Melvin "Lil' Son" Jackson (August 16, 1915, Tyler, Texas – May 30, 1976, Dallas ^[1]) was an American blues guitarist and singer. He was a contemporary of Lightnin' Hopkins. ^[2]

Biography

Jackson's mother played gospel guitar, and he played early on in a gospel group, the Blue Eagle Four. ^[1] He became a mechanic and served in the U.S. Army during World War II, after which he pursued a career as a blues musician. ^[1] He recorded a demo and sent it to Bill Quinn, the owner of Gold Star Records, in 1946. ^[2] Quinn signed him to a recording contract and released "Freedom Train Blues" in 1948, which became a nationwide hit in the U.S. ^[1] Jackson recorded for Imperial Records between 1950 and 1954, both as a solo artist and with a backing band. ^[1] His 1950 song "Rockin' and Rollin" was recast by later musicians as " Rock Me Baby". ^{[1] [3]}

Jackson was injured in a car crash in the mid-1950s and gave up his music career, returning to work as a mechanic. ^[2] He recorded an album for Arhoolie Records in 1960, but did not resume his career as a musician during the blues revival in the 1960s. ^[2] He died of cancer in 1976 in Dallas, at the age of 60. ^[1] Eric Clapton recorded Jackson's "Travelin' Alone", for his 2010 album, Clapton. ^[4]

References