Susan Jacks Remembers "Which Way You Goin' Billy?"
I first met Susan Jacks (then Susan Pesklevits) on the set of Let’s Go, Vancouver’s weekly contribution to the CBC-TV series Music Hop. I co-hosted with Fred Latremouille. The show allowed Canadian talent to get exposure from coast-to-coast on television. Susan was a wonderfully talented, stunningly beautiful lady with a voice like silk. Susan married and divorced another Let’s Go performer, Terry Jacks, but in between they created some of Canada’s most memorable hit records as the Poppy Family. Terry was inducted into the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame in 2004 and Susan was inducted in 2010. 50 years ago this week, the Poppy Family’s “Which Way You Goin’, Billy?” reached #1 on music trade magazine Cashbox and #2 on Billboard (right behind The Beatles' The Long And Winding Road). It was Vancouver's first million-seller! Susan Jacks remembers how the song's title came about.