Biography

"Preacher" Jack 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 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.