Musician. Considered by many in the country music industry to be the first great Nashville session fiddler. In the 1950s and '60s he appeared on records by Hank Williams, Bill Monroe, Ray Price and George Jones to name a few. Touring with Johnny Wright and Kitty Wells at age 12 and making regular appearances on the Grand Ole Opry by 17 made him one of the youngest country musicians at the time. Tired of the grind of the road, Jackson formed the first Nashville studio "A-team" with Zeke Turner, Jerry Byrd and Louis Innis. Recording with Hank Williams in 1947, he can be credited with the famous fiddle intro for "I Saw the Light" and later the backing for "Lovesick Blues." His double-stop back-up technique, which was later called the "walking fiddle" style, became so popular with other fiddlers that by the 1970s he had a hard time getting studio work. His death in 1979 was largely overlooked by the industry that he helped define. He was a veteran of WWII and was awarded four Bronze Stars and an Air Medal, serving as a tail gunner on a B-29.
Musician. Considered by many in the country music industry to be the first great Nashville session fiddler. In the 1950s and '60s he appeared on records by Hank Williams, Bill Monroe, Ray Price and George Jones to name a few. Touring with Johnny Wright and Kitty Wells at age 12 and making regular appearances on the Grand Ole Opry by 17 made him one of the youngest country musicians at the time. Tired of the grind of the road, Jackson formed the first Nashville studio "A-team" with Zeke Turner, Jerry Byrd and Louis Innis. Recording with Hank Williams in 1947, he can be credited with the famous fiddle intro for "I Saw the Light" and later the backing for "Lovesick Blues." His double-stop back-up technique, which was later called the "walking fiddle" style, became so popular with other fiddlers that by the 1970s he had a hard time getting studio work. His death in 1979 was largely overlooked by the industry that he helped define. He was a veteran of WWII and was awarded four Bronze Stars and an Air Medal, serving as a tail gunner on a B-29.
Bio by: Kim Inboden
Gravesite Details
WORLD'S GREATEST FIDDLER
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