Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Scott Jacobs. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Scott, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
I was fortunate to start singing for a living right out of college. I was in a vocal group (gospel) that was on a label and charting songs off of our albums. Being a songwriter, I would pitch my songs to the guys in my group and our producer when it came time to record a new album. The blessing of being on a label is that there are thousands of songwriters pitching really good songs to the label. On the flip side, the curse is that many of those writers are willing to sign over publishing rights to their songs in the hopes that the label will push their artists to record them. The label then has a vested interest in pushing an artist to record songs that they own the publishing on, rather than splitting the publishing rights with you or getting cut out of the publishing rights altogether. It can become very discouraging when you are an artist and you are forced to sell or perform someone else’s art, while given minimal opportunity to share what you feel are God given messages meant to encourage the masses.
Fortunately, one of our group members, also a writer felt the same way. We began to co-write regularly and before long we were convinced that we needed to leave the group, the label, and the industry we had dreamed of being a part of since we were kids.
We started “Commandment 11 Ministries” in 2005 and recorded our first album of original material independent of any label. As we continued to tour and perform our new songs, we were encouraged by the reception we were receiving around the country, however, something inside of us knew we had still not reached our true audience.
In 2007, after being encouraged by some close friends and family, we were given opportunities to visit and share our music in a couple of prisons and long term rehab facilities. Almost immediately we could see that much of what we were writing was resonating with inmates and addicts in profound and life changing ways. I had been touring and singing to audiences since the early 90’s, I had performed in arenas, concert venues, and churches that seated thousands, but never felt as energized or fulfilled as when we were in a prison or rehab center. Letters began pouring in from men on life sentences sharing what our visit meant to them as well as men and women in rehab who received renewed hope for what could be, all because of the message in a song we had written.
Often we approach our trade with a plan or a dream of what constitutes success, not aware that ultimately, our vision may take shape much differently than what we originally had planned. While I have convictions that are resolute, I have also learned to stay open handed because often times something, or someone, will come along and redirect our path. Often times, it ends up making the journey and the destination far more meaningful than what we set out to accomplish in the first place. In my experience it has little to do with money or fame, but simply the satisfaction of knowing you are living the life that you were called to live.
Scott, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I sang in choirs all through junior high and high school but started a band with some cousins and a couple friends from school when I was 16. I was the lead singer and the manager so I learned at an early age about marketing, promotions, budgets, and contracts. We would perform all across my home state of Pennsylvania on the weekends and then tour up and down the East Coast on summer and winter breaks throughout high school and college.
I was determined to make my living in music so I took advantage of every opportunity to continue to grow as a singer and songwriter. I studied voice from 16-32 and had a variety of teachers whose areas of expertise ranged from classical to gospel to pop music.
Our group would often be the opening act or on the same bill as nationally known bands in our industry. I used every one of those opportunities to network with other singers and songwriters so that when the time came I would be in the know when a job opened up with a group that toured full-time.
The strategy paid off because in the summer of 1998, after my junior year of college, I was offered a job to tour full-time with a group from North Carolina. From there I did a short stint singing in a theater in Myrtle Beach before ultimately being hired to be the lead singer for Mended Wings, the group I was with before we launched, “Commandment 11 Ministries.”
Have you ever had to pivot?
From 1992-2007, I was a road warrior. I loved seeing the country, meeting people, and sharing the songs God had given me to encourage their hearts. I was married to a beautiful girl who supported me and encouraged me as I pursued my calling. In late 2007 my son was born and sixteen months later my daughter came into the world. Those two events had a significant impact on my ability to be away from home for long periods of time. My priorities had changed, and for the better. In 2017 I started seriously praying about how to continue to do what I loved but on a more limited basis. In late 2018, I was offered a job as a Worship Director close to home at Horizon Church in Greenville, South Carolina, with the understanding that I would continue to tour and minister in prisons and rehabs part-time and then serve at the church in a part-time capacity. Unbeknownst to any of us, just a year later, the world would be rocked by Covid-19. After 28 years of touring, I was grounded, just like that. Prisons and rehabs were closed and I was left waiting for over two years to do what I loved most. By God’s grace, I was able to use that time to write, record, and release the seventh Commandment 11 album. I also filled up my spare time getting the opportunity to coach my son’s Varsity baseball team, another dream that I thought I left behind when I pursued a career in music.
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
Other than the Bible, “Don’t Waste Your Life” by John Piper has had the greatest impact on my life. When I left the music industry in 2004 for the unknowns of music ministry in prisons and rehabs, I’m sure a lot of people in my former circles thought I was crazy. I can honestly say that I have not regretted that decision one day since then. A lot of people will make a really good living using their gifts and talents. Some obtain fame and notoriety beyond what they ever hoped for. My conviction in 2005 was to stop living for riches and striving to make myself known and spend the rest of my life making Jesus Christ known while trusting Him to provide for the needs of my family. He has never once let me down. If God gives you the ability and opportunity to do something no one else or very few others are willing to do, do it with all your might, and he will make a way, and it’s a journey full of joy, peace, and satisfaction. None of which money can buy. There is a quote from Piper’s book that my father used to quote to me when I was a little boy that says, “a life once lived will soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last.”
Contact Info:
- Website: www.Commandment11.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Commandment11
- Twitter: @C11Ministries