John Jackson is a musician and record label executive, known for being the guitarist for the
Jayhawks.
He plays guitar, mandolin and violin.
Before joining the Jayhawks, Jackson had been the senior vice president of A&R at
Legacy Recordings
Legacy Recordings is an American record label that is a division of Sony Music. Formed in 1990 after Sony's acquisition of CBS Records, Legacy originally handled the archives of Sony Music-owned labels Columbia Records and Epic Records. In 20 ...
where he had co-produced The Jayhawks' “Best Of” album.
Jackson spoke to
Gary Louris
Gary Louris (born March 10, 1955) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter of alternative country and pop music. He was a founding member of the Minneapolis-based band the Jayhawks and their principal songwriter and vocalist after the ...
when he was on a solo acoustic tour and asked if he could open for him and began to play with the band.
Jackson has described the Jayhawks as "the best American band of the last 30 years."
Jackson's connections led to the band getting to work with
Ray Davies
Sir Raymond Douglas Davies ( ; born 21 June 1944) is an English musician. He was the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and main songwriter for the rock band the Kinks, which he led with his younger brother Dave on lead guitar and backing voca ...
for their Americana album.
Jackson co-produced the band's tenth studio album ''Back Roads and Abandoned Motels'' at
Flowers Studio
Flowers Studio is a recording studio in Minneapolis founded by Ed Ackerson, leader of the alternative rock bands Polara and the 27 Various, and co-founder of the Susstones Records label. Many notable musicians have recorded at the studio, includ ...
in Minneapolis.
Since 2010 Jackson has been the vice president of A&R and Content Development for
Sony's Commercial Music group.
As part of his work, he oversaw the
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
back catalog, as well as the catalogs of Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash.
He worked on a box set for the 50th anniversary of the 1970 Presley sessions, and he’s supplied the master tapes for
Baz Luhrmann's Presley biopic.
Early life
Jackson went to
Indiana University
Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana.
Campuses
Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI.
*Indiana Universit ...
where he majored in the history of rock music, creating what IU calls "the world's first bachelor's degree in rock history."
References
External links
Jayhawks Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, John
American male guitarists
American male singer-songwriters
Living people
20th-century American guitarists
21st-century American guitarists
20th-century American male musicians
21st-century American male musicians
Year of birth missing (living people)
American singer-songwriters