Jim Planck

Jim Planck has enjoyed social commentary folk music since the early ‘60s, when the lyrics of songs voiced a conscience for the times and brought a vision of hope for the future.

Then, as a teen and in the wake of a collapsed home life, he left school early and served a four-year hitch in the U. S. Marine Corps, including a tour of duty in Viet Nam, during which time his appreciation of what were then termed “protest songs” only increased.

Afterwards, as a civilian, a wide variety of jobs and locations were tried, but always unsuccessfully as Planck’s stubborn streak would surface to his detriment, and life became a blur of little purpose beyond daily struggles and escapism.

Finally, when he crossed paths with local journalism 16 years later, it was a match that allowed him both his freedom and the ability to perform a service to society, and from which vocation, after three respected decades, he retired in 2016.

Meanwhile, back in 2008, returning to his roots he had decided to put forth his own musical expression of social consciousness for current times, and two years later in 2010 released “All Creation,” a 10 song CD of original compositions which reflect that goal in eight of them, with the remaining two of biographical homage.

The album is intentionally without frills with no other performer, employing simple acoustic patterns and overlaying vocal harmonies to underscore lyrics that reflect the issues of the 21st century.

“Most of which are,” he says, “sadly, still the same ones that were abandoned at the end of the 60’s. I was kind of hoping somebody would have fixed this stuff by now, but it’s not too late.”

Planck has now, in 2018, once again picked up his pen, and is currently at work on material for another album.