Biography
If there existed a Jimi Hendrix among country fiddlers, Tommy Jackson embodied that role. Square dance music likewise found its counterpart to Eric Clapton in Jackson, whose releases were snatched up by aspiring country fiddlers the moment they appeared throughout the late 1950s and early 1960s. The resulting obscurity into which he later faded, recalled today chiefly by fellow players, therefore stands as a particular misfortune. Between the close of the 1940s and the start of the 1960s he served as Nashville’s pioneering session fiddler and the genre’s most accomplished and sought-after violinist, contributing to discs by Hank Williams, Bill Monroe, and George Jones, among countless others. His influence ironically hastened his own withdrawal from the scene, as the wave of younger musicians he inspired left scant opportunities during his final decade, culminating in a quiet passing.
Born Thomas Lee Jackson in Birmingham, AL, he was carried to Nashville by his family before reaching his first birthday and absorbed the finest country sounds broadcast locally and featured on the Grand Ole Opry. George Wilkerson and the Fruit Jar Drinkers along with Arthur Smith’s Dixieliners ranked among his earliest enthusiasms. Though his father worked as a barber rather than a musician, he nurtured the boy’s talent; by age seven Tommy was performing fiddle tunes in neighborhood bars for spare change, and at twelve he joined tours alongside John Wright and Kitty Wells. He assembled the Tennessee Mountaineers and became a fixture on Nashville’s WSIX, then at seventeen joined Curly Williams and His Georgia Peach Pickers for Opry appearances. Military service interrupted this ascent when he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Force; from 1944 to 1945 he flew as a tail gunner in B-29 missions over the Pacific, receiving four Bronze Stars and an Air Medal.
Reentering civilian life, Jackson promptly resumed touring with Opry headliners yet soon tired of the road. In 1947 he aligned with producer Milton Estes and his WSM radio program, becoming a mainstay of Red Foley’s Cumberland Valley Boys and a regular presence on Foley’s broadcasts. Session calls multiplied, and Jackson supplied the memorable fiddle lead on Hank Williams’ 1947 “I Saw the Light” as well as later tracks including “Lovesick Blues.” He also recorded with Foley on sides such as “Satisfied Mind.” After the ensemble relocated to Cincinnati, OH, the musicians became fixtures at King Records, where Jackson accompanied Grandpa Jones, Cowboy Copas, and Hawkshaw Hawkins. Mercury issued his first solo recordings in the early 1950s, which found ready buyers; Dot Records signed him in 1953.
Over the ensuing decade he produced eleven albums and thirty singles that capitalized on the rising square dance craze. These efforts sold briskly and were studied closely by emerging fiddlers who regarded Jackson as a primary model. Departing Foley’s organization in 1954, he recorded with Ray Price and Faron Young while codifying the standard modern fiddle style used in country accompaniment. Throughout the 1960s he remained among the most active session players, appearing on hundreds of releases beyond his own. Although the square dance trend’s decline curtailed further solo output, demand for his studio work persisted.
By the 1970s Jackson confronted the unintended consequence of his stature: an oversupply of session fiddlers trained in his manner reduced available work. He ceased performing by the middle of the decade and passed away in 1979, recognized then only within Nashville circles and among Opry musicians who had once regarded him as a leading figure. Contemporary interest survives mainly among country music researchers. MCA’s acquisition of Dot Records has enabled compact disc reissues of his original solo catalog.
Born Thomas Lee Jackson in Birmingham, AL, he was carried to Nashville by his family before reaching his first birthday and absorbed the finest country sounds broadcast locally and featured on the Grand Ole Opry. George Wilkerson and the Fruit Jar Drinkers along with Arthur Smith’s Dixieliners ranked among his earliest enthusiasms. Though his father worked as a barber rather than a musician, he nurtured the boy’s talent; by age seven Tommy was performing fiddle tunes in neighborhood bars for spare change, and at twelve he joined tours alongside John Wright and Kitty Wells. He assembled the Tennessee Mountaineers and became a fixture on Nashville’s WSIX, then at seventeen joined Curly Williams and His Georgia Peach Pickers for Opry appearances. Military service interrupted this ascent when he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Force; from 1944 to 1945 he flew as a tail gunner in B-29 missions over the Pacific, receiving four Bronze Stars and an Air Medal.
Reentering civilian life, Jackson promptly resumed touring with Opry headliners yet soon tired of the road. In 1947 he aligned with producer Milton Estes and his WSM radio program, becoming a mainstay of Red Foley’s Cumberland Valley Boys and a regular presence on Foley’s broadcasts. Session calls multiplied, and Jackson supplied the memorable fiddle lead on Hank Williams’ 1947 “I Saw the Light” as well as later tracks including “Lovesick Blues.” He also recorded with Foley on sides such as “Satisfied Mind.” After the ensemble relocated to Cincinnati, OH, the musicians became fixtures at King Records, where Jackson accompanied Grandpa Jones, Cowboy Copas, and Hawkshaw Hawkins. Mercury issued his first solo recordings in the early 1950s, which found ready buyers; Dot Records signed him in 1953.
Over the ensuing decade he produced eleven albums and thirty singles that capitalized on the rising square dance craze. These efforts sold briskly and were studied closely by emerging fiddlers who regarded Jackson as a primary model. Departing Foley’s organization in 1954, he recorded with Ray Price and Faron Young while codifying the standard modern fiddle style used in country accompaniment. Throughout the 1960s he remained among the most active session players, appearing on hundreds of releases beyond his own. Although the square dance trend’s decline curtailed further solo output, demand for his studio work persisted.
By the 1970s Jackson confronted the unintended consequence of his stature: an oversupply of session fiddlers trained in his manner reduced available work. He ceased performing by the middle of the decade and passed away in 1979, recognized then only within Nashville circles and among Opry musicians who had once regarded him as a leading figure. Contemporary interest survives mainly among country music researchers. MCA’s acquisition of Dot Records has enabled compact disc reissues of his original solo catalog.
Albums
