It's ironic that the group that epitomized Canada's flowers and beads scene almost didn't happen, as it was always expected Terry Jacks would follow in his family's footsteps and get into some form of construction or architecture field. But while with The Chessmen, who laid claim to a string of mid 60s singles for both London and Mercury's labels, three of which cracked a local radio station's Top 10, he met future wife, and Saskatoon native, Susan Pleskevits.

They began performing as a folk duo and became staples of the Vancouver scene while making treks around the province and into Washington State. After getting married, it wasn't long before they augmented their sound by adding Bob Nelson on guitars, and for a fresh sound, native Indian Satwant Singh on percussion. They continued throughout Vancouver playing their own interpretations of covers while Jacks and Pleskevits continued working on their own material.

Terry was still under contract to London Records during this time and had controlling interest of the band's musical direction. In the late fall of '68 he convinced reps to release a pair of singles the band recorded on a shoe string budget. Although both got local airplay, neither "Beyond The Clouds" or "What Can The Matter Be," or the respective b-sides, "Free From The City " or "Evil Overshadows Joe" made an impression. But later that same year the band released their first full album, WHICH WAY YOU GOIN' BILLY, with Terry producing and writing all the material. A mix of folk and pop with East Indian rhythms and the occasional classical string piece compliments of the London Symphony Orchestra, the album was 12 songs (including the four tracks from the previous two singles) of harmonies, held together with Susan's soon to be unmistaken vocal distinction. Blending moody soft pop with light psychedelia, they struck a vein of honest melancholy that made sadness sound sensual. Their breakthrough single was the title track, which went on to score #1 in Canada (the biggest selling Canadian single at the time) and #2 on Billboard south of the border. With the unreleased "Endless Sleep" as the b-side, the song eventually helped sell over 2 1/2 million copies worldwide and earned The Poppy Family four Junos that year, including best produced single. "That's Where I Went Wrong" was the next single, with different versions recorded for Canadian and American release, and climbed to #9 in Canada. "Shadows On My Wall" followed, reaching #8 on the adult contemporary chart at home. "Endless Sleep" was repackaged as a single on its own, but failed to chart on either side of the border. The album, meanwhile fared much poorer than the title track, only peaking at #22 on Canada's charts and failing to make the top 40 in the US.

But Terry was increasingly becoming unhappy on the road, and the band began shaving off some of its excessive date schedule. They returned in 1971 with POPPY SEEDS, which for all intents and purposes was now just the husband and wife team, accompanied by session players. Terry only wrote half of the 12 tracks this time, and the album only made it to #12 in Canada, not charting at all in the US, although the singles "Where Evil Grows," the lead-off "No Good To Cry" and "Good Friends" all cracked the top 40 in Canada. Other noteable tracks included "I Started Loving You Again" by Merle Haggard and a remake of Tom Slater's "Living Too Close To The Ground."

The band received a bigger push from the growing exposure they were getting on TV variety programs, including Kenny Rogers' new show "Rollin' On The River." But by this point Terry had grown weary of the band concept, and instead wanted to push his own solo career, as well as Susan's. If The Poppy Family's name could help, all the better. In 1970 WHICH WAY YOU GOIN' BILLY? was re-released, as the first of what would be numerous records billed as The Poppy Family featuring Susan Jacks.

In '73, Terry and Susan divorced, shortly after the release of both of their first solo albums. The Poppy Family songs had made a number of compilation albums' lists from day one, but Terry continued the Poppy Family name for several years after their demise. He formed his own label, Goldfish Records, and began a series of compilations from The Poppy Family with Terry and/or Susan with A GOOD THING LOST in '76. Along with selections from the two albums, it also contained the previously unreleased "You Don't Know What Love Is," "I Thought Of You Again," and "Another Year, Another Day," and the US version of "That's Where I Went Wrong." A & M Records also released POPPY FAMILY'S GREATEST HITS in 1989. Like many albums before it, the jacket stated "featuring Susan Jacks." Many of Terry's albums over the years were only partially his solo recordings, as they too milked The Poppy Family name, as Terry Jacks and The Poppy Family (featuring Susan Jacks). Confused yet?

While Susan went on to score with several singles over the years, Terry also saw bigger success as a solo artist, including rewriting Jacques Brule's "Seasons In The Sun," which became a Canadian classic in '74. He also spent much of the decade lending a production hand for several other artists, including Chilliwack, Valdy and Susan Jacks, among others.