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Musical Notes
Remembering John Jackson
(1924
- 2002)
This
January marks the tenth year since the passing of folk-blues guitar
hero John H. Jackson. Born in western Virginia in Rappahannock
County, John was raised by parents who were musically talented – his
mother playing the harmonica and accordion, and his father playing
the guitar, banjo, and mandolin. John’s father tried to teach him
the guitar, but John eventually learned more by listening to records
from such notables as Mississippi John Hurt, Blind Lemon Jefferson,
Jimmie Rodgers, Uncle Dave Macon, and the Carter Family. The style
he developed encompassed not only the sounds of the delta blues, but
of folk ballads, country music, ragtime, and more.
John
played locally for a time in the 40’s, but being a gentle man by
nature, was disturbed by the violence he occasionally witnessed
during performances at local drinking houses. After one bad brawl
where his guitar was destroyed when his brother grabbed it to use as
a shield, he decided to call it quits on his musical career (though
the incident later inspired his song “Why I Quit Playing Guitar”).
With the deepening economic woes following WWII, John moved to
Fairfax, Virginia in 1948 and took a job as a handyman on a dairy
farm.
In
1960 (now working as a gravedigger), John picked up a used guitar
for a paltry sum just to amuse himself. While playing one day to
entertain some children, the postman walked by and implored John to
give him some lessons. They arranged to meet at a local gas
station, where on one such meeting John was overheard by Chuck
Perdue (then founder of the fledgling Folklore Society of Greater
Washington). At the height of the burgeoning folk music craze,
John’s career quickly took off again.
There’s much more to say about John’s life and his impact on other
musicians (including RHFC former president Ray Kaminsky, and
Impresario Extraordinaire Ron Goad!). To that end, click
HERE
see the full article written by Larry Benicewicz for
BluesArt after John’s passing
in 2002. This article was the basis for much of the information
presented here, and I want to thank Friedrich “Fritz” Svacina at
BluesArt for permission to use the article.
Open Mike & More at ArtSpace – January 13th
ArtSpace Herndon
will be home to an evening of music, song, and dance on Monday,
January 13th starting at 7pm. The event is sponsored by
RePurposeIt LLC & The Herndon Towne Square Singers.
Refreshments will be provided, and interested performers should
register online for a $5 registration fee ($10 after January 9th).
For more information, contact MC Williams at
(540)454-5816,
or ‘C’ Culpepper at (703) 415-6218. Click
HERE
for detailed
event info and/or to register
DC Blues Society - 1st
Sunday Jams
If you didn't already
know, the DC Blues Society (DCBlues.org)
hosts open jams on the first Sunday of every month. The jams
are held 4-8pm at the American Legion Post, Fenton and 905 Sligo
Avenue, Silver Spring, MD. You do not need to be a member to
come and jam, and players of all experience levels are welcome.
FSGW Mid-Winter
Festival - February 4th
The Folklore Society of
Greater Washington will be holding their Winter Mini-Fest from
Noon-10:30pm on February 24th at the Park Middle School, 7611 Piney
Branch Rd. in Takoma Park, MD. Morris dancers and banjo
pickers, contra dancers and fiddlers, balladeers and blues singers
are all set to perform. Folks of all ages are welcome to listen,
dance and join in the music-making and fun. Find your calendar and
circle the date. Regardless of the weather, it'll be hot!!
Additional info is available at
fsgw.org
Focus Songwriting
Workshop - February 19th
Focus presents folk
singer-songwriter Bob Franke on Sunday, Feb. 19, at 7 p.m. at Church
of the Resurrection, 2280 N. Beauregard St., Alexandria, VA 22311.
Tickets are $18 general, $15 in advance at
www.focusmusic.org. Info:
703-501-6061. That same weekend, Franke will conduct a two-session
songwriting workshop, also at Church of the Resurrection. The
workshop ($60 general, discounts are available) will be held
Saturday, Feb. 18, from 1:30 to 4 p.m., and Sunday, Feb. 19, from 2
to 4:30 p.m.
DC
Bluegrass Festival – February 24th & 25th
Tickets are on sale for
the DCBU-hosted 3rd Annual DC Bluegrass Festival, at the
Holiday Inn in
College Park, MD. Confirmed performers for the event
include The Boxcars (winners of 4 awards at the 2011 IBMA awards
show), and Sierra Hull (nominated for 2011’s IBMA Emerging Artist if
the Year, and also for Mandolin Player of the Year). Info on
additional performers will be updated on the DCBU website:
DCBU.org
Classified Ads
FOR SALE:
Marshall Valvestate tube Amp AVT-50H with twin 15 speaker cab.
$300.Zoom PS-04 Palmtop Studio Digital Recorder with power
supply,Manual and Mic $80. Electric 6 string Guitar pickup with pods
and input jack $40. 540-349-2938
FOR SALE: Archtop Guitar Kalamazoo by Gibson 1930 model
FK-360 low action $1000. Crate G40XL Guitar Amp $80. 540-349-2938
WANTED: Your old guitar strings! The Second Strings Project
has distributed over 10,000 sets to the world’s most depressed
regions. Send complete sets only to Kevin Deame, 28 Ladd, Ellington,
CT 06029
Noteworthy Events:
Born This Month:
1/1/1942 – “Country” Joe McDonald
1/2/1936 – Roger Miller
1/3/1945 – Stephen Stills
1/6/1924 – Earl Scruggs
1/9/1942 – Joan Baez
1/10/1943 – Jim Croce
1/12/1905 – Woodrow Maurice “Tex” Ritter
1/19/1939 – Phil Everly
1/20/1889 – Huddie Ledbetter a.k.a. “Leadbelly”
1/21/1941 – Richie Havens
1/27/1930 – Bobbie “Blue” Bland
Quote
for the Month
"You
can't always write a chord ugly enough to say what you want to say,
so sometimes you have to rely on a giraffe filled with whipped cream"
~
Frank Zappa
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