Preacher Jack profile picture

Preacher Jack

The Boston Boogie Woogie Piano Man

About Me

"Pictures From Life's Other Side"
Preacher Jack's New CD, available now at:
cdbaby.com/group/getcow
and iTunes


See More Preacher Jack Videos in the blog (or check them out at YouTube)
Welcome friends to this MySpace page, dedicated to the Legendary Boogie-Woogie Piano master (Boston's "Killer of the Keyboard") Preacher Jack (Coughlin) who recently turned 65 (working on 50 years in music) and is still pounding the keyboards much to the delight of old friends and new in the Greater Boston (Mass) area. You can find up to date concert listings/club dates, information on how to purchase Jacks music, get a message to Jack, and find a comprehensive history of this wonderful and gifted performer. Also, since Jack is a working musician he needs WORK - if you would like Jack to play your club, lounge, coffee house, stadium, birthday party, bar mitzva, or whatever pls contact me through this website and maybe we can work something out, it would be greatly appreciated. "Preacher" Jack Lincoln Coughlin was born Feb 12, 1942 and grew up in Malden MA (now residing in the lovely seaside town of Salem Ma). Known as much for his rambling, sometimes mind numbing, recitations and righteous holier-than-tho diatribes on life & love as for his brilliant "boogie-woogie" style piano playing, Jack has thrilled and mystified fans for well over 45 years with his often over the top performances and self taught country style and honky-tonk tales (Jack is also the possessor of an encyclopedic knowledge of classic honky-tonk, rockabilly and boogie-woogie.)
Now signed to Bill Hunt's Cow Island Music -- a new CD, Pictures From Life's Other Side, has just been released -- Jack has also recorded for Ken Irwin's Rounder Records and for Black Rose Records, which is run by Al Cocorochio (Jack's friend and former Manager). Influenced by people as diverse as The Hillbilly Bard Hank Williams to Liberace, from Mahalia Jackson to Jerry Lee Lewis, Jack's sets often reflected the mood he was in or (in most cases) WHATEVER came to his fingertips first.
Those with long memories won't soon forget his 9 year "residency" at the Upper Deck of the Shipwreck Lounge on Revere Beach Blvd in the 1970s (24 Bud bottles atop the piano), or his days at the Colonial in Lynnfield - George Thorogood sitting to Jack's right listening & watching intensely as Jack's famous left hand worked the keys, or his Blue Star days in Saugus with Gary Cherone of Extreme and Van Halen fame chiming in on Gospel harmonies - Paul "Hurricane" Haven on drums, "Sweet" Ray Burnette on Guitar & occasionally Sandy Berman on tamborines (Sandy owned and ran Sandy's Jazz and Blues Revival club in Beverly Mass for many years), or his 7 years at Franks Steak House "entertaining" owners Billy & George Ravanis every Thursday & Friday night. Celebrity pop ins at Franks during Jack's 7 years there included David Maxwell, Grammy winning Blues star Sue Tedeschi, Dale Hawkins of Suzi Q fame, poet Jack Powers, photographer & raconteur Henry Horenstein, singer/songwriter and Nashville cat Tom Hambridge, the late great WMFO DJ and man about town Mikey Dee, Nuno Bettencourt of Extreme fame, scenesters Linda and Wayne Viens, Elvis Tribute stylist Bobby Fosmire, comedians Larry Lee Lewis & Bob Seibel, retired Boston Globe music critic Steve Morse, local Rockabilly legend Nate Gibson, critic/singer - songwriter/author Elijah Wald, Spider Jon Koerner, Letters to Cleo front women Kay Hanley, Rounder Records founder Ken Irwin, novelist Bill Nowlin, local hipster & BRO founder Mick Mondo and wife Eleanor Ramsay & Gary Cherone of Extreme, Tribe of Judah, and Van Halen fame.
For information about booking Jack for private parties, corporate functions, or to play your club or lounge pls contact Peter Levine @617-930-1121 ([email protected]).

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 5/11/2006
Band Website: cowislandmusic.com
Influences: Albert Ammons, Walter Valentino Liberace, Hank Williams Sr, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Mahalia Jackson, Abe Lincoln, Pete Johnson, Meade Lux Lewis, The Big E, Fats Domino ....
Sounds Like:

Picture's From Life's Other Side
Cow Island

Celebration of the Spirit
Black Rose Records

Return of the Boogie Man
Rounder

3000 Barrooms Later
Rounder

Preacher Jack at the Piano
Non-Stop Boogie

Rock and Roll Preacher

What the critics say:

...a must-see for lovers of roots music... To call him a one-of-a-kind artist is an understatement. -- Steve Morse, Boston Globe

...one of the great, wild masters of rock 'n' roll... a piano-pounding rocker who can range from classically pristine boogie-woogie to whiskey-soaked honky tonk to incandescent gospel. -- Elijah Wald

Witnessing a Preacher JACK set is equivalent to watching a Sunday morning Bible show hosted by Jerry Lee Lewis -- Mikey Dee

"Best religious experience for atheists" -- Boston Phoenix

Record Label: Cow Island Music
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

Preacher Jack/Boston Phoenix Best Music Poll

Hello Folks, Preacher Jack has been nominated for "Best Roots Act" in the 2008 Boston Phoenix Music Poll. I guess the good folks at the Phoenix were duly impressed with his Cow Island Music debut "Pic...
Posted by Preacher Jack on Sat, 15 Mar 2008 05:34:00 PST

The "Noise" (Magazine) LOVES Preacher Jack!!!!

The March 2008 issue of Noise Magazine (based locally here in Boston Mass and the only issue that is published online only for the year) reviewed Preacher Jack's new CD and loved it - Francis DiMenno ...
Posted by Preacher Jack on Tue, 11 Mar 2008 03:17:00 PST

Found on the Internet - and now a word from Mike McGuirk(Rhapsody.com)

Preacher Jack is one of the last true rock 'n' rollers. Since the 1950s, his pounding, raucous, piano-only versions of Hank Williams tunes, as well as Gospel standards and early rock 'n' roll classic...
Posted by Preacher Jack on Mon, 25 Feb 2008 10:17:00 PST

Metronome Magazine (& Doug Sloan) LOVES Preacher Jack!

Douglas Sloan from Metronome Magazine gave Preacher Jacks new CD "Picture's From Life's Other Side" (Cow Island Music) a wonderful review in the March 08 issue - Jack made "Doug's Top 5 for March 2008...
Posted by Preacher Jack on Fri, 22 Feb 2008 05:42:00 PST

Preacher Jack slowing taking over the Netherlands!

Cow Island Music CEO Bill Hunt reports that Preacher Jack is receiving airplay in the Netherlands on "105.7 Landslide". This is good news for the "Love Sick Blues Boy" Preacher Jack - his Cow Island ...
Posted by Preacher Jack on Mon, 18 Feb 2008 07:21:00 PST

Preacher Jack "Pictures From Lifes Other Side" First Review

Hello Folks, Here is the first review of Jack's new CD -  John Conquest at "3rd Coast Music" wrote this  . this is a monthly magazine that publishes out of San Antonio, TX. This ma...
Posted by Preacher Jack on Mon, 11 Feb 2008 10:43:00 PST

Preacher Jack at the MFO Studio 2/6/08

Preacher Jack sat in with WMFO DJ Shilo MacDonald on the "On the Town with Mikey Dee" show Wednesday night Feb 6 2008 and dazzled the genial host with some hot Boogie Woogie, some ...
Posted by Preacher Jack on Thu, 07 Feb 2008 11:23:00 PST

Preacher Jack Videos on YouTube

(Moved from the front page) ...
Posted by Preacher Jack on Mon, 07 Jan 2008 12:58:00 PST

Preacher Jack Dec 20 @Church

Preacher Jack - inspired recently by the 1962 Mahalia Jackson record "Songs For Christmas - Mahalia Jackson - Silent Night" - which he dug out of his archives - brought some Christmas cheer to th...
Posted by Preacher Jack on Fri, 21 Dec 2007 04:43:00 PST

Preacher Jack on CD Baby

Hello Folks,   Now you TOO can own the brand new Preacher Jack CD ("Picture's From Life's Other Side" - released on Cow Island Music) simply by following this here link - it will take you to a ma...
Posted by Preacher Jack on Mon, 03 Dec 2007 02:48:00 PST