Jennie Knaggs
Jennie Knaggs
Jennie Knaggs is best known as a singer, songwriter, and
multi-instrumentalist based in Detroit, Michigan. She has
performed extensively on the streets and stages of
Europe and the USA performing a wide range of musical
styles. Former projects include the Swedish political
street theatre troop, Skramselhika; pop Americana with a
cappella quartet Invisible Hands; New Wave operas with
The Atlantian Initiative based in Berlin, and The Burning
Man Opera based in San Fransisco, California, and
several traditional country groups based in the US and
abroad.

She earned her BA in Performing Arts and Community
Development from Antioch College in 2001, a degree
focused on the use of art, music and theatre as a tool for social change. Within this program she
spent three months in central and southern Appalachia studying the culture and traditional
music of the region. Following her degree, Jennie taught playwriting, puppetry and performance
to youth ages 5 to 18, and wrote and performed scripts for sexual education programs
presented in public schools in Michigan.

From 2007 – 2008 Jennie held residence at The Bohemian National Home, a music performance
co-operative in Detroit, Michigan. There she assisted in hosting musicians from around the world
who specialize in free jazz, experimental music, and rock and roll.

Current music projects include Lac La Belle, a trio performing various styles of Americana,  
including old-time, cowboy yodeling, and western swing, alongside original tunes influenced by
the traditional American song cannon. Lac La Belle recently released their first full length record,
and has completed two US tours in support.

A full length album is soon to be released with her original rock band, I, Crime. As guitarist,
vocalist and songwriter for the group, the four piece have been touring the USA in support of
their self-released EP, “Get The Knife”, and their 7 inch single, “Dove Skin Gloves”, released by
Woodbridge Records.

Jennie also performs as a back up vocalist and percussionist in the ten piece Nigerian pop
group, Odu Afrobeat Orchestra. Based in Detroit, the group is led by Adeboye Adegbenro of
Nigeria, former bandmate to Fela Kuti, the father of Afrobeat.

She has a bi-monthly residency singing solo at D’Mongo’s Speakeasy downtown Detroit, and will
be performing as the artist in residence this summer at The Art Monastery in Calvi ‘dell Umbria,
Italy.

She is the 2000 Hollerin' Champion of Wise County, Virginia and Letcher County, Kentucky, and
one day she will hitch back south to claim her prize.