Woodville in Rappahannock County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

John Jackson—Traditional Musician

Photographed By J. J. Prats, June 8, 2008

1. John Jackson—Traditional Musician Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

John Jackson, Piedmont guitar master and influential traditional musician, was born near here on 25 Feb. 1924. One of fourteen children of tenant farmers Suddy and Hattie Jackson, Jackson learned songs on the guitar and banjo from his parents, traveling and local musicians, and records. He moved to Fairfax County in 1950, where he worked various jobs and started a grave-digging business. Introduced to the Washington, D.C., folk scene in 1964, Jackson performed on eight records, at clubs, on radio, and at festivals in the U. S. and Europe. He received the prestigious National Heritage Fellowship Award in 1986. Jackson died at home in Fairfax Station on 20 Jan. 2002.

Erected 2005 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number J-101.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans •

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Arts, Letters, Music. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources series list. A significant historical date for this entry is January 20, 2002.

Location. 38° 36.204′ N, 78° 10.298′ W. Marker is in Woodville, Virginia, in Rappahannock County. Marker is on Sperryville Pike (U.S. 522) south of Hawlin Road (County Route 816), on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Woodville VA 22749, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Milroy's Camp (approx. ¼ mile away); Mosby and Sneden (approx. ¼ mile away); Woodville (approx. ¼ mile away); Rappahannock County / Culpeper County (approx. 4 miles away); Advent of the "German" Corps (approx. 4½ miles away); Rehearsals for Fame (approx. 4½ miles away); Pope’s Army of Virginia (approx. 4.6 miles away); Sigels' Corps (approx. 4.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Woodville.

Also see . . .
1. Remembering John Jackson (1924–2002). Article by Lary Benicewicz

John Jackson Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By J. J. Prats, June 8, 2008

2. John Jackson Marker

on Bluesworld.com. “And what a player he was. An absolute master of the dauntingly intricate Piedmont style of finger picking, John could simultaneously supply a bass pattern (with his thumb), maintain rhythmical accompaniment, and select individual notes to carry the melody—all within a tight harmonic structure.” (Submitted on June 18, 2008.)

2. East Coast Piedmont Blues. “Although it drew from diverse elements of the region, East Coast Piedmont Blues is decidedly an African American art form. The Piedmont blues style may even reflect an earlier musical tradition than the blues that emerged from the Mississippi Delta. According to Samuel Charters, the alternating-thumb bass pattern and “finger-picking style” of Piedmont blues guitar is reminiscent of West African kora playing and earlier banjo styles, also of African origin...” (Submitted on June 18, 2008.)

3. Piedmont Blues. Wikipedia entry. “The Piedmont blues’ (also known as Piedmont fingerstyle or East Coast blues’) is a type of blues music characterized by a unique fingerpicking method on the guitar in which a regular, alternating-thumb

John Jackson, Country Blues and Ditties image. Click for more information.

3. John Jackson, Country Blues and Ditties

Listen to samples from this and other John Jackson albums on Amazon.com.
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bass pattern supports a melody using treble strings. The result is comparable in sound to a ragtime piano. The Piedmont style is differentiated from other styles (particularly the Mississippi Delta style) by its older, ragtime rhythms, which lessened it’s impact on later electric band blues or rock ’n’ roll, but it was directly influential on rockabilly, and the folk music scene. It was an extremely popular form of Black dance music for many decades in the last century.” (Submitted on June 18, 2008.)

Photographed By J. J. Prats, June 8, 2008

4. John Jackson Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on July 9, 2021. It was originally submitted on June 18, 2008, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,699 times since then and 101 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 18, 2008, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. 3. submitted on June 18, 2008. 4. submitted on June 18, 2008, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.