The adventurous and groundbreaking singer-songwriter Jill Sobule has died. We heard this news like many of you late in the day on Thursday, May 2. Jill made 11 appearances on Mountain Stage, starting in 1995, most recently appearing in December of 2024, and she once performed alongside Julia Sweeny as The Jill & Julia Show. The photo below was taken by Brian Blauser of Jill backstage in Charleston, W.Va before her first appearance.
“Jill Sobule would be on the short list of people I’ve known who were most full of life,” said Mountain Stage co-founder and artistic director Larry Groce.
“She’d been coming to Mountain Stage for thirty years. Her last visit was during one of two 41st Anniversary shows we produced last December. She was proud and delighted that day to receive the Mountain Stage jacket we give to those who have made ten appearances (although she had really been on eleven times – we forgot to count when she was on with Julia Sweeney as “Jill and Julia”)
She was one of the sweetest, funniest, most honest, and talented people ever to visit us. I hope she knew we felt that way about her. I can’t believe she’s gone.”
The above performance of “Mexican Wrestler” is from her most recent appearance in December of 2024.
“Somewhere in New Mexico,” below, is from her “Jill and Julia” performance on the road in Grand Marais, Minnesota in 2013.