Jackson Carey Jones was born on March 2, 1943, later taking the surname of his stepfather to become Jackson C. Frank. Between the birth and his death at age 56 on March 3, 1999, Frank encountered many tragedies and released one of the great “lost” folk albums of the 1960s.
Paul Simon produced Frank’s 1965 album, Jackson C. Frank. The album failed to launch the career that Frank’s music deserved, although it influenced other artists and is loved by man today. The leadoff track, “Blues Run the Game” has been covered by several artists and appeared on TV and in movies.
Livin’ is a gamble baby,
Lovin’s much the same;
Wherever I have played, and
Whenever I’ve thrown those dices,
Wherever I have played,
The blues have run the game.
A number of singers have since covered the song. Artists who covered “Blues Run the Game” include Nick Drake, Sandy Dennis, Counting Crows, and John Mayer. The wonderful TV series featured Frank’s original version over a montage giving the heartbreaking backstory of one of the characters.
Paul Simon would also record “Blues Run the Game” with Art Garfunkel. The song appeared on the Simon & Garfunkel box set Old Friends.
Frank would never release another album during his lifetime, although he did create more music (now available). His life seemed to be haunted. When he was eleven, a furnace exploded at his school, severely burning Frank and killing fifteen of his classmates, including his young sweetheart.
After recording his 1965 album, Frank suffered from depression and other mental and physical health problems. At one point he was homeless. He died of pneumonia in Massachusetts in 1999.
The following short clip from a Buffalo news stations gives a little more information about his life.
I only discovered Frank’s music recently after seeing a reference on Twitter. It is clear he was a great talent, so it is no wonder that he is well-respected despite the unfortunately small amount of music we have from him. Check out more of his music if, like me, you are new to his work.
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