Jake La Botz's tumultuous upbringing, marked by juvenile delinquency and punk rock, served as a precursor to his eventual immersion in the blues, as he learned from the last of Chicago's pre-war era bluesmen. This formative experience set the stage for a life of music, as La Botz traveled across the United States, his guitar in tow, until he arrived in Hollywood, where an unlikely acting career began to take shape.
Following a thirty-year-old stint with heroin, La Botz turned to Buddhist meditation and became a practitioner and teacher. He also found solace in gospel music, frequenting the Greater Mt. Zion Church in South Central L.A. and steeping himself in the genre. Since then, La Botz has been crafting his unique brand of Gospel-noir Americana, with its eccentric stories, characters, and underlying spiritual messages culminating on his latest album, Hair on Fire.
Throughout his career, La Botz has amassed a diverse array of credits, including over twenty film and TV appearances. Notable roles include stints on True Detective, Rambo, and On the Road, with his most recent film, D.O.A., co-starring fellow musician John Doe from the punk band X.
Beyond his work in music and acting, La Botz is also a prolific writer, with short fiction pieces published in esteemed literary magazines such as The Inquisitive Eater, The Berlin Review, and Third Wednesday. Several books are currently in the works, including a collection of short stories, a novella, and a novel.
Esteemed actor and fan Steve Buscemi has publicly praised La Botz, stating, "From the first time I heard him playing guitar and singing his songs in a smoky bar on La Brea and Sunset, I became a devoted fan of Jake La Botz."
