Charlie 'Papa' Jackson

Blues singer/musician Charlie "Papa" Jackson had the distinctions of being among the first country blues artists to make a record--he cut "Papa's Lawdy Lawdy Blues" for Paramount Records in 1924--and the success the record achieved helped to end the domination of female blues singers in the record industry. Another of Jackson's distinctions was that, unlike most bluesmen, he didn't accompany himself on the guitar or piano--he played the banjo. Little is known of Jackson's early years. What is known is that he was born in New Orleans around 1890 and that he worked in the minstrel and vaudeville shows of the early 20th century. He apparently moved to Chicago in the early 1920s and became a street performer, mainly on the city's famed Maxwell Street. A scout for Paramount Records came across him and signed him to a recording contract. His records were quite successful, and he released about 60 recordings altogether. He stayed in Chicago and continued to play in clubs, house parties and even as a street performer again, and worked with such artists as Ma Rainey, Ida Cox and Blind Blake. He is believed to have died in Chicago around 1938.