BILL JACOBSON (1957-2010)

Western Music Association
Co-Founder, Makes His Last Ride

Bill Jacobson passed away this week after a brief illness. Bill was a founding member of the Western Music Association. At the initial meeting in Las Vegas in 1988, volunteers were needed to launch a publication that would pick up where the Sons of the Pioneers newsletter left off. It would broaden the scope of coverage to include new music releases, articles of historical interest, and help bring together musicians and fans who were interested in preserving and continuing Western music. Bill Jacobson & Mary Rogers volunteered. As Gary McMahan says, Bill fanned the embers when Western music had started to fade, until there was a small flame and Western music could take hold again.

Until Bill had brain surgery and his illness took its toll, leading to his retirement from involvement in Western music activities, he was instrumental in spreading the word about Western music, both classic and contemporary. With their journal, ‘Song of the West,' Bill and Mary set the standard and led the way for the WMA to launch publications that gradually developed a professional look that has helped promote the image of the WMA. He was talented and very knowledgeable, but more importantly, he was a good guy.

His memorial service is Thursday, February 4th at 12:30 PM at the Allnutt Funeral Home in Fort Collins, CO.