Born: Nov. 27, 1980
Known for: Jackie Greene, a Curtis Park resident, has attracted national attention as a multifaceted singer-songwriter who plays guitar, keyboards and harmonica. He has legions of "Greeneheads," who follow him from show to show.
Background: Greene was born in Monterey on Thanksgiving Day and settled in Cameron Park at age 11. He lived with his mother, Karen, who once played the flute, and three younger siblings. Greene started to show promise as a musician at Oak Ridge High School in El Dorado Hills. A Led Zeppelin devotee, he sought out some of the Willie Dixon tunes covered by the famed British band and was floored by the music's gut-level directness. Greene has performed as an opening act for Los Lobos, B.B. King and Buddy Guy. By age 23, Greene had produced three albums, a DVD and toured extensively. Last year, he took an unexpected turn to rock and roll with the American Myth CD for the Verve Forecast/Universal label.
A highlight: Last August, Greene made a debut performance before a national television audience when he sang "So Hard to Find My Way" on "Late Night With Conan O'Brien."
In History's Spotlight profiles of Sacramento newsmakers were published originally in 2007 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of The Sacramento Bee. They were written by Anthony Sorci. Look for them every Sunday in Sac History Happenings.
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