History:

Jackie & Dave were a folk duo consisting of Jackie Robinson and Dave Schmidt. There is not much known about the duo, except Robinson and Schmidt shared vocals and Schmidt played guitar. The location of the group is unknown but it may be Michigan. Jackie & Dave only released one album, “Jackie And Dave” in 1968. Pressed by Century Records, only two copies have been found and are known to exist. 

The album is straight forward folk in a more coffeehouse direction with only one original written by Schmidt being performed. Schmidt played most of the lead and rhythm guitars on the album as well playing an occasional twelve string or electric guitar. The duo are accompanied by some local musicians on a couple tracks as well. These musicians include Loren Brand on six and twelve string acoustic guitars, Rich Scheffel on upright bass, and Randy James on Drums. Brand and Scheffel appear on three tracks each while James only appears on one. 

It is unclear what happened to this duo after the album was pressed. Due to the lack of known copies, it may be indicative of how truly obscure the duo was. Any info would be appreciated.

Review:

Jackie And Dave (Century Records, 1968?)

Rating: 6.5/10

Definitely not for everyone, but for true folkies like myself this is a treat. Mostly traditional / coffeehouse acoustic folk with some loner vibes here or there. Many standouts on this affair. The charming rendition of “I Learned From Leah” features Schmidt’s great double track vocal and pleasant guitar work. “Hang On To Dream” features a good dark vibe and a nice chord progression. “Lovin’ Sound” is the only electric (by this, I mean electric guitar and drums are featured) track on the album and it’s pretty good. Nice vocals, good drum work, and nice guitar especially towards the end of the song. There’s plenty of other goodies on this album, but the songs with additional backing, such as “For Lovin’ Me” and “In The Morning” drag the rating down. They do click on a fantastic rendition of “Song For Canada” (originally titled “Un Canadien Errant”) though.