Representative Albums: "The Best of Stonewall Jackson," "Classic Country," "American Originals"
Representative Songs: "Waterloo," "A Wound Time Can't Erase," "I Washed My Hands in Muddy Wa"
Biography
Stonewall Jackson was one of the most popular country stars of the early '60s, scoring a string of Top Ten country hits and becoming a fixture at the Grand Ole Opry with a pleading voice that seemed to reflect his hard, often abusive upbringing on a south Georgia dirt farm. He was named after the Confederate general Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, to whom he was related according to family legend. When he was ten he traded his bike for a guitar and began making up songs. Some of his later hits, such as "Don't Be Angry," were written very early in his creative life. Jackson began singing professionally in the mid-'50s, moving to Nashville in 1956. Within a few days of his arrival he delivered an unsolicited demonstration recording to the offices of the Acuff-Rose publishing house, and executive Wesley Rose heard his recorded singing and set up an audition for Jackson at the Grand Ole Opry. He became the first entertainer to join the Opry without a recording contract, performing first on the Opry's Friday Night Frolics before his official debut. Backed by Ernest Tubb's Texas Troubadours, he proved so popular that the audience demanded four encores.
Eventually Jackson hit the road with Tubb, who became a mentor to the young singer and songwriter. By early 1957, Jackson had signed a recording contract with Columbia Records and cut his first record, "Don't Be Angry." Jackson followed up with a cover of George Jones' "Life to Go," which peaked at number two in early 1959. The upbeat "Waterloo," with its mixture of novelty and melancholy, did even better, spending five weeks at the top of the country charts, hitting number four on the pop charts, and garnering Jackson some national television exposure. Through the early '60s Jackson was a consistent hitmaker with such country standards as "Why I'm Walkin'" (number six, 1960), "A Wound Time Can't Erase" (number three, 1962), and "I Washed My Hands in Muddy Water" (number eight, 1965). Jackson's second number one hit, "B.J. the D.J.," arrived in early 1964.
During the second half of the '60s, he reached Top 40 less often, scoring only one Top Ten hit: 1967's "Stamp Out Loneliness". His Columbia albums of this period contained ornate wordplay from the pens of well-established Nashville writers like Vic McAlpin; songs such as "Ship in a Bottle" and "Nevermore Quote the Raven" applied literary virtuosity to traditional country themes. By 1970, however, Jackson wasn't even hitting the Top 40. He bounced back briefly in 1971 with a cover of Lobo's "Me and You and a Dog Named Boo." In 1973, he had his last hit with "Herman Schwartz," which reached number 41. After that, Jackson continued to appear regularly on the Opry and to record occasionally, releasing albums like the inspirational Make Me Like a Child Again. He also re-recorded versions of his old hits, and he privately published his autobiography, From the Bottom Up, in 1991. ~ Sandra Brennan & James Manheim, All Music Guide
His most popular song was "Waterloo," in 1959. The song is a haunting and catchy tune that states "Everybody has to meet his Waterloo," meaning their fate. The song cites Adam, Napoleon and Tom Dooley as examples.
Jackson was the first artist to join the Grand Ole Opry before obtaining a recording contract. He signed to Columbia Records and debuted in 1958 with "Don't Be Angry." The song did not score in the country music top 40, but it got him recognition.
His breakthrough came in the country Top 40 in late 1958, with a song written by a young George Jones, "Life to Go." It peaked at #2 in early 1959 and his follow-up record, "Waterloo," was #1 for 5 weeks and crossed over into the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100chart, where it reached #4. The track also reached #24 in the UK Singles Chart in July 1959.[1] His next #1 came in 1964, with "B.J. The D.J." (about an over-worked country music radio stationdisc jockey, who crashes his car in a rainstorm because of bad tires). Jackson was the first artist to record a live album from the Grand Ole Opry, in 1963 with Old Showboat. Other songs of his include "The Carpet On The Floor," "Why I'm Walkin'," "A Wound Time Can't Erase" and "I Washed My Hands in Muddy Water." Jackson also recorded a cover version of Lobo's 1971 hit, "Me and You and a Dog Named Boo."
From 1958 to 1971, Jackson had 35 Top 40 Country hits. Along with Ray Price, Jackson is considered a cornerstone, after Hank Williams and Lefty Frizzell, of the hard-driving honky tonk sound in the late 1950s and early 1960s.[by whom?]
In 2006, Jackson sued the Grand Ole Opry for $10 million, claiming age discrimination. As a member of the Opry for over fifty years, Jackson believed that management was sidelining him in favor of younger artists. In his court filing, Jackson claimed that Opry general manager Pete Fisher stated that he didn't "want any gray hairs on that stage or in the audience, and before I'm done there won't be any." Fisher is also alleged to have told Jackson that he was "too old and too country." [2]
