In 2020 and early 2021, the Peale participated in the Lexington Market Public History Initiative in an effort to collect stories and memories about the world-famous Lexington Market as the market itself prepared for a redesign and reopening. The initiative’s core partners were Baltimore Heritage, Baltimore Public Markets Corporation, Lexington Market, Inc., Market Center Community Development Corporation, Seawall, and the Peale, and the work was partially enabled by a Pathways Grant from the Maryland Center for History and Culture. This project was financed in part by the Maryland Center for History and Culture’s Thomas V. “Mike” Miller History Fund.
Bob Jacobson(00:00): I am one of many people who've performed music at Lexington Market with a quartet called Sounds Good. And I have to say as a musician, I don't think I've ever worked as hard anywhere else as I've worked at Lexington Market, and I'm trying to figure out why that is. I think it's because the patrons there, the shoppers, really know their music and they really expect their music to be good, and you really work hard for them. We just played two sets each time, I think it was, and it was really physically taxing, but fun.
Bob Jacobson(00:42): One of those times with my group, I wrote a song about Lexington Market, and I'm going to attempt to sing it here. It's called World Famous Lexington Market, which is I think what it says on the sign outside. It's kind of a shuffle blues song. Here goes.
Bob Jacobson(01:04): (singing)
Bob Jacobson(01:05): Then there are solos by the saxophone and guitar player, and then . . .
Bob Jacobson(01:35): (singing)
Bob Jacobson (01:35): Some of that was foods that I enjoy there. Some of that was made-up foods that I don't think they actually have there. I don't think they have bagels and lox there, but I'm not sure. Okay. And I love the place and just wanted to dedicate a little song to it.
Bob Jacobson(02:44): I know other musicians who've played there. I've been there as a listener myself many times, and sometimes it was musicians I knew. Sometimes it was musicians I didn't know. I know I heard a public school chorus there once at holiday time. There've been blues bands there that I wasn't familiar with, but you know, I definitely know a number of other musicians who've played there, and hopefully they can tell some stories also.
Bob Jacobson(03:14): There was a very skinny lady who used to dance there when we were playing, and they had security guards who discouraged dancing, but she would kind of slip in her thing when they weren't looking, and she was a great dancer. I have a photo of her. Unfortunately, I don't know her name.
Asset ID: 9108
Photo courtesy of Bob Jacobson
