2022 Deep Roots Fall Series – Jake & the Pearl St. Jumpers @ Airport Grocery

Jake and the Pearl Street Jumpers got their band’s name from the street they grew up on in Cleveland. “When I was in elementary school, in about the fifth grade, my friends and I were trying to do music. The majority of us lived on Pearl Street. I was the leader of the group, so we called ourselves Jake and the Pearl Street Jumpers.”

With access to music lessons in school and the exposure to music in the Pentecostal church he attended, Jake got a good background in music to help get a band started. “And we listened to the radio every chance we had,” Jake says. “We listened to every song by every artist, over and over again.”

“We are upbeat and we have fun, but there is no drinking or swearing on my stage. We have the cleanest band and the best attitude of any band I’ve ever seen, and that’s the reason we have been going for so long.”

Whether it’s in a smoky club, on a flatbed trailer, at a festival, or at a wedding reception, when Jake and the Pearl Street Jumpers take the stage, it’s a sure bet that the dance floor will be crowded. For over forty-five years, the band has played Motown and rhythm and blues tunes for thousands of people across the Delta and as far away as Chicago.