the demons off.”
More than 50 Detroit Music Awards and thousands of performances later, Jack has fought off those demons to record the 14-song “Wild Flower” at four different studios with an army of “powerhouse Michigan musicians from all over the state. It’s been incredible.”
Although the album won’t officially get released until Nov. 21 during a concert at Detroit’s Garden Theatre, Jack has been dropping a new single from the collection every month – a collection she says paints outside the lines with diverse stylings.
“The theme, I guess you could say, is not to conform,” says the Oxford-based artist whose music has mostly been categorized as folk-rock and Americana in the past, though she grew up listening to “every different kind of song you could imagine.”
“I approached this album so differently than my last 12 releases. It truly is about letting go, creating, coloring outside the lines, not playing it safe, trying not to worry about the outcome and just trusting in the process, believing the universe and God will take care of it.”
Consequently, “Wild Flower” (inspired by a Dolly Parton song) covers a lot of genres and musical territory: “It’s a risk, I think. I’ve got country on here. I’ve got folk on here. I’ve got rock. I’ve got pop. I’ve got blues, horns, pedal steel, you name it.”
She worked with different studios, different producers and different musicians to create songs ranging from the upbeat, dance-inspiring “Give Me That Beat Once Again” to the pop-hued paean to non-conforming, “Crooked Crown.” (Both tracks are featured in this week’s Local Spins Michigan Music Showcase; scroll down to listen to the radio podcast, with a video of her cover of “Soul Shine” here.)
VIDEO: Jill Jack, “Soul Shine”
A NEW ALBUM, MENTORING YOUNG ARTISTS, PLAYING NOR-EAST’R FEST
“It’s been exciting and that’s what I needed. The 13th album, you need a little boost to get through to the finish line,” she insists. “And so far, everybody’s been so receptive of every song I’m putting out there.”
For Jack, the roller-coaster ride of managing a music career has taught her a lot about the business, so much so that she’s formed a consulting company to help younger artists trying to navigate their way through the thicket.
“One of the things is trust your gut. You get a lot of people who come at you and say they can make you a superstar and take your money and don’t do anything,” she cautions. “I have signed up with three or four management things that just turned out terrible (and) where I picked myself back up and started doing it on my own again and it was just so much better.
“Another thing is balance. I spent probably the first 15, 20 yeaers just full throttle, and sometimes you can burn out and you love the love of performing, and it’s a scary thing to get to that point. So if you can find some balance in your life, it’s really important. Walk with nature, be with loved ones, have fun with friends and you’ll get ideas for songwriting through all that, and just really enjoy it and be yourself.”
Along those lines, “being yourself” for Jack has meant staying in Michigan her entire career, despite pressure to move to Nashville or New York or Los Angeles.
Feeling Grounded in Michigan: Jill Jack (Courtesy Photo)
“I’ve performed in those places, but there’s something in Michigan that I feel most grounded as a human being and it’s home,” she reasons. “Michigan is a huge melting pot of different kinds of music. … I was brought up in the Detroit area and I was definitely influenced by R&B songwriters. I think I was a sponge and took in all of it, even the punk rock, everything, just the edginess of the grit of Detroit and also the outskirts of Michigan, the beauty of Michigan.
“I think nature has a lot to do with what I do. It gives me energy. So yeah, I love Michigan.”
Jack, who grew up in Huntington Woods and attended Berkley High School, started playing guitar at age 9 after taking piano lessons, and found inspiration in the music of Carly Simon, James Taylor, Carole King, The Eagles, John Denver and others.
Since making a splash with her debut album, she’s opened for numerous national artists, including Bob Seger, Dan Fogelberg, Pat Benatar and Loretta Lynn – giving her an opportunity to tailor her shows to different audiences.
“I am versatile that way,” says Jack, noting that she performs solo, with a duo or trio, and with a full band – a band featuring drummer Ron Pangborn, bassist Dave Hendrickson, accordionist Mark Iannace, guitarist Johnny Rhoades and keyboardist Bernie Palo. A who’s who roster of Michigan musicians also will join in for the Nov. 21 release show.
“Obviously, having more people on the stage and that energy you get from the guys is just heaven to me. I love it,” she concedes, though stressing that she’s honed her solo shows over the years.
“I have a shtick. I have stories. I’m a great storyteller. A lot of my national openings, I had to do it solo. They wouldn’t hire a band. So I had to pull up my bootstraps and be strong and just go for it.”
Jack has a host of upcoming performances this summer, starting with her favorite music festival: Nor-East’r Music & Art Festival at the Oscoda County Fairgrounds in Mio June 13-14, where she’ll play multiple sets – joining several dozen other Michigan artists at the popular celebration. Scroll down to view the full festival schedule.
On June 17, she’ll play the Ferndale Library Music Series in Ferndale (where she lived for decades), with a performance July 16 at the Ann Arbor Art Fair in Ann Arbor and July 25 at the Charlevoix Venetian Festival. View her full schedule online at jilljack.com.
Beyond the spotlight on Jill Jack, this week’s edition of the Michigan Music Showcase featured fresh tracks from other Michigan artists: Lee Emi (aka Emilee Petersmark), New Troy, Michigander, Adam Kenyon, J. King Crayne, Quinlan Mauer, Sweet Dee & The Wild Honeys and Izzy Reign. Listen to the show below.
The Michigan Music Showcase airs at 11 a.m. Fridays and 5 p.m. Sundays on WYCE (88.1 FM) and online at wyce.org, and on Interlochen Public Radio at 7 p.m. Saturdays. Check out previous show podcasts online here.
PODCAST: Local Spins Michigan Music Showcase (6/5/26)
NOR-EAST’R MUSIC & ART FESTIVAL 2026: THE SCHEDULE
June 12-14 at Oscoda County Fairgrounds in Mio / Tickets available here
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