Jump to content

George Jackson (songwriter): Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Wikifying clean-up
Perreonz (talk | contribs)
346 edits
No edit summary
Tags: Visual edit Mobile edit Mobile web edit
(84 intermediate revisions by 44 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{short description|American Rhythm & Blues and soul singer and songwriter}}
'''George Jackson''' (1936<ref>{{cite web|title=George Jackson Biography|url=http://www.artistdirect.com/artist/bio/george-jackson/448051|publisher=Artist Direct|accessdate=15 April 2013}}</ref> - April 14, 2013), was an [[United States|American]] [[Rhythm and blues|rhythm & blues]] and [[Soul music|soul]] singer and songwriter. He sang [[southern soul]] from the 1960s into the 1980s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/prolific-rock-and-soul-songwriter-george-jackson-dies-at-68-wrote-old-time-rock-and-roll/2013/04/14/9f0049c4-a55f-11e2-9e1c-bb0fb0c2edd9_story.html| title=Prolific rock and soul songwriter George Jackson dies at 68; wrote ‘Old Time Rock and Roll’| publisher=The Washington Post| date=April 15, 2013}}</ref>
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Infobox musical artist
⚫
| name = George Jackson
| image =
| image_size =
| birth_name = George Henry Jackson
| alias = Bart Jackson
| birth_place = [[Indianola, Mississippi|Indianola]], [[Mississippi]], U.S.
| birth_date = {{birth date |mf=yes|1945|3|12|}}
| death_place = [[Ridgeland, Mississippi|Ridgeland]], [[Mississippi]], U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|2013|4|14|1945|3|12|}}
| origin =
| instrument = vocals
| genre = [[Blues]], [[Rhythm and blues|R&B]], [[Rock and roll]], [[Soul music|Soul]]
| occupation = Songwriter, singer
| years_active = 1963–2000s
| label = [[Prann Records|Prann]], [[Goldwax Records|Goldwax]], [[Hi Records|Hi]], [[Decca Records|Decca]], Fame, [[MGM Records|MGM]], [[Malaco Records|Malaco]], Hep Me
| associated_acts = [[The Ovations]]
| website =
⚫
}}
'''George Henry Jackson''' (March 12, 1945 – April 14, 2013) was an American [[blues]], [[rhythm and blues]], [[rock and roll]]/[[Rock music|rock]] and [[Soul music|soul]] singer-songwriter. His prominence was as a prolific and skilled songwriter: he wrote or co-wrote many hit songs for other musicians, including "Down Home Blues", "[[One Bad Apple]]", "[[Old Time Rock and Roll]]" and "[[The Only Way Is Up]]". As a [[southern soul]] singer he recorded fifteen singles between 1963 and 1985, with some success.


==Biography==
==Biography==
Jackson was born in [[Indianola, Mississippi]], and moved with his family to [[Greenville, Mississippi|Greenville]] at the age of five.<ref name=legacy>[http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/clarionledger/obituary.aspx?n=george-h-jackson&pid=164296851&fhid=17542#fbLoggedOut "George H. Jackson Obituary", ''Clarion Ledger'', 18 April 2013]. Retrieved April 25, 2013</ref> He started writing songs while in his teens, and in 1963 introduced himself to [[Ike Turner]]. Turner took him to [[Cosimo Matassa]]'s studios in [[New Orleans]] to record "Nobody Wants to Cha Cha With Me" for his [[Prann Records|Prann label]], but it was not successful.<ref name=independent>[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/george-jackson-songwriter-who-penned-hundreds-of-soul-rock-and-rnb-tunes-8583563.html The Independent, ''George Jackson: Songwriter who penned hundreds of soul, rock and r'n'b tunes'', 23 April 2013]. Retrieved April 26, 2013</ref><ref name=larkin>[http://www.oldies.com/artist-biography/George-Jackson.html Colin Larkin, ''The Encyclopedia of Popular Music'', "George Jackson Biography", reprinted at oldies.com]. Retrieved April 26, 2013</ref> Jackson then traveled to [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]] to promote his songs, but was rejected by [[Stax Records|Stax]] before helping to form [[vocal group]] [[The Ovations]] with Louis Williams at [[Goldwax Records]]. Jackson wrote and sang on their 1965 hit "It's Wonderful To Be in Love", which reached no.61 on the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' [[Hot 100]] and no.22 on the [[R&B chart]].<ref name=allmusic>[http://www.allmusic.com/artist/george-jackson-mn0000645058 Biography by Ed Hogan at Allmusic.com]. Retrieved April 26, 2013</ref><ref name="whitburnr&b"/> He also wrote for other artists at Goldwax, including [[Spencer Wiggins]] and [[James Carr (musician)|James Carr]], and recorded with Dan Greer as the duo George and Greer. After the Ovations split up in 1968, he recorded briefly for [[Hi Records]], and also for [[Decca Records|Decca]] using the pseudonym Bart Jackson.<ref name=larkin/><ref name=malaco>[http://www.malaco.com/Catalog/Blues-R-B/George-Jackson/list.php George Jackson at Malaco Records] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130404013452/http://www.malaco.com/Catalog/Blues-R-B/George-Jackson/list.php |date=April 4, 2013 }}. Retrieved April 26, 2013</ref> As a singer, he had a versatile tenor that was influenced by [[Sam Cooke]], and released many records over the years, for a host of different labels, but his recordings never made him a star.<ref>Martin Goggin interview with George Jackson, ''[[Juke Blues]]'' No. 50</ref>
Jackson was born in [[Greenville, Mississippi]] in 1936.<ref>{{cite web|title=George Jackson Biography|url=http://www.artistdirect.com/artist/bio/george-jackson/448051|publisher=Artist Direct|accessdate=15 April 2013}}</ref> His prominence was as a prolific and skilled songwriter. He also had a country/soul delivery that made him a southern soul singer. As a singer he recorded a mere 15 singles over a 22-year period between 1963 and 1985.<ref>[http://www.oldies.com/artist-biography/George-Jackson.html George Jackson Biography], www.oldies.com, The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Colin Larkin</ref>


At the suggestion of record producer [[Billy Sherrill]], Jackson moved to [[Rick Hall]]'s [[FAME Studios]] at [[Muscle Shoals]] in the late 1960s, [[Alabama]], where he wrote for leading singers including [[Clarence Carter]] – whose "Too Weak To Fight" reached no.13 on the pop chart and no.3 on the R&B chart in 1968 – [[Wilson Pickett]], and [[Candi Staton]]. Some of Jackson's songs for Staton, including her first hit in 1969, "I'd Rather Be An Old Man's Sweetheart (Than A Young Man's Fool)", are "widely regarded as examples of some of the finest southern soul ever recorded by a female artist, with lyrics that were full of meaning and innuendo, a hallmark of Jackson's best work."<ref name=larkin/> Jackson also recorded for [[Fame Records]], and had his first chart success as a singer in 1970 with "That's How Much You Mean To Me", which reached no. 48 on the R&B chart.<ref name="whitburnr&b">{{cite book |title= Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–1995|last=Whitburn |first=Joel |authorlink=Joel Whitburn |year=1996 |publisher=Record Research |page=215}}</ref> [[The Osmonds]] visited the FAME studio in 1970, and heard and liked Jackson's song "One Bad Apple", which he had originally written with [[The Jackson 5]] in mind.<ref name=malaco/> The Osmonds recorded the song, and it became the group's first hit, rising to the top of the Hot 100 in February 1971; it also reached no.6 on the R&B chart.<ref name="whitburnr&b"/>
As a writer, Jackson provided scores of songs for Goldwax and Fame in the 1960s and [[Hi Records|Hi]] and [[Memphis soul|Sounds Of Memphis]] in the 1970s, through to an ongoing relationship with [[Malaco Records]], that saw him pen material for dozens of artists. On top of this he gained commercial success as the writer of "[[One Bad Apple]]" for [[the Osmonds]], "[[Old Time Rock & Roll]]" for [[Bob Seger]] and "[[The Only Way Is Up]]", which became a [[United Kingdom|UK]] number 1 for [[Yazz]] and [[Coldcut]], having been written originally for [[Otis Clay]].<ref>John Ridley notes to George Jackson in [[Muscle Shoals Sound Studio|Muscle Shoals]], Grapevine GVCD 3003</ref>


In 1972 he briefly rejoined the Hi label, and had his second and last solo recording success with "Aretha, Sing One For Me", an [[answer song]] to [[Aretha Franklin]]'s "[[Don't Play That Song (You Lied)|Don't Play That Song]]"; Jackson's song reached no.38 on the R&B chart. He then released several singles for [[MGM Records]], while continuing to write for other artists. In the early 1970s he began working as a songwriter for the [[Muscle Shoals Sound Studio]] and, with Thomas Jones III, wrote "Old Time Rock and Roll" which [[Bob Seger]] recorded in 1978;<ref name=legacy/><ref name=independent/> Seger's version reached no.28 on the pop chart.<ref name="whitburn pop">{{cite book|first=Joel|last=Whitburn|year=2003|title=Top Pop Singles 1955–2002|edition=1st|publisher=Record Research Inc.|location=Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin|isbn=0-89820-155-1|page=[https://archive.org/details/joelwhitburnstop00whitbur/page/627 627]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/joelwhitburnstop00whitbur/page/627}}</ref> While with Muscle Shoals Sound, he also wrote "Down Home Blues", recorded by [[Z.Z. Hill]], which became a theme tune for [[Malaco Records]] in the 1980s;<ref name=nyt>[https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/16/arts/music/george-jackson-co-writer-of-old-time-rock-and-roll-dies-at-68.html?_r=0 New York Times, ''George Jackson, Rock Songwriter, Dies at 68'', 15 April 2013]. Retrieved April 26, 2013</ref> "Unlock Your Mind", recorded by the [[Staple Singers]] and a no.16 R&B hit in 1978; and "The Only Way Is Up", originally recorded by [[Otis Clay]] in 1980. A version of "The Only Way Is Up" by [[Yazz|Yazz & The Plastic Population]] reached no.1 on the [[UK singles chart]], and no.2 on the [[Hot Dance Club Songs|''Billboard'' dance chart]], in 1988.<ref name="whitburn pop"/><ref name="betts">{{cite book| first= Graham| last= Betts| year=2004| title= Complete UK Hit Singles 1952–2004| edition= 1st|publisher= Collins| location= London| isbn= 0-00-717931-6| page=865}}</ref>
As a singer, he had a versatile tenor that was influenced by [[Sam Cooke]]. He released many records over the years, for a host of different labels, though often not under his own name. Perhaps because there was no real consistency to the release patterns, or maybe because he was really focusing on being a writer, his recordings never made him a star.<ref>Martin Goggin interview with George Jackson, ''[[Juke Blues]]'' #50</ref>


In 1983, Jackson formed his own publishing company, Happy Hooker Music, before joining Malaco Records as a staff songwriter.<ref name=malaco/> There he wrote hits for [[Johnnie Taylor]], [[Bobby Bland]], [[Latimore (musician)|Latimore]], [[Denise LaSalle]], and Z.Z. Hill.<ref name=legacy/><ref name=allmusic/> He recorded an album of his own songs, ''Heart To Heart Collect'', in 1991 for [[Hep' Me]] Records.<ref name=larkin/><ref name=allmusic/> In 2011, a compilation CD of his FAME recordings, ''Don't Count Me Out'', was released.<ref name=independent/>
Jackson died on April 14, 2013, in [[Ridgeland, Mississippi]] from [[cancer]].

Jackson died on April 14, 2013, after a long illness, at his home in [[Ridgeland, Mississippi]], at the age of 68. He left a son and two grandchildren.<ref name=legacy/>

== Samples and interpolation of his songs in anothers' ==
*In 2000 [[Ghostface Killah]] sampled "Aretha, Sing One for Me" in the song "Child's Play" on the album ''[[Supreme Clientele]]''.
*In 2018 [[Kanye West]] sampled "I Can't Do Without You" in the song "Come Back Baby" on [[Pusha T]]’s album ''[[Daytona (album)|Daytona]]''.


==Discography==
==Discography==
Line 15: Line 42:
* 2002 : ''George Jackson in Muscle Shoals''
* 2002 : ''George Jackson in Muscle Shoals''
* 2006 : ''What Would Your Mama Say''
* 2006 : ''What Would Your Mama Say''
* 2009 : ''In Memphis 1972-77''
* 2009 : ''In Memphis 1972–77''
* 2010 : ''All Because Of Your Love''
* 2010 : ''All Because Of Your Love''
* 2011 : ''Don't Count Me Out: The Fame Recordings''
* 2011 : ''Don't Count Me Out: The Fame Recordings'' (Volume 1)
* 2012 : ''Let the Best Man Win: The Fame Recordings''
* 2012 : ''Let the Best Man Win: The Fame Recordings'' (Volume 2)
* 2013 : ''Old Friend: The Fame Recordings'' (Volume 3)


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
{{Persondata
*[http://www.soulfulkindamusic.net/gjackson.htm Discography]
⚫
| NAME = Jackson, George
*{{IMDb name|0413549}}
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
*[http://www.soulexpress.net/georgejackson_tribute.htm A tribute to George Jackson with earlier interviews at Soul Express]
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = Singer

| DATE OF BIRTH = 1936
{{Authority control}}
| PLACE OF BIRTH = Greenville, Mississippi

| DATE OF DEATH = April 14, 2013
| PLACE OF DEATH = Ridgeland, Mississippi
⚫
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, George}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, George}}
[[Category:1936 births]]
[[Category:1945 births]]
[[Category:2013 deaths]]
[[Category:2013 deaths]]
[[Category:African-American musicians]]
[[Category:Musicians from Greenville, Mississippi]]
[[Category:American male singers]]
[[Category:Singers from Mississippi]]
⚫
[[Category:People from Greenville, Mississippi]]
[[Category:Musicians from Mississippi]]
[[Category:Songwriters from Mississippi]]
[[Category:Songwriters from Mississippi]]
⚫
[[Category:American rhythm and blues musicians]]
[[Category:American soul musicians]]
[[Category:American soul musicians]]
[[Category:Deaths from cancer]]
[[Category:Deaths from cancer in Mississippi]]
[[Category:Cancer deaths in Mississippi]]
[[Category:People from Ridgeland, Mississippi]]
⚫
[[Category:People from Indianola, Mississippi]]
⚫
[[Category:African-American male songwriters]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American male singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American male singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American singers]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American male singers]]
[[Category:21st-century American male singers]]

Revision as of 00:45, 13 August 2024

George Jackson
Birth nameGeorge Henry Jackson
Also known asBart Jackson
Born(1945-03-12)March 12, 1945
Indianola, Mississippi, U.S.
DiedApril 14, 2013(2013-04-14) (aged 68)
Ridgeland, Mississippi, U.S.
GenresBlues, R&B, Rock and roll, Soul
Occupation(s)Songwriter, singer
Instrumentvocals
Years active1963–2000s
LabelsPrann, Goldwax, Hi, Decca, Fame, MGM, Malaco, Hep Me

George Henry Jackson (March 12, 1945 – April 14, 2013) was an American blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll/rock and soul singer-songwriter. His prominence was as a prolific and skilled songwriter: he wrote or co-wrote many hit songs for other musicians, including "Down Home Blues", "One Bad Apple", "Old Time Rock and Roll" and "The Only Way Is Up". As a southern soul singer he recorded fifteen singles between 1963 and 1985, with some success.

Biography

Jackson was born in Indianola, Mississippi, and moved with his family to Greenville at the age of five.[1] He started writing songs while in his teens, and in 1963 introduced himself to Ike Turner. Turner took him to Cosimo Matassa's studios in New Orleans to record "Nobody Wants to Cha Cha With Me" for his Prann label, but it was not successful.[2][3] Jackson then traveled to Memphis to promote his songs, but was rejected by Stax before helping to form vocal group The Ovations with Louis Williams at Goldwax Records. Jackson wrote and sang on their 1965 hit "It's Wonderful To Be in Love", which reached no.61 on the Billboard Hot 100 and no.22 on the R&B chart.[4][5] He also wrote for other artists at Goldwax, including Spencer Wiggins and James Carr, and recorded with Dan Greer as the duo George and Greer. After the Ovations split up in 1968, he recorded briefly for Hi Records, and also for Decca using the pseudonym Bart Jackson.[3][6] As a singer, he had a versatile tenor that was influenced by Sam Cooke, and released many records over the years, for a host of different labels, but his recordings never made him a star.[7]

At the suggestion of record producer Billy Sherrill, Jackson moved to Rick Hall's FAME Studios at Muscle Shoals in the late 1960s, Alabama, where he wrote for leading singers including Clarence Carter – whose "Too Weak To Fight" reached no.13 on the pop chart and no.3 on the R&B chart in 1968 – Wilson Pickett, and Candi Staton. Some of Jackson's songs for Staton, including her first hit in 1969, "I'd Rather Be An Old Man's Sweetheart (Than A Young Man's Fool)", are "widely regarded as examples of some of the finest southern soul ever recorded by a female artist, with lyrics that were full of meaning and innuendo, a hallmark of Jackson's best work."[3] Jackson also recorded for Fame Records, and had his first chart success as a singer in 1970 with "That's How Much You Mean To Me", which reached no. 48 on the R&B chart.[5] The Osmonds visited the FAME studio in 1970, and heard and liked Jackson's song "One Bad Apple", which he had originally written with The Jackson 5 in mind.[6] The Osmonds recorded the song, and it became the group's first hit, rising to the top of the Hot 100 in February 1971; it also reached no.6 on the R&B chart.[5]

In 1972 he briefly rejoined the Hi label, and had his second and last solo recording success with "Aretha, Sing One For Me", an answer song to Aretha Franklin's "Don't Play That Song"; Jackson's song reached no.38 on the R&B chart. He then released several singles for MGM Records, while continuing to write for other artists. In the early 1970s he began working as a songwriter for the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio and, with Thomas Jones III, wrote "Old Time Rock and Roll" which Bob Seger recorded in 1978;[1][2] Seger's version reached no.28 on the pop chart.[8] While with Muscle Shoals Sound, he also wrote "Down Home Blues", recorded by Z.Z. Hill, which became a theme tune for Malaco Records in the 1980s;[9] "Unlock Your Mind", recorded by the Staple Singers and a no.16 R&B hit in 1978; and "The Only Way Is Up", originally recorded by Otis Clay in 1980. A version of "The Only Way Is Up" by Yazz & The Plastic Population reached no.1 on the UK singles chart, and no.2 on the Billboard dance chart, in 1988.[8][10]

In 1983, Jackson formed his own publishing company, Happy Hooker Music, before joining Malaco Records as a staff songwriter.[6] There he wrote hits for Johnnie Taylor, Bobby Bland, Latimore, Denise LaSalle, and Z.Z. Hill.[1][4] He recorded an album of his own songs, Heart To Heart Collect, in 1991 for Hep' Me Records.[3][4] In 2011, a compilation CD of his FAME recordings, Don't Count Me Out, was released.[2]

Jackson died on April 14, 2013, after a long illness, at his home in Ridgeland, Mississippi, at the age of 68. He left a son and two grandchildren.[1]

Samples and interpolation of his songs in anothers'

Discography

Albums

  • 1991 : Heart To Heart Collect
  • 2002 : George Jackson in Muscle Shoals
  • 2006 : What Would Your Mama Say
  • 2009 : In Memphis 1972–77
  • 2010 : All Because Of Your Love
  • 2011 : Don't Count Me Out: The Fame Recordings (Volume 1)
  • 2012 : Let the Best Man Win: The Fame Recordings (Volume 2)
  • 2013 : Old Friend: The Fame Recordings (Volume 3)

References

  1. ^ a b c d "George H. Jackson Obituary", Clarion Ledger, 18 April 2013. Retrieved April 25, 2013
  2. ^ a b c The Independent, George Jackson: Songwriter who penned hundreds of soul, rock and r'n'b tunes, 23 April 2013. Retrieved April 26, 2013
  3. ^ a b c d Colin Larkin, The Encyclopedia of Popular Music, "George Jackson Biography", reprinted at oldies.com. Retrieved April 26, 2013
  4. ^ a b c Biography by Ed Hogan at Allmusic.com. Retrieved April 26, 2013
  5. ^ a b c Whitburn, Joel (1996). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–1995. Record Research. p. 215.
  6. ^ a b c George Jackson at Malaco Records Archived April 4, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 26, 2013
  7. ^ Martin Goggin interview with George Jackson, Juke Blues No. 50
  8. ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (2003). Top Pop Singles 1955–2002 (1st ed.). Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 627. ISBN 0-89820-155-1.
  9. ^ New York Times, George Jackson, Rock Songwriter, Dies at 68, 15 April 2013. Retrieved April 26, 2013
  10. ^ Betts, Graham (2004). Complete UK Hit Singles 1952–2004 (1st ed.). London: Collins. p. 865. ISBN 0-00-717931-6.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=George_Jackson_(songwriter)&oldid=1240012889"