Kevin Jacobsen OAM b.1937

Among the many artists who have toured under the Jacobsen banner are Slim Whitman, KISS, Simon and Garfunkel, Bob Marley, Shania Twain, Billy Joel, John Denver, Pearl Jam, Cyndi Lauper, Julio Iglesias, Barry Manilow, Meatloaf, Olivia Newton-John, Peter Allen, Sammy Davis Jr, and many more.

In 2003 the Jacobsen enterprise, which had been floated as a public company only the year before, suffered heavy losses from a disappointing Bruce Springsteen tour and the failure of the musical The Witches of Eastwick. Jacobsen attributed the combined loss of some $8.5 million to the impact of the Bali attacks and the Iraq war.

Happily, Jacobsen’s more recent ventures have prospered, most notably Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story on Stage. This adaptation of the much loved movie had its world premiere at the Theatre Royal in Sydney on 18 November 2004. It has gone on to international success.

Jacobsen is also involved in venue management through a private company, Jacobsen Venue Management (JVM). This currently controls the 13,000-seat Vector Arena in Auckland, the 12,000-seat Sydney Entertainment Centre and the 2000-seat Capitol Theatre in Sydney – on whose stage Jacobsen was the subject of This Is Your Life on 11 September 1997. He has also been involved in the management of the Convention and Exhibition Centres in Sydney and Brisbane, and the Newcastle Entertainment Centre.

Jacobsen has served a four-year term on the board of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and was influential in establishing the Triple J radio network, the most significant broadcaster of contemporary music in Australia. In 1985 he received the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) in recognition of his services to the performing arts. He has also garnered numerous ARIA, Mo and Green Room Awards for his theatrical productions. In 2002 Live Performance Australia honoured his contribution to the industry with its James Cassius Williamson Award.

Kevin Jacobsen’s brother, Col Joye, and his sister, Carol, are still actively involved in the family’s enterprises, as are the next generation of Jacobsens, Michael (Kevin’s son) and Amber (Col’s daughter). The family album also includes singer Sandy Scott (Carol’s husband), pop icon Little Pattie (Patricia Amphlett – who was married to Keith) and the Divynls’ Chrissie Amphlett (Little Pattie’s cousin). 

Frank Van Straten, 2007