Jackie Wright, a.k.a. The Music Lady, has been a fixture in Santa Cruz County since 1970, when she moved to Boulder Creek. Always involved in the community, Jackie was on the board of directors at the Boulder Creek Theatre and helped to arrange shows that attracted Bay Area music professionals like Bill Graham and David Bromberg in joint efforts to save the venerable theatre. Well-known local entertainers Jill Croston and Skip Spence were regulars at Jackie’s bookstore, Now & Then Books, which was the first San Lorenzo Valley location to sell Bass tickets prior to the advent of Ticketron.

Jackie became more deeply involved in the music scene in the late 1970s, managing local groups such as Vis-a-Vis, Loose Ends, and The Benders. She booked musicians in a variety of venues, including the Veteran’s Hall, the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium, and the university, helping many musicians to gain a foothold in the county.

Although the gigs paid musicians more back then and business was lucrative, Jackie took a break from music to focus on raising her three children. After a nearly 20-year hiatus, Jackie’s love of music led her back into the business, but this time on a larger scale. In 2001, she established ‘The Music Lady’ with the dual goals of helping local musicians gain more visibility and of bringing people and communities together via music.

Jackie enjoys working with a variety of musicians, representing bands and individuals who play a diverse array of genres including blues, jazz, classical, and folk. She has booked the “Music in the Late Afternoon” shows for Moe’s Alley, where bands such as Sapo have headlined. She has done shows for the Windjammer, JJ’s Blues Club, and the Trout Farm among many others, featuring local talent like Sonny Boy, Harpin’ Jonny and the Primadons, the Kingsnakes, and the Simpson/Bates Jazz Ensemble. In coordination with local producer Tom Miller, she books shows at Don Quixote’s featuring key acts such as Mambo Tropical with Pete Escovedo.

As Jackie continues to expand her reach to clubs all over the Bay Area, San Jose, and Monterey, she stays true to her goals of helping to maintain a vibrant music scene in the local community and creating opportunities for talented musicians.