John Jackson (blues musician)
Encyclopedia
John Jackson was an American
Piedmont blues
musician; his music did not become primary until his accidental "discovery" by folklorist
Chuck Perdue in the 1960s. He had effectively given up playing for his community in 1949.
, United States
into a musical family, he learned to play as a boy before moving in his twenties to Fairfax
, where he had a day job as a gravedigger
, one of many jobs he performed.
His easy-swinging guitar
and strongly accented singing were first heard outside of his locality on the early 1960s albums for Arhoolie
. He visited Europe
several times, played at folk
festivals
, and also recorded for Rounder
and Alligator Records
. He also appeared around Washington, D.C.
with 'the Travelling Blues Workshop', which included Jackson, Archie Edwards
, Flora Molton, Mother Scott, Phil Wiggins and John Cephas
.
Jackson died in 2002 of liver cancer
in Fairfax Station, Virginia
, at the age of 77.
Jackson had six boys and one girl with his wife Cora Lee Carter Jackson. He was preceded in death by his wife Cora Lee (1990), and his 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 James Edward Jackson still live in the Fairfax, Virginia area.
In January, 2011, Jackson was nominated in the Blues Album and Live Performance Album categories for the 10th Annual Independent Music Awards.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Piedmont blues
Piedmont blues
Piedmont blues refers primarily to a guitar style, the Piedmont fingerstyle, which is characterized by a fingerpicking approach in which a regular, alternating thumb bass string rhythmic pattern supports a syncopated melody using the treble strings generally picked with the fore-finger,...
musician; his music did not become primary until his accidental "discovery" by folklorist
Folkloristics
Folkloristics is the formal academic study of folklore. The term derives from a nineteenth century German designation of folkloristik to distinguish between folklore as the content and folkloristics as its study, much as language is distinguished from linguistics...
Chuck Perdue in the 1960s. He had effectively given up playing for his community in 1949.
Life and career
Born in John H Jackson in Woodville, VirginiaWoodville, Virginia
Woodville is an unincorporated community in Rappahannock County, Virginia, United States. It is located in the southern part of the county.-Notable residents:*Eugene McCarthy, politician *James J...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
into a musical family, he learned to play as a boy before moving in his twenties to Fairfax
Fairfax, Virginia
The City of Fairfax is an independent city forming an enclave within the confines of Fairfax County, in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Although politically independent of the surrounding county, the City is nevertheless the county seat....
, where he had a day job as a gravedigger
Gravedigger
A gravedigger is a cemetery worker responsible for digging graves used in the process of burial.-Fossors:Fossor or Fossarius , from the Latin verb fodere 'to dig', referred to grave diggers in the Roman catacombs in the first three centuries of the Christian Era...
, one of many jobs he performed.
His easy-swinging guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and strongly accented singing were first heard outside of his locality on the early 1960s albums for Arhoolie
Arhoolie Records
Arhoolie Records is a small record label run by Chris Strachwitz. The label was founded by Strachwitz in 1960 as a way for him to record and publish previously obscure "down home blues" artists such as Lightnin' Hopkins, Snooks Eaglin and Bill Gaither...
. He visited Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
several times, played at folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
festivals
Music festival
A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...
, and also recorded for Rounder
Rounder Records
Rounder Records, originally of Cambridge, Massachusetts, but now based in Burlington, Massachusetts, is a record label founded in 1970 by Ken Irwin, Bill Nowlin and Marian Leighton-Levy, while all three were still university students...
and Alligator Records
Alligator Records
Alligator Records is a Chicago-based independent blues record label founded by Bruce Iglauer in 1971.Iglauer started the label with his own savings to record and produce his favorite band Hound Dog Taylor & The HouseRockers, whom his employer, Bob Koester of Delmark Records, declined to record...
. He also appeared around Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
with 'the Travelling Blues Workshop', which included Jackson, Archie Edwards
Archie Edwards
Archie Edwards was an American Piedmont blues guitarist, who in a sporadic career spanning several decades, worked variously with Mississippi John Hurt, Skip James, and John Jackson. His best known tracks included "Saturday Night Hop", "The Road is Rough and Rocky", and "I Called My Baby Long...
, Flora Molton, Mother Scott, Phil Wiggins and John Cephas
Cephas & Wiggins
Cephas & Wiggins was an American acoustic blues duo, composed of guitarist John Cephas and harmonica player Phil Wiggins . They were known for playing Piedmont blues.- History :...
.
Jackson died in 2002 of liver cancer
Hepatocellular carcinoma
Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common type of liver cancer. Most cases of HCC are secondary to either a viral hepatitide infection or cirrhosis .Compared to other cancers, HCC is quite a rare tumor in the United States...
in Fairfax Station, Virginia
Fairfax Station, Virginia
Fairfax Station is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, ZIP code 22039. The population as of the 2010 Census was 12,030. As a suburb of Washington, DC, it is a bedroom community for many who work in the federal government.-Averages:...
, at the age of 77.
Jackson had six boys and one girl with his wife Cora Lee Carter Jackson. He was preceded in death by his wife Cora Lee (1990), and his 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 James Edward Jackson still live in the Fairfax, Virginia area.
In January, 2011, Jackson was nominated in the Blues Album and Live Performance Album categories for the 10th Annual Independent Music Awards.
Albums
- Don't Let Your Deal Go Down (1970)
- Deep In Bottom (1990)
- Country Blues & Ditties (1999)
- Front Porch Blues (1999)
- Rappahannock Blues (2010)