Raised in a large, musical farm family in Rappahannock County, Virginia, John Jackson (1924-2002) was the most important black Appalachian musician to come to broad public attention during the mid-1960s. Having learned guitar and his wide-ranging stock of songs as a youth from family and 78-rpm recordings, he enthralled major audiences during more than three decades with his vintage style and repertoire. Culled from hundreds of live concert recordings in the Smithsonian Folkways archives, the twenty tracks of Rappahannock Blues highlight John Jackson the way he most wanted to be remembered—as a bluesman. 20 tracks, 57 minutes, 32-page booklet with extensive notes.This recording is the fifth in the Smithsonian Folkways African American Legacy Series, co-presented with the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.
1 Rocks and Gravel
2 Too Tight Rag
3 Candy Man
4 Truckin’ Little Baby
5 Railroad Bill
6 Nobody’s Business (If I Do)
7 Don’t You Want to Go Up There [Also Known As “In My Father’s House”]8 The Year Clayton Delaney Died
9 John Jackson’s Breakdown
10 Red River Blues
11 Brown’s Ferry Blues
12 Cindy
13 You Ain’t No Woman
14 John Henry
15 Diddy Wah Diddy
16 Just a Closer Walk with Thee
17 Frankie and Johnny
18 Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down
19 Step It Up and Go
20 West Coast Rag