John Jackson (blues musician)

John Jackson (February 24, 1924 – January 20, 2002)[1] was an American Piedmont blues musician. Music was not his primary activity until his accidental "discovery" by the folklorist Chuck Perdue in the 1960s. Jackson had effectively given up playing in his community in 1949.

Life and career

John H Jackson[1] was born into a musical family in Woodville, Virginia, and learned to play the guitar at an early age. He moved to Fairfax, Virginia, in his twenties, where he worked as a gravedigger, among other jobs.[2]

His first recordings were released in the early 1960s by Arhoolie Records.[2] He visited Europe several times, played at folk music festivals, and also recorded for Rounder Records and Alligator Records.[2] He also appeared around Washington, D.C., with the Travelling Blues Workshop, which included Jackson, Archie Edwards, Flora Molton, Mother Scott, and Phil Wiggins and John Cephas.[3]

Jackson died in 2002 of liver cancer in Fairfax Station, Virginia, at the age of 77.[1]

Jackson and his wife, Cora Lee Carter Jackson, had six boys and one girl. He was preceded in death by Cora Lee (1990) and by their sons John Jackson Jr. (1978), Ned Jackson (1978), and MacArthur Jackson (1996). Two of his remaining sons died after him: Lee Floyd Jackson (2006) and Timothy Jackson (2008). His daughter, Cora Elizabeth (Beth) Johnson, and his son James Edward Jackson still live in the Fairfax area.

In January, 2011, Jackson was nominated in the categories Blues Album and Live Performance Album at the 10th Annual Independent Music Awards.[4]

A historic marker noting the location of Jackson's birthplace was erected by the state of Virginia in Woodville in 2005.[5]

Discography

Albums

  • Don't Let Your Deal Go Down (1970)
  • Step It Up and Go (1979)
  • Deep in Bottom (1990)
  • Country Blues & Ditties (1999)
  • Front Porch Blues (1999)
  • Rappahannock Blues (2010)

References

  1. 1 2 3 Pearson, Barry Lee. "John Jackson: Biography". AllMusic.com. Retrieved 2015-09-07.
  2. 1 2 3 Russell, Tony (1997). The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray. Dubai: Carlton Books. p. 1222. ISBN 1-85868-255-X.
  3. ↑ Seida, Linda. "Archie Edwards: Biography". Allmusic.com. Retrieved September 15, 2011.
  4. ↑ "John Jackson". Independentmusicawards.com. Retrieved 2015-09-07.
  5. ↑ "John Jackson—Traditional Musician Marker". Retrieved 12 May 2016.
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