The Scott Joplin International Ragtime Foundation recognized the late, Glenn Jenks, as the 2024 recipient of its Lifetime Achievement Award. Following is text copied from https://www.americanpianomusic.com/post/glenn-jenks The link takes you to a page with much more info about Mr. Jenks.
Glenn Jenks was born in Boston, Massachusetts on February 9th, 1947. As a teen, he studied at the New England Conservatory with David DeLisle and went on to graduate Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in music from Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana.
In 1975, Jenks left his teaching position at a private school and decided to embark on a career as a solo performer of folk music and ragtime. During this time, he also started touring nationally with country music singer and humorist Jud Strunk, playing a wide variety of venues, including Las Vegas and the summer musical theater circuit where they were paired with distinguished acts as the Manhattan Transfer and Andy Williams.
By 1978, Jenks focused on a solo career and had his first recording debut a year later. He went on to produce nine other recordings for a variety of labels including Fretless, Stomp Off and his own Bonnie Banks Records. He was also producer of the popular Harvest Ragtime Review for eleven years.
As a performer, Jenks was known for his energetic playing, focusing mostly on traditional ragtime idioms. As a composer, he wrote wonderfully sensitive rags, sticking close to the traditional ragtime form, but blending in sophisticated contemporary harmonies. He wrote over 30 piano rags, a string quartet, a ragtime piano concerto and many non-ragtime compositions as well.
Jenks passed away in Maine on January 21st, 2016.
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