Stephen Jackson (born January 26, 1970) is a musician from

Washington D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

Most notably he is a founding member, singer and songwriter for the Washington D.C. based band

the Pietasters The Pietasters are an American eight-piece ska/soul band from Washington, D.C., with additional members from Maryland and Virginia. History In 1990, Stephen Jackson and Chris Watt met at Virginia Tech, through mutual friend Tal Bayer, who was at ...

and the record labels Slug Tone! and Indication Records.

Musical career

While attending college at

Virginia Tech Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also ...

, Stephen Jackson and high school friends Tal Bayer, Chris Watt and Tom Goodin formed the ska, punk-rock band the Slugs in 1990. After changing the name to the Dancehall Crashers and eventually the Pietasters, the band soon began playing shows with bands like

the Skunks The Skunks are a three-piece rock band formed in 1977 in Austin, Texas. The band debuted in early 1978 at Raul's, quickly became a mainstay of the Austin, Texas music scene. They rapidly expanded their fan base beyond early punk/ new wave into c ...

Bad Manners Bad Manners are an English two-tone and ska band led by frontman Buster Bloodvessel. Early appearances included ''Top of the Pops'' and the live film documentary, ''Dance Craze'' (1981). They were at their most popular during the early 1980 ...

and

Bim Skala Bim Bim Skala Bim formed in Boston as a ska band that was influenced by the bands in England’s two-tone movement as well as artists such as the Clash, UB40 and Bob Marley. Their "Boston Blue Beat" sound, a mix of upbeat two-tone ska, rock ‘n’ r ...

. The Pietasters soon began recording their first musical tracks, and released early EPs and a full-length self-titled tape on their own SlugTone! label in 1990 and 1991. Jackson began touring extensively with the Pietasters in 1992 after graduating with a degree in architecture, and has continued to do so to the present day. He has released seven full-length albums with the Pietasters. Jackson continues to manage the band and is currently the only remaining original member of the band that has performed with the band full-time since 1990. He has appeared as one of the lead songwriters on every Pietaster album.

Musical influences

Jackson has credited early

ska Ska (; ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walki ...

Alton Ellis Alton Nehemiah Ellis (1 September 1938 – 10 October 2008)Godfather ...

, Two-Tone Ska, Northern Soul,

Stax Streaming API for XML (StAX) is an application programming interface (API) to read and write XML documents, originating from the Java programming language community. Traditionally, XML APIs are either: * DOM based - the entire document is read in ...

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo ar ...

, Punk Rock,

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnershi ...

, U2,

the Police The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For most of their history the line-up consisted of primary songwriter Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussion). The Police ...

, and

the Clash The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the wa ...

amongst his numerous influences.

Touring history

Jackson has toured extensively with many bands during his career with the Pietasters:

the Mighty Mighty Bosstones The Mighty Mighty Bosstones (informally referred to as The Bosstones and often stylized as The Mighty Mighty BossToneS) were an American ska punk band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1983. From the band's inception, lead vocalist Dicky ...

, the

Reverend Horton Heat The Reverend Horton Heat is the stage name of American musician James C. Heath (born 1959) as well as the name of his Dallas, Texas-based psychobilly trio. Heath is a singer, songwriter and guitarist. A ''Prick'' magazine reviewer called Heath ...

, the

Slackers A slacker is someone who habitually work aversion, avoids work or lacks work ethic. Origin According to different sources, the term ''slacker'' dates back to about 1790 or 1898. "Slacker" gained some recognition during the UK, British Gezira Sch ...

, Pennywise,

No Doubt No Doubt is an American rock band from Anaheim, California, formed in 1986. For most of their career, the band has consisted of vocalist Gwen Stefani, guitarist Tom Dumont, bassist Tony Kanal, and drummer Adrian Young. Since the mid-1990s, they ...

NOFX NOFX () is an American punk rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1983. Vocalist/bassist Fat Mike, guitarist Eric Melvin and drummer Erik Sandin are original founding and longest-serving members of the band, who have appeared on every ...

, the

Cherry Poppin' Daddies The Cherry Poppin' Daddies are an American swing and ska band established in Eugene, Oregon, in 1989. Formed by singer-songwriter Steve Perry and bassist Dan Schmid, the band has experienced numerous personnel changes over the course of its 30 ...

the Toasters The Toasters are one of the original American second wave of ska bands. Founded in New York City in 1981, the band has released nine studio albums, primarily through Moon Ska Records. History Englishman Robert "Bucket" Hingley relocated to New Y ...

, the Specials,

Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros The Mescaleros were the British backing band for British singer, musician and songwriter Joe Strummer, formed in 1999, which issued three albums prior to Strummer's death in 2002. Many of the band members were multi-instrumentalists. The origin ...

, the

Bouncing Souls The Bouncing Souls are an American punk band from New Brunswick, New Jersey, formed in 1989. By the time of their acknowledgment by the national punk rock scene, they had reignited a "pogo" element to New Jersey punk rock by playing fast light-he ...

Less Than Jake Less Than Jake is an American ska punk band from Gainesville, Florida, formed in 1992. The band consists of Chris DeMakes (guitars, vocals), Roger Lima (bass, vocals), Matt Yonker (drums), Buddy Schaub (trombone), and Peter "JR" Wasilewski (saxoph ...

, the

Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...

They Might Be Giants They Might Be Giants (often abbreviated as TMBG) is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years, Flansburgh and Linnell frequently performed as a duo, often accompanied by a d ...

, the Meatmen, H₂O, the Damned, Rancid,

Ozomatli Ozomatli is an American rock band, formed in 1995 in Los Angeles. They are known both for their vocal activist viewpoints and incorporating a wide array of musical styles – including salsa, jazz, funk, reggae, hip hop, and others. The group ...

, Hepcat,

Bad Brains Bad Brains are an American rock band formed in Washington, D.C. in 1976. Originally a jazz fusion band under the name Mind Power, they are widely regarded as pioneers of hardcore punk, though the band's members have objected to the use of this ...

and many others.

Discography

Studio albums

*''

The Pietasters The Pietasters are an American eight-piece ska/soul band from Washington, D.C., with additional members from Maryland and Virginia. History In 1990, Stephen Jackson and Chris Watt met at Virginia Tech, through mutual friend Tal Bayer, who was at ...

'' - 1993 on Slug Tone! Records *''

Oolooloo ''Oolooloo'' is the second album by the ska/soul band the Pietasters, released in 1995. It was reissued on vinyl in 2012. Critical reception ''The Province'' called the band "lighter of touch and breezier than most of their contemporaries." In ...

'' - 1995 on

Moon Ska Records Moon Ska Records was one of the most influential ska record labels of the 1980s and 1990s. The label operated from 1983 until 2000, and during those seventeen years, only released ska and ska-influenced music. Originally named ''Moon Records'', as ...

*'' Willis'' - 1997 on

Hellcat Records Hellcat Records is an independent record label based in Los Angeles, California. The label, an offshoot of Epitaph Records, was started as a partnership between Brett Gurewitz of Bad Religion, the owner of Epitaph, and Tim Armstrong of Rancid ...

*'' Awesome Mix Tape vol. 6'' - 1999 on Hellcat Records *''

Turbo In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (often called a turbo) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to pro ...

'' - 2002 on

Fueled by Ramen Fueled by Ramen LLC is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by 300 Elektra Entertainment. The label, founded in Gainesville, Florida in 1996, is now based in New York City. History John Janick conceived of the lab ...

*'' All Day'' - 2007 on Indication Records

Rare albums, EPs, singles, and others

*''The Ska-Rumptious 7 Inch'' - 1992 on Slug Tone! Records *''All You Can Eat'' (EP) - 1992 on Slug Tone! Records *''Soul Sammich'' - 1994 on Slug Tone! Records *''Ocean'' - 1996 on Moon Records *''

Strapped Live! ''Strapped Live!'' is a live album by the ska/soul band The Pietasters, recorded at two shows in 1995 and released in 1996 (see 1996 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1996. Specific locations ...

'' (live album) - 1996 on Moon Records *''Comply'' - 1996 on Moon Records *''Out All Night'' (Promo) - 1997 on Hellcat Records *''Out All Night'' (EP) - 1998 on HellCat Records *''Yesterday's Over'' (Promo) - 1999 on Hellcat Records *''The Pietasters 1992-1996'' - 2003 on VMS Records *''Live at the 9:30 Club'' (DVD) - 2005 on MVD *''

NCAA Football 2006 ''NCAA Football 06'' is a collegiate American football video game which was released on July 11, 2005. It is the successor to ''NCAA Football 2005'' in the ''NCAA Football'' series. The product features former Michigan Wolverines standout and Heis ...

'' (Game Menu and Minigame Soundtrack) *''Crazy Baldhead: The Sound of '69'' singing on ''Monkey Man''

Videos

*
New Breed
' -
Burning Toast
/ Slug Tone! Records Production (or see it o
YouTube
*
Stoned Feeling
' -
Burning Toast
/ Slug Tone! Records Production *
Out All Night
' - a
Epitaph / Hellcat Records
/ Slug Tone! Records Production *
Yesterday's Over
' - a
Epitaph / Hellcat Records
/ Slug Tone! Records Production

References

External links

*
Epitaph Records

Mobtown Ska PodOmatic Podcast interview, 2008

Diamondback interview, 2009

Patriot Ledger interview, 2010
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Stephen 1970 births American rock singers American ska singers Living people Singers from Washington, D.C. American ska musicians 21st-century American singers