Jackson C. Frank .... music of a lost soul

Chronology | London 1968 | Writings & Reminiscences

American Jackson C. Frank (1943-1999) is a little-known, and somewhat tragic figure who participated in the 1960s British and US folk booms. A distinct, and significant, singer, songwriter and guitarist, his most successful period was associated with a visit to England in 1965-66, during which Paul Simon produced his one and only, commercially released, self-titled solo LP. The current author's discovery of Jackson during 2021 was only by accident, and circuitously through a long-term, in depth study of the English Nick Drake, who encountered Frank in the London folk clubs and went on to record four of his songs - more than any other folk singer - thus reflecting the impact of the American upon his own guitar playing and song writing. Somewhat fortuitously, the author's journey to Jackson C. Frank also involved fellow American singer songwriter Tim Buckley, another visitor to London at the time (1968) that he and Drake were working in the club scene. Did they all meet? Unknown; though it is likely they were aware of each other's work and perhaps saw them perform at some stage.

Back in 2000 a friend introduced me to the music of American Tim Buckley (1947-1975) and singer songwriter Nick Drake (1948-1974). Both were at the outset of their careers, Buckley during 1966-8 and Drake between 1968-70. Both were initially folk singers and songwriters, but their music developed as they engaged with the studio process. Buckley took a jazz-based, funky, free form and electric direction with Lorca (1970) and Greetings from LA (1972), whilst Drake experimented with lush studio arrangements on Bryter Later (1971) before turning back to  stripped down, guitar and voice-only recordings on Pink Moon (1972). Most tellingly, the music of both musicians was intense, moody, lyrical, romantic, melancholic and in especially in the case of Drake, truly heart-breaking, portraying an inner turmoil that drove him to create. Their music resonates down the years, with both cult figures, Drake more so than Buckley, who is now perhaps most famous as the father of the equally tragic Jeff Buckley. Tim Buckley was relatively successful prior to his early death, recording numerous albums and touring extensively. Drake was much less so. The two artists did not live long - Drake dying in 1974 at the age of 26 from a drug overdose and following on a number of suicide attempts; Buckley suffering a similar fate in 1975 at the age of 28, though his death was accidental. Tragic? Yes, for family, friends and fans, and for the fact of careers cut short. But Drake and Buckley were not alone in this. Whilst the Sixties saw an explosion in pop, rock and contemporary forms of music, and the rise of the singer-songwriting in the latter part of the decade and on through the early Seventies, that period also saw the untimely death of many of those same performers - the famous 27 Club - including Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Tim Hardin and Janis Joplin. Some talented musicians and performers died, others were permanently damaged by drug overdoses and self-destructive behaviours, whilst still others survived and went on to lead relatively normal lives. It almost seemed that in order to truly develop a unique and worthwhile talent during this period, one needed to be 'damaged' or trauamatised, either genetically or environmentally. To truly sing the blues one needed to live the blues, and that belief / truism is behind much of the music produced since the rock 'n roll breakthrough of the late 1950s, when young people were given the freedom of self expression through popular music and adoption of a countercultural lifestyle. 

 

One of those who lived beyond 27, but unfortunately remained a tragic figure throughout the remainder of his life, was Jackson C. Frank. He fits into the middle period of the American folk genre between the late 1950s and early 1960s folk boom in the United States and United Kingdom, which saw the rise of singer songwriter Bob Dylan, and the above-mentioned second wave of the late 1960s early 1970s which included the likes of Buckley and Drake. He came before the latter two and was most likely a significant influence on the direction they and others took, especially in Britain. Of course Dylan was extraordinarily important, but his music and writing veered off in a number of different directions after the breakthrough of Freewheelin' in 1963, becoming more lyrical, psychedelic and ultimately concerned with a lover's angst. Dylan was from 1965, when he went electric, never as deeply introspective or melancholic as Drake, Buckley and, before them Frank. Though the latter has long been little known outside of the folk world, he can be said to part of a second tier of influence, below Dylan and bands such as the Beatles who were setting a path for others to follow, as musicians, songwriters and performers. 

 

To be successful, if not eternal - as the music of Jackson C. Frank no doubt is - you needed to be different and innovative. Frank was a true pioneer in the folk area of modern music, and as such influential beyond what one would believe when taking a superficial look at his seemingly short-lived professional career. Whilst not an international cult figure in the same vein as Nick Drake, he was, by 2021, nevertheless moving down that path if one is to judge from the literally thousands of comments associated with his music on social media sites such as Facebook and YouTube. People therein were obviously amazed at the quality of his recorded output and song writing, whether it be professional done, or amateurishly in a kitchen, and the fact that they had never heard of him before! This widespread, and ongoing discovery is due to the undoubted excellence, and indeed timelessness, of his music, alongside the extreme personal tragedy of his life which lies at the heart of his music. 

 

A tragic story

 

Jackson Carey Frank's life was inordinately dark from beginning to end. This is revealed in his brief Wikipedia entry, and more fully in Jim Abbott's 2014 biography Jackson C. Frank: The clear, hard light of genius. Numerous articles have also been written about him in recent years, including an extended essay in 2015 by Alison Stine. Abbott's book, however, lays bare those darker elements of Frank's psyche which drove him to produce deeply moving songs, and also caused him to end his life sick, obese and alone, beaten down by inner demons and a self-destructive bent arising from what was diagnosed as paranoid schizophrenia arising out of both youthful and later life trauma. For example, his your son died shortly after birth from cystic fibrosis, and Frank suffered from typhoid and ongoing health problems, leading to depression. The ongoing musical rediscovery of Jackson C. Frank has seen impetus in the release of recordings by other artists such as Nick Drake, who covered four of his songs - Blues Run the Game, Kimbie, Milk and Honey and Here Comes the Blues; by Simon and Garfunkel who did Blues Run the Game; and through the featured inclusion of his songs Carnival in the breakout 2018 Joaquin Phoenix Batman-related film Joker, and Marcy's Song in the 2011 Elizabeth Olsen vehicle Martha Marcy May Marlene.

 Marcy's Song, performed by John Hawkes, in the film Martha Marcy May Marlene, 2011, duration: 2.33 minutes.

Nick Drake and Jackson T. Frank share an obvious connection in their exquisite guitar playing - both were fans of small and large-bodied Martin guitars. The sombre, introspective tone of their songwriting, which continues to resonate with audiences, enhances that connection. Whilst Drake's inner turmoil was at its core genetic, likely inherited from his mother and exacerbated by the use of recreational drugs and the pressures of performance, Frank's appears to be largely environmental. The experience which traumatised him for life, and left him both physically and mentally scarred, was a catastrophic school fire at the age of 11. This resulted in the death of 15 of his classmates, including his first girlfriend Marlene du Pont. The associated trauma and long recovery in hospital saw Frank pick up the guitar and go on to sing and write songs which reflected both his youthful enthusiasm for music, alongside an inner pain which revealed itself during early adulthood. Whist that trauma pushed him to create some incredibly beautiful and poignant music, it ultimately hindered his ability to perform and play the 'pop star' game - something which he pursued for a decade between 1958-1968. Frank's darker side was subsequently revealed on numerous occasions, often at the most inopportune time, resulting in the loss of friends, associates and opportunities. As a result, his recording and performing career was relatively brief - a single, self-titled album released in the UK at the end of 1965, gigs in the US and UK during the latter part of the decade, and more sporadically through the remainder of his life. He never truly stopped playing the guitar or writing songs, as evidenced by the many studio and live recordings from the 1970s and 1990s, unissued during his lifetime. A number of the recordings from the early 1970s were meant for his second album, and their quality is clearly evident following belated release on LP and CD in the 2000s and present availability online through YouTube (see links below). As a result, he remained little known until the late 2010s, though widely respected and with an international, and ever increasing, cult following since then. Those few recordings he did make, both the 1965 material produced by Paul Simon, and later miscellaneous pieces issued after his death in 1999, including the material for the unreleased second album, made their mark. Like Nick Drake and Tim Buckley, he became the subject of a vibrant reissue program covering each and every surviving recording, a fulsome biography, fan-based articles and blogs, and a strong Facebook (e.g., Jackson C. Frank, My Name is Carnival and Blues Run the Game) and YouTube presence, with some 1.4M views of his original Jackson C. Frank LP, and 1.7M of his most famous song,  Blues Run the Game. Utilising those resources, this blog briefly outlines Frank's performing and recording career, plus provides online links to most of those items. 

Jackson C. Frank, early 1963.

 

The majority of the recordings made during his lifetime have now been released, and there is talk of a documentary film, though it has not appeared to date (2021). In listening to this material, and compiling this blog, it is clear that Frank was an artist before his time. He was also, in a way, like Jimi Hendrix, in that he found fame - fleeting though it was - by travelling from the US to the UK. In 1965, when his album was released there on Columbia-EMI records, he did not fit in the mainstream pop and folk scenes. He was an American artist recording in the UK, playing a form of folk music that was unlike the traditional folk forms in its melancholic intensity and lack of obvious connection to those traditions, whether they be blues, Appalachian or British / European. As a result, the album went nowhere, either in the UK or in his home country, though it was influential amongst a significant coterie of singer songwriters, including Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, Bert Jansch, Al Stewart, Sandy Denny, John Renbourn, Nick Drake and, most likely, even Tim Buckley. Had it been released during the early 1970s, when artists such as Carol King, Neil Young, James Taylor and Cat Stevens were major chart toppers, things may have been very different. Unfortunately, the fact that Nick Drake's early 1970s LPs were similarly ignored suggests that such deeply introspective material, no matter how beautiful, was not easily accessible to the general public, unless the artist was similarly inclined. In the case of both Jackson C. Frank and Nick Drake this was definitely not the case, though they were obviously both aware of their talent and confident enough in it to record their music for posterity. In 1965 the intense, introspective, singer-songwriter was not yet in vogue, and the Jackson C. Frank album bombed. Young people were excited by The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and the new bands coming out of London and San Francisco. The 3-minute single was dominant. Guitar-based, and with roots in rock and roll and folk, the aforementioned Big 3 led a revolution in pop and rock music throughout the 1960s. Dylan's traditional folk and later psychedelic poetic compositions were at the forefront of this revolution. However, he was not doing the same thing as Jackson C. Frank; nor, really, was anyone else in 1965. 

Frank should have fitted into the American folk scene, but he didn't. From the age of 16, and during the late 1950s and early 1960s, he performed in numerous rock and roll and folk groups, honing his skills as a singer and stage performer. By the time he hit the London folk clubs in May 1965 he was a confident presenter of the newly written songs which supplemented his up-until-then borrowed repertoire. Perhaps his music was too personal and traumatic for a wider audience at the time - after all, the Cold War was at its height and young people were looking for a distraction, an alternative, counter to the prevailing culture and one which could be uplifting, as in the music of the Beatles and the like. Even Dylan was trying to be a rock 'n roll star, touring with an electric band. Jackson was out of step and out of time in regard to the public at large, though he was taken up as one of their own by the audience which frequented the London alternative folk club Les Cousins, just as Nick Drake would find a home there a few years later. During 1965 Frank found support in London from fellow visiting US singer songwriter Paul Simon, who produced his first record, released in December of that year. Between March 1965 and early 1967 Frank spent time recording, travelling through Europe, and performing in England. He returned home for nine months in 1967 and then came back to the UK in 1968. He was not able to repeat his initial success there, and went back to the States in May 1969 to start a new life in Woodstock, never to return. His deteriorating mental health went on to thwart both his ambition and hopes for a happy, normal, family life. He ended up divorced, alone, on the street, destitute, hospitalised, institutionalised, imprisoned and psychotic. His talent never waned, though his voice deteriorated due to an abusive lifestyle, including drinking and smoking. He continued to play his music and perform irregularly right up until his death at the age of 56 in 1999. The popular and professional singer songwriter of the mid Sixties had disappeared by then, though not without influencing following generations. For example, his highly personal song from 1965 I Want to Be Alone (Dialogue) sounds very much like Tim Buckley's protest song No Man Can Find the War from 1967, both in regard to the tune and individual vocal phrasings. And, as mentioned, his song Milk and Honey was covered by Nick Drake, who perhaps saw him during one of his 1968 performances, with both Frank and Drake regular visitors to Les Cousins. Due to the quality of his song-writing, playing and recording, he continues to influence and be discovered by a new audience.

Chronology and recordings

The following is a very brief chronology of the life and musical times of Jackson C. Frank (referred to therein as JCF). The Abbott biography contains a wealth of information on professional and amateur recordings dating from the late 1950s through to the final years of his life, and is highly recommended. A number of those recordings have been lost, whilst many have also be found in recent years and released on CD. The following is a brief summary of the known recordings, and is followed by an A to Z by title listing, with links to available online copies.

1943

- 2 March: Jackson Carey Jones is born in Buffalo, New York, to Jack Jones and Marilyn Rochefort Jones. He later changes his name to Jackson C. Frank following the second marriage of his mother to Elmer Frank.

1954 

- 31 March: there is a disastrous explosion and fire at Cleveland Hill School, Buffalo. Jackson C. Frank (JCF), then aged 11, receives burns to 50% of his body, and 15 children - all part of his 6th grade music class - die, including his girl friend Marlene du Pont. This event was extremely traumatic for JCF as he felt he should have done more to save some of his friends. Whilst recuperating in hospital for some seven months, he is given a guitar by his teacher. He is also visited by actor Kirk Douglas.

1956

- at the age of 13, JCF purchases a Montgomery Ward acoustic guitar for $13. Later his mother gives him a Gretsch Streamline electric guitar.

1957

- JCF and his mother travel to Memphis where they meet Elvis Presley, a hero of the young Jackson. A photograph records the occasion.  He hold his arm which was damaged during the fire of March 1954.

 

- JCF forms his first school band - a trio with Beau and Dave. He performs at the Hamburg Fair during this year. They perform early rock and roll and gospel material, with Jackson singing and playing guitar.

Jackson (right) with Gretsch Streamline guitar

- JCF records tracks on a 78rpm disc at the Howell Recording Studio, 2703 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo with his friends Beau/Bo and Dave. Tracks include: 1. Heartbreak Hotel (instrumental) (2.24) , 2. C.C. Rider, 3. Santa Bring My Baby Back to Me and 4. Precious Lord Take My Hand.

1959

- JCF first visits the Limelight cafe, Buffalo to perform.

- Plays rock and roll with a drummer in clubs around Buffalo.

early 1960s

- JCF performs in several rock and folk groups and at the Limelight Cafe. He initially plays a Martin Dreadnought sized guitar, though later adopts the smaller Martin guitars.

1960

- JCF graduates from Iroquois High School and begins working at the Buffalo Evening News, seeking to become a journalist and writer.

- JCF makes a home recording of Last Month of the Year (2.56).

- "By the time I was seventeen I was recording songs for friends. I had a whole album of Civil War tunes. I began collecting old Civil War songs with a passion, and I would record the ones I could sing. I remember going into a studio back then and cutting a side of tracks for $7."

1961

- JCF attends Gettysburg College, Pennsylvania, majoring in journalism. He meets up with banjo player Mark Anderson of the college radio station and, along with Tim Parsons begins performing on and off campus as the D'Juray Singers. By this time he appears to have abandoned the electric guitar.

- records live tracks on the Eric Anderson WWGC radio show. The tape is known as the Mark and Jackson Talking and Signifying recordings, with eleven featuring JCF.

- JCF records more school-related songs at Howell's. These recordings are now lost.

- December: JCF records seven tracks at Howells on a 33 1/3 acetate which he titles Peaches and Crust, pressing at least four copies and placing them in generic album covers. Tracks include: 1. Ananias (1.36), 2. Borrow Love and Go (2.11), 3.  In The Pines (3.11), 4. Jesse  James (3.02), 5. On My Way to the Canaan Land, 6. Washington Jail and 7. Last Month of the Year. These are traditional folk and religious / gospel songs.

1962

- Mark Anderson recalls a 1962 Gettysburg College professional recording of traditional songs by JCF. Surviving copy not known.

- JCF's statement from around this time - "I do what I want" - reflects a cavalier attitude to life, probably arising out of his undiagnosed post traumatic stress syndrome, and a singular nature.

- September: JCF drops out of Gettysburg College and returns home to work at the Buffalo Evening News.

1963

- working at the Buffalo Evening News. Also writing poetry and novels.

- performs at the Limelight Gallery and Cafe, Buffalo. 

- JCF joins up with musicians Norman Boggs, Marianne Welch and Ev Neinhouse to form the Grosvenor Singers, performing around Buffalo and as far afield as Toronto.

The Grosvenor Singers circa 1963.

- JCF meets musician John Kay (later of Steppenwolf) at the Boar's Head cafe. He plays a Martin guitar around this time, stomping his foot to create a beat while performing melodic blues with a soaring voice.

- December: JCF meets girlfriend Kathy Henry. They would remain a couple until mid 1965 when she leaves him.

1964

- 2 March: JCF turns 21 and receives a compensation payment from the fire - circa US$80K after fees are deducted. He decides to spend it as quickly as possible to upset his controlling mother, who had presented him with a long-term investment plan for its use and to ensure his financial security.

- 9 April: JCF quits his job and goes on a spending spree, purchasing cars and guitars amongst other things, and travelling to Toronto. His paranoia begins to develop, as does his manic depression / bi-polar / paranoid schizophrenia condition.

- "When I was 21 years old I was awarded $100,000 in insurance money. At the time, it was a small fortune. John Kay and I took off to Toronto and we tried to spend as much money as fast as possible. I bought a Jaguar straight out of a showroom. We went all over the Northeast dropping into clubs and meeting musicians. We were heavily into the blues back then. We listened a lot to John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Sonny Terry, Brownie McGee, and the Library of Congress collection of blues artists."

- JCF records on tape a session with Richard Stanley, including many of the songs that he would later record in London. This tape is now lost.

1965

- February: JCF travels to the UK on board the Queen Elizabeth, joining his girlfriend Katherine Henry who had booked the trip to escape from him. With his compensation money he buys an Aston Martin, a Land Rover and a Bentley, some clothes for himself and Katherine, and takes up residence in the Strand Hotel, living on room service and seeking to have a good time. His eccentricity is accepted in England at this time (Means 1995, Grafton 2014).

- April / May: JCF returns briefly to the US with Katherine to secure an abortion. She stays there and the relationship ends.

- June: JCF returns to the UK alone, by air. Whilst there he continues to live it up, perform at venues such as Les Cousins in London. He moves into a communal house owned by Judith Piepe, alongside (at various stages) his later girl friend Sandy Denny, Al Stewart and Simon and Garfunkel.

- JCF makes a home recording of 1. Here Comes the Blues, 2. Dialogue - I Want to Be Alone, and 3. You Never Wanted Me. It is taped by Judith Piepe, benefactor during his English visit. 

- "I met this wonderful woman named Judith Piepe. She told me she wanted to introduce me to two singers who were staying in her flat. They were Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel. By this time I was writing and performing my own material. So I played my stuff for the two of them. Simon liked my songs so much he offered to produce my next record. I quickly said, 'Yes!'"

- JCF performs in a number of London clubs and impresses Paul Simon with his singing and song writing.

- July: JCF records an LP at Levy's Recording Studio, New Bond Street, London during a six hour session produced by Paul Simon. It is released in December, with the songs having been written in the US and UK.

 

- July: JCF performs at The Brentwood Folk Club, Railway Inn, Brentwood, one evening along with Paul Simon, sometime between the 1st and 22nd.

 

- 25 July: JCF performs at Saint Anne's Church, London. Also performing at the concert was Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel.

 

- August / September: JCF travels through Europe with Simon and Garfunkel et al. Art Garfunkel: We took a trip with Jackson on the Continent - me and Jackson and Paul [Simon] and Kathy [Kathleen Chitty] - and we did our street singing in Paris, Geneva, Nice. We'd pull into town, and we'd sing in restaurants or on the sidewalk with our heads looking over to see if the cops were going to stop us, and collect money and move on.

 

- 27 October: JCF performs at Le Deuce, London. Also performing at that gig was Sandy Denny.

- Jackson C. Frank, LP, Columbia Records, December 1965. Second guitars by Al Stewart and Paul Simon. Produced by Paul Simon. [Castle Music 2001 expanded edition: Duration: 56.17 minutes.] 

"I recorded my album in under three hours in a CBS studio on New Bond Street in London. I remember hiding behind a screen while I was singing and playing, because I was just a little nervous and I didn't want anyone to see me. 'Blues Run the Game' didn't take long to record. 'Don't Look Back' was inspired by a murder down south and how the criminal was free on bail. Back in the 1960s there was a lot of injustice down in Alabama, so the song deals with white and black issues. It's my one and only protest song. 'Kimbie' is a traditional song, and I gave it my own touch. I heard the song a lot when I was traveling up in Canada, so I decided to include it on my album, too. Paul was including a lot of traditional material like 'Parsley, Sage' in his performances, and I wanted to use an old melody, too. 'Yellow Walls' is about an old house I used to live in near Buffalo. It's about leaving home and taking off for the big cities and colored lights. Al Stewart can be heard doodling in the back on guitar. He never received proper credit for that, I'm afraid, but that's him. 'Here Come the Blues' is pretty much a straight-ahead attempt at writing a blues song. It's got some good chord changes. I've always liked 'Milk and Honey.' I know Sandy Denny's version, and it's great. If you listen to my recording, you can hear a real blooper. I wanted to say 'four' seasons, but it came out 'three.' My Name is Carnival' is one I'm still very proud of. I'm surprised that it wasn't picked up as cover material because it's got a great tune and the lyrics are interesting. The song points out the bittersweet nature of being part of a traveling circus. My first attempt to do a very serious song was 'Dialogue,' a song that seems like cabaret now. I was headed toward a European influence with weighty lyrics. In the other direction, 'Just Like Anything' is a pure nonsense song. I was aiming for a some comic relief after 'Dialogue.' The last song on the album, 'You Never Wanted Me,' is all about a break-up in a relationship."

Pollard (2018): His album was produced by Paul Simon. The album was recorded in a single, three-hour session, during which Frank was so nervous he insisted no one be able to see him while he played. “It was probably the strangest recording session I’ve ever been to,” British musician Al Stewart said. “Even when Paul would say, ‘OK we’re ready,’ often this would be followed by two or three minutes of total silence while he psyched himself into singing. And then this beautiful voice would emerge.”

Tracks: 1 - Blues Run the Game - 0:00 2 - Don't Look Back - 3:33 3 - Kimbie - 6:34 4 - Yellow Walls - 9:53 5 - Here Come the Blues - 12:54 6 - Milk and Honey - 16:58 7 - My Name Is Carnival - 20:38 8 - I Want to Be Alone - 24:26 9 - Just Like Anything - 27:46 10 - You Never Wanted Me - 30:12. The 2001 release includes the following bonus tracks, recorded during the early 1970s for a proposed second album: Marlene - 33:24 Marcy's Song - 38:12 The Visit - 42:32 Madonna of Swans - 47:23 and Relations - 52:28.

- Simon and Garfunkel record Blues Run the Game.

- 17 December: Les Cousins, London.

- 23 December: Les Cousins, London. Farewell concert for Jackson who was supposedly returning to the US. Possibly attended also by Paul Simon. It seems he may have flown home for Christmas and returned a couple of weeks later.

- JCF has a relationship with Sandy Denny around this time: "When I first met Sandy Denny she was a little insecure and somewhat shy. We were both hanging out at a club in London called Bunjies, which is still there, by the way. Sandy was working as a nurse and she was just starting out on the folk scene. She was learning the ropes about performing in front of an audience and she was building up her songs. She slowly built up confidence and expanded her material. She became my girlfriend and I got her to quit the nursing profession and stick to music full time. I remember Sandy trying out her new songs for me, like 'Who Knows Where the Time Goes' and 'Fotheringay,' and I saw right away that she had tremendous potential."

1966

- JCF works at Les Cousins and meets numerous folk singers: "Tom Paxton was another folksinger I met back in 1965. We hung out together. I also recall meeting up with Mike Seeger and Dave Van Ronk, giving them tours of London in my car. I was helping out the owner of the Cousins Club by booking American acts. I met a lot of famous artists and performers just by being involved with Cousins. I remember also booking some of the better known folkies in Great Britain like John Renbourn, Bert Jansch, and John Martyn. I tried my best, because I had money at the time, to give some meals to some of the poorer singer-songwriters who came tramping through Cousins."

- 22 January, Melody Maker: Saturday, At Les Cousins, 7.30-11.30, Return of USA's Jackson C. Frank.

- 10 March: Les Cousins, London. 

- 25 March: Les Cousins, London.

- 2 July, Melody Maker: At The Cousins, 7.30 - 11.30, Jackson Frank.

- 16 July, Melody Maker: Saturday, The Cousins presents 12 til 7 Allnighter Jackson C. Frank.

- 19 October, Melody Maker: Saturday, Les Cousins, 7.30 - 11.30, Jackson C. Frank.

- Meeting Point - Outcasts and Outsiders with Judith Piepe, BBC TV, 1966. Directed by Kenneth Savidge. Duration: 25.57 minutes. Jackson C. Frank is seen performing briefly at the 2 minute point within the following YouTube extract. He is at Les Cousins, London.

 

1967

- JCF returns to the United States for approximately 9 months.

1968

- 10 August, Melody Maker: notice of appearance at the Royal Festival Hall on 28 September.

- September: JCF returns to England to tour with Sandy Denny and Fairport Convention, plus also record two BBC radio sessions. His efforts at rebuilding his career in the UK are thwarted by his physical and mental illnesses.

- re-records Blues Run the Game in London studio. This is a shorter, faster version released as a single. The B side is Can't Get Away From My Love. 

- 28 September: appears at the Festival of Contemporary Song, Royal Festival Hall, London, with Fairport Convention, Al Stewart, The Johnstons and Joni Mitchell. See the Program here.

- 5 October: performs at Les Cousins, London. Also appearing was Ron Geesin.

- 9 October: Night Ride session, BBC radio. JCF performs the following live tracks: 00:00 Blues Run The Game 03:19 Carnival 07:15 Just Like Anything - To Sing 09:19 Jimmy Clay 13:19 You Never Wanted Me. Duration: 16.25 minutes.

- 12 October, Melody Maker: Thursday, Black Bull, High Road, N.26. Jackson C. Frank !!, Dez and Julie Byrne. Host: Dennis O'Brien; Saturday, Les Cousins, London, All night session 12 - 7 am Jackson C. Frank and Mike Cooper.

- 26 October, Melody Maker: Monday, In concert - Purley Hills, Banstead Road, Purley, Surrey, 7.45. Al Stewart, Jackson C. Frank and Mark Ellington Wednesday, Holy Ground, 4a Inverness Place, W2. Mike Absalom introduces Jackson C. Frank, Tony Pilson and Peter Goodall, Ronny Cairnduff.

- 13 November: My Kind of Folk, Episode 37, BBC radio. Duration: 30.01 minutes. Hosted by Jackson C. Frank. Includes new live tracks: 1. Blues Run the Games (3.14), 2. I Want to be Alone (3.10), 3. Golden Mirror (2.50), 4. Just Like Anything (2.10) and 5. My Name is Carnival (3.55).

- 23 November: Festival of Contemporary Song, Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool.

- 24 November: Festival of Contemporary Song, City Hall, Newcastle.

 

- 7 December: Les Cousins, London. 

Artists represented by NEMS, Melody Maker 1 February 1969

1969

- 18 January, Melody Maker: Saturday, at Cousins, 7.30-11.30 Jackson C. Frank and the Friends of the Poor.

 

- 25 January, Melody Maker: Monday, Jackson C. Frank at the Gun Tavern, W. Croydon, 7.30.

 

- 1 February, Melody Maker: Saturday, Les Cousins, 49 Greek Street, London. All night session: 7.30-11 with Davy Graham; 12 -7 with Jackson Frank and Andy Fernbach.

- 15 March, Melody Maker: Friday, In concert at Reading Town Hall, Roy Harper, Jackson C. Frank, The Heron and Gerald T. Moore, Friday March 14th.

- 28 March: Les Cousins, London, 7-11pm. Also on the bill was John Martyn.

- 5 April, Melody Maker: Sunday, Bounds Green Folk Club. Closed for Easter. Open next Sunday with Jackson C. Frank.

- 12 April, Melody Maker: Saturday, At Cousins, 49 Greek Street, 7 to 11 Al Stewart, Plus Guests. All night session 12-7 Jackson C. Frank, Andy Fernbach; Sunday, Bounds Green Folk Club, Springfield Park Tavern, Bounds Green Road N11.

- circa May: JCF returns home to the US when work in the UK dries up and his mental illness starts to reveal itself. He moves to Woodstock, New York, where he works on the local newspaper, writing numerous articles.

1972

- 5 June: records at Andy Robertson's Shotwell Music Recording, Woodstock, with Tim Moore. Double-tracked guitars. Tracks: 1. Juliette, 2. Madonna of Swans and 3. China Blue.

1974

- video recording of a performance by JCF at Katz's Deli, Woodstock, presented on public access TV. Copy not known.

- 9 May: records at Andy Robinson's Rude Sound Studio, Woodstock, with unnamed base player and Artie Traum on second guitar. Tracks: 1. Spanish Moss, 2. Cover Me With Roses, 3. Box Canyon and 4. Stitch in Time.

1975

- May: records at Peter Mekeel's studio, Lake Hill, Woodstock. Tracks include: 1. Spanish Moss, 2. Cover Me With Roses, 3. Madonna of Swans, 4 - Marlene, 5. Marcy's Song, 6. The Visit, 7. Cryin Like A Baby, 8. Have You Seen a Unicorn and 8. Relations. Includes second takes.

1970s

 

- Friend Roxy Dawn tapes some new songs. Heard by Abbott in the mid 90s but taped over accidentally and lost.

1984

- JCF travels to New York looking for Paul Simon. He ends up on the street and in and out of mental hospitals during the 80s.

1994

- September: records at Mark Anderson's Ulster County Community College studio. Tracks: 1. October, 2. Mystery, 3. Goodbye to my loving you, 4. Halloween is a black night 5. Child Fixin' to Die and 6. I Don't Want to Love You No More. The second last song mentions the death of his son.

1997

- Records in his kitchen. Tracks include: 1. The Spectre, 2. Goodbye to My Lovin' You, 3. Tumble in the Wind, 4. Singing Sailors and 5. Night of the Blues. They are later release as the so-called Kitchen Table Demos session.

1999

- Jackson C. Frank dies of pneumonia at the age of 56.

-----------------------------

Songs

The following listing of songs written, and or known to have been sung by, JCF is arranged alphabetically according to song title, with a link to online copies of the recordings, where they exist. Each item is dated, where known.

Ananias (1.36) - Peaches and Crust 1961. A religious song. Folk group version.

Banana Boat Song (2.43) - 1961. A calypso song. Folk group version, with Frank possibly speaking and his friend Mark Anderson playing the banjo.

 

Blues Run the Game (3.34) - LP version 1965.

Blues Run the Game (2.50) - 1968 single version. Shorter, faster and featuring a second guitar / mandolin.

Blues Run the Game (3.22) - live BBC Peel Session - 1968.

 

Blues Run the Game - live BBC My Kind of Folk session 1968.

 

Borrow Love and Go (2.11) - Peaches and Crust 1961.

 

 

Box Canyon (3.02) - Rude Sound Studio session 1974.

Bull Men (2.14) - Kitchen Tapes 1997.

Can't Get Away From My Love (2.50) - single 1968. B side of Blues Run the Game.

Carnival - see My Name is Carnival

C.C. Rider (3.43) - 13 May 1962. Acoustic band version, sung in an Elvis Presley voicing.

Child Fixin' to Die (3.00) - Anderson session October 1994.

China Blue (4.18) - Shotwell session 1972. Double-tracked guitars.

Coal Tattoo (by Billy Edd Wheeler) - not recorded, but known to have been perform at the Folk Barge, Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey, in 1965.

 

Cover Me With Roses (2.28) - Rude Sound Studio session 1974.

 

 

Cryin' Like a Baby (3.33) - Mekeel session 1975.

Dialogue - see I Want to be Alone

Don't Look Back (3.01) - LP version 1965. A protest song.

Forests of Eden - see Juliette

 

Four O'clock in the Morning - circa 1968. Cited by Al Stewart as an anthemic song performed by JCF upon his returned to the UK in 1968, but subsequently denied by JCF.

 

Frankie and Johnny (3.32) - 1961. Acoustic band version, sung by Jack.

 

Golden Mirror (4.36) - live BBC My Kind of Folk session 1968. Includes introductory comments.

Goodbye to My Loving You (3.56) - Anderson session October 1994.

Gospel Plow (1.55) - 1961. Folk group version.

Half the Distance (2.35) - Kitchen Tapes 1997.

Halloween is Black as Night (2.43) - Anderson session October 1994.

Have you seen the unicorn? (0.35) - Mekeel session 1975.

Heartbreak Hotel (2.24) - Howell session 1957. Rock version.

Here Comes the Blues (4.05) - home recording by Judith Piepe, London 1965.

Here Come the Blues (4.05) - LP version 1965.

I don't want to love you no more (2.37) - Anderson session October 1994.

 

In the Pines version 1 (3.33) - Peaches and Crust 1961. Folk group version, solo.

In the Pines version 2 (3.28) - 1961. Folk group version, solo.

Instrumental (2.35) - live BBC Peel Session 1968.

Instrumental - Anderson session October 1994.

I've been 'buked and I've been scorned (3.44) - 1961. Folk group version.

I Want to Be Alone - home recording by Judith Piepe, London 1965. No online copy available.

I Want to Be Alone (3.17) - LP version 1965. This clip features a man walking on fire.

I Want to be Alone - live BBC My Kind of Folk session 1968.

 

Jesse James (3.02) - Peaches and Crust 1961. Folk group version.

Jimmy Clay (4.08) - live BBC Peel Session 1968. Written by Patrick Sky.

John Henry (3.30) - 1961. Folk group version.

John Henry's Hammer (4.17) - 1961. Folk group version.

Juliette (4.40) - Shotwell session 1972. Double-tracked guitars.

Juliette (3.01) - Anderson session October 1994. Erroneously labelled Forests of Eden.

Just Like Anything (To sing is a state of mind) (2.28) - LP version 1965.

Just Like Anything (2.06) - live BBC Peel Session 1968.

 

Just Like Anything (2.10) - live BBC My Kind of Folk session 1968.

 

Kimbie (3.14) - LP version 1965. Traditional song.

Last Month of the Year (2.56) - Peaches and Crust 1961.

Madonna of Swans (2.00) - Shotwell session 1972. Double-tracked guitars.

 

Madonna of Swans (5.15) - Mekeel session 1975.

 

Marcy's Song (4.31) - Mekeel session 1975. The lyrics and singing of this song are strange but intriguing, as is the driving guitar work behind it. It reminds one of Nick Drake's Riverman in its epic nature. The song featured in the 2012 film Martha Macy May Marlene.

Marlene take 1 (4.50) - Mekeel session 1975. This is a song about JCF's first love, Marlene du Pont, who was killed in the 1954 school fire.

 

Marlene take 2 (4.37) - Mekeel session 1975. CD: Troubadour.

 

 

Maria Spanish Rose (2.48) - Kitchen Tapes 1997.

 

Milk and Honey (3.40) - LP version 1965.

My Name Is Carnival (3.47) - LP version 1965. This song featured in the 2020 movie Joker, where it is directly referenced.

My Name is Carnival (4.02) - live BBC Peel Session 1968.

 

My Name is Carnival (3.50) - live BBC My Kind of Folk session 1968.

Mystery (2.38) - Anderson session October 1994.

Night of the Blues (version 1) (2.02) - Kitchen Tapes 1997.

Night of the Blues (version 2) (3.52) - Kitchen Tapes 1997.

October (5.00) - Anderson session October 1994.

On my way to the Canaan land (2.51) - Peaches and Crust 1961.

Relations (3.47) - Mekeel session 1975.

Santa, bring my baby back to me / Precious Lord (2.37) - Howell session 1957.

She's Just Gone Again - 1965. Referred to by JCF in correspondence. Unclear if recorded under another name or not. 

Singing Sailors (2.47) - Kitchen Tapes 1997.

Spanish Moss (4.27) - Rude Sound Studio session 1974.

Spanish Moss - Mekeel session 1975.

Stitch in Time (2.34) - Shotwell session 1972.

The Spectre (1.59) - Kitchen Tapes 1997.

The Visit (4.58) - Mekeel session 1975.

Tumble in the Wind (version 1) - Kitchen Tapes 1997.

 

Tumble in the Wind (version 2) - Kitchen Tapes 1997.

Yellow Walls - LP version 1965. Second guitar by Al Stewart.

You Never Wanted Me - home recording by Judith Piepe, London 1965. No online copy available.

 

You Never Wanted Me (3.11) - LP version 1965.

You Never Wanted Me (2.57) - line BBC Peel Session 1968.

 

You Don't Know My Mind - 1965. Referred to by JCF in correspondence. Unclear if recorded under another name or not. 

 

Washington Jail (2.35) - Peaches and Crust 1961.

 

----------------------------

Guitars

British musician Martin Simpson noted in 2020 how he came to possess the guitar JFC used to record Blues Rule the Game:

... I would always tell the story of [Jackson C. Frank] and how the tragic accident that happened when he was 11 years old in the school classroom. Basically, the boiler exploded and 15 of his classmates were killed and he was really, really badly burned. During his recuperation, physical recuperation, he was given a guitar by the schoolteacher and he learned to do some folk songs and things like that, and he started to write. When he was 21, which was 1965, he came to England with $110,000 of compensation he’d been given, which he legendarily spent on booze, travel, vintage Martin guitars and sports cars when he got here.He made a big impression over here, particularly on the London folk scene – Les Cousins club and that kind of thing – and he made one record that was produced by Paul Simon who was also, basically, a struggling American singer-songwriter over here at the time. So he came over and made this one record, produced by Paul Simon, and he’d arrived with a bunch of really decent guitars. Anyway, I played The Stables at Wavendon and after the gig I was sitting there and, you know, signing CDs and chatting away to people. It’s a lovely part of the evening. This guy came up. He was quite shy and he said, ‘You know you were talking about Jackson C Frank’s guitars?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ And he said, ‘Well, I’ve got the D-28 that he recorded Blues Run The Game on.’ And it was one of those, ‘No – have you really?’ moments. He said, ‘Yes, I bought it in 1966 from Gerry Potter’s music shop at the bottom of Richmond Hill.’ I used to know Gerry really well. I knew the shop very well. Then he slayed me. He said, ‘I haven’t played it in 25 years. It’s under my bed. It’s too big for me, really.’ I went, ‘Ahh,’ [laughs] still trying to be casual about it. I said to him, ‘I’d really love to see it.’ He said, ‘Well, absolutely.’ He gave me his phone number and I made a point of not being in touch for a while. Partly because I wanted to think about it as well as not wanting to seem ridiculously keen, you know. 

[The 1948 Martin D-28 that once belonged to American folk guitarist Jackson C Frank – and found its way to Martin Simpson by chance.] 

So I went to see him and he wheeled the guitar out and it hadn’t been played for a very long time. It was a mess, but obviously a really fine guitar. I asked him if he would be interested in selling it; he said yes he would. He quoted a price that was a lot but then again not, considering what it is. In the case was the receipt, which said £250. So I said, ‘Well, £275 for cash right now.’ [Laughs.] Joking aside, I really thought about it and I thought I would love to own the guitar – but, actually, it was more than I had got floating around at the time and, anyway, I wasn’t that sure that the D-28 was going to be what I need to keep playing. So I got in touch with my friend Tony Werneke, who owns Replay Acoustics down in Kent. I said to Tony, ‘Look, Tony, I’ve found this guitar. I’m really happy if you’re interested in it, if you would like to buy it, but on the condition that I can use it on my next record.’ And so he said, ‘Yes, great.’ And he bought it and was delighted with it. It has an extraordinary amount of soul, that guitar. It really does. I think he did a neck re-set on it; it was routine maintenance that you would expect to do with a guitar at that age. It is in extraordinarily good condition. He’d traded it in. He looks like he probably bashed it on the edge of a table or something and it needed a repair. Not a massive repair but a repair, and he had to have a guitar he could play so he traded it in and that’s how Terry [the guitar’s long term owner after Jackson C Frank sold it] got it. So I just let time go by and I said, ‘Right, I’m going to start recording. Can you send me the guitar up?’ and up it came. I’m really honoured to have had this guitar and to have had the experience of getting to know it a bit. When it first arrived, it was last November. And I had my guitar workshop, which I always run in Sheffield in November. I brought it into the workshop and I said what it was and then I played Blues Run The Game on it. There were 20 middle-aged guys there, you know. When I looked up at the end of it, half of them were crying. It’s a really special thing. It’s never happened before that I’ve come across something like that.

-----------------------------

References

Abbott, Jim, Jackson C. Frank - The clear, hard light of genius, Da Ba Bing Records, New York, 2014, 254p.

Anderson, Ian, Allnight Fever - Les Cousins, Ian Anderson [website], November 2014.

Burning Rooster, Blues Run the Game - The strange tale of Jackson C. Frank (Trailer), [YouTube], 28 November 2017. Duration: 2.18 minutes.

-----, Blues Run the Game - The strange tale of Jackson C. Frank (Extracts), [YouTube], 13 April 2020. Duration: 5.00 minutes.

Dallas, Karl, Jackson C. Frank: Frankly Speaking, Melody Maker, 22 March 1975.

Denny, Sandy, I've always kept a unicorn, Faber, March 2015.

Dickson, James, Martin Simpson: "I played Jackson C Frank’s D-28. There were 20 middle-aged guys there, half of them were crying", Musicradar [website], 9 January 2020. 

Drew, Ashley, Elvis and musician Jackson C. Frank, [YouTube], 8 January 2021. Duration: 5.03 minutes.

Giraud, Thomas, La Ballade Silencieuse de Jackson C. Frank [The Silent Ballad of Jackson C. Frank], Editions La Contra allée, Lillee, 2018, 176p. [Novelisation of the life of Jackson C. Frank, in French] [Vimeo: Comment on the book] [YouTube: Interview with the author]

 

Grafton, Pete, Jackson C. Frank: Catch a boat to England, Pete Grafton [blog], 30 April 2014. A detailed account of JCF's time in England during 1965-66.

Henry, Katharine, Memories of Jackson C. Frank, Mojo, 186.

Irwin, Colin, Obituary: Jackson C. Frank, Mojo, May 1999.

 

ISC, Jackson C. Frank documentary - the ill-fated blues, [YouTube], 30 June 2021. Duration: 14.04 minutes.

  

Jenkins, John, The Garden Party Radio Show - Under The Radar # 5 - Jackson C Frank, [radio show], 5 October 2020. Duration: 60 minutes.

McGrath, T.J., Jackson C. Frank, Dirty Linen, 1995. Reprinted at Folk Blues & Beyond. Includes excerpts from an interview with Frank.

 

Means, Andrew, Game, Set, Blues: Whatever happened to Jackson C. Frank?, Folk Roots, 146/147, August - September 1995.  

Miers, Jeff, Buffalo's Jackson C. Frank, a folk hero long forgotten, reenters the spotlight, Buffalo News, 22 October 2018. 

Murphy, Pauline, Blues Ran His Games - The Tragic Life of Jackson C. Frank, Headstuff [website], 5 June 2019.

Pollard, Alexandra, Jackson C. Frank: The forgotten folk hero whose tragic life overshadowed his genius, The Independent, 8 December 2018. 

Runtagh, Jordan, This Is Us Gives a Second Life to Tragic Forgotten '60s Folk Musician Jackson C. Frank, People, 24 February 2014.

Stanley, Bob, The tragic tale of Jackson C. Frank, forgotten legend of the 60s, The Guardian, 10 January 2014.

Stine, Alison, Snowfall Blues: The hard life and clear sound of Jackson C. Frank, QVR: A national journal of literature and discussion, Winter 2015. 

The unofficial Jackson C. Frank home page, 1997+.  

Unterberger, Richie, Jackson C. Frank: music and biography, allmusic.com [website], n.d. Includes a comprehensive list of recordings of his work by other artists.

WKBW TV, A Forgotten Buffalo Legend - The Jackson C. Frank Story, [YouTube], 25 February 2017. Duration:  3.52 minutes.

----------------------

 

| Chronology | London 1968 | Writings & Reminiscences |

 

 | Blue Fender Bronco 1968 | Cream Gibson SG | Fuzz Tone | Jimi Hendrix Flying V | Jimmy Page Dragon Telecaster | Jackson C. Frank | Jo Ann Kelly | Kahvas Jute & Chariot | Music | MC5 | Nick Drake Guitars | Peter Green | Shocking Blue | The Leftards - Gong punk 2017+ | The Vamps 1965-77 | Yardbirds | 

 

Last Updated: 28 March 2023

Michael Organ, Australia