Albert J. Jackson Jr. (November 27, 1935 – October 1, 1975) was an American

drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drums. Most contemporary western bands that play rock, pop, jazz, or R&B music include a drummer for purposes including timekeeping and embellishing the musical timbre. The drummer' ...

, producer, and

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music ge ...

. He was a founding member of Booker T. & the M.G.'s, a group of

session musician Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a t ...

s who worked for

Stax Records Stax Records is an American record company, originally based in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1957 as Satellite Records, the label changed its name to Stax Records in 1961. It also shared its operations with sister label Volt Records. Stax was ...

and produced their own

instrumental An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to instrum ...

s. Jackson was affectionately dubbed "The Human Timekeeper" for his drumming ability. He was inducted into the

Memphis Music Hall of Fame The Memphis Music Hall of Fame, located in Memphis, Tennessee, honors Memphis musicians for their lifetime achievements in music. The induction ceremony and concert is held each year in Memphis. Since its establishment in 2012, the Hall of Fame has ...

in 2015, and the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and ...

as a member of Booker T. & the M.G.'s in 1992.

Early life

Jackson's father, Al Jackson Sr., led a jazz/swing dance band in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the County seat, seat of Shelby County, Tennessee, Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 Uni ...

. The young Jackson started drumming at an early age and began playing on stage with his father's band in 1940, at the age of five. He later played in producer and trumpeter Willie Mitchell's band and at the same time was holding down a chair in the popular Ben Branch Band. In an interview with ''

Drum! {{italic title ''DRUM!'' is a North American educational drumming magazine. It features artist profiles, product reviews, lessons and advanced transcriptions covering rock, pop and related styles of music. The magazine was launched in 1991 wi ...

'' magazine, Mitchell recalled,

Al Junior was about 14 years old then. I said to his father, 'Hey, let’s use your son!' He said, 'Oh, man, he can’t play this stuff!' But he did make the gig. He set up his kit – a cymbal, a snare drum, and a bass drum – and I kicked the thing off. And, man, that thing went off at 20 tempos! But that was around 7:00 o'clock. And by the time Al Senior came in an hour later, at 8:00 o'clock, Al Jackson Jr. was swinging that damn band like a pro.

Future bandmates

Steve Cropper Steven Lee Cropper (born October 21, 1941), sometimes known as "The Colonel", is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is the guitarist of the Stax Records house band, Booker T. & the M.G.'s, which backed artists such as Ot ...

and

Donald "Duck" Dunn Donald "Duck" Dunn (November 24, 1941 – May 13, 2012) was an American bass guitarist, session musician, record producer, and songwriter. Dunn was notable for his 1960s recordings with Booker T. & the M.G.'s and as a session bassist for Stax Re ...

first heard Jackson playing in Mitchell's band at the Flamingo Room, and the all-white Manhattan Club. Mitchell had also hired

Booker T. Jones Booker Taliaferro Jones Jr. (born November 12, 1944) is an American musician, songwriter, record producer and arranger, best known as the frontman of the band Booker T. & the M.G.'s. He has also worked in the studios with many well-known art ...

for his band. It was Jones who suggested Jackson be brought to

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 ...

. He said, "You guys need to know about Al." Dunn said that Jackson almost caused his wife to divorce him, because after finishing his own gig at one o'clock, he would stop by a club to hear Jackson and would get home at four or five in the morning; "He was that good!" said Dunn. At first, Jackson was reluctant to join Stax. He felt he could make more money playing live than doing session work. He wanted a guaranteed regular salary to come over to Stax (although he continued to play on sessions produced by Mitchell for

Hi Records Hi Records is an American soul music and rockabilly label founded in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1957 by singer Ray Harris, record store owner Joe Cuoghi, Bill Cantrell and Quinton Claunch (formerly producers for Sun Records), and three silent par ...

). And so he became the first Stax session musician to be on a weekly salary.

Career

At Stax, Jackson formed the M.G.'s with Booker T. Jones, Steve Cropper and

Lewie Steinberg Lewie Polk Steinberg (September 13, 1933 – July 21, 2016) was an American musician best known as the original bass guitar player for the soul music group Booker T. & the M.G.'s. Biography Steinberg was born in Memphis, Tennessee to Baptist par ...

(later to be replaced by Duck Dunn). During his tenure at Stax, he became one of the most influential drummers in the history of recorded music, providing an instantly recognizable backbeat behind the label's artists, including

Rufus Thomas Rufus C. Thomas, Jr. (March 26, 1917 – December 15, 2001) was an American rhythm-and-blues, funk, soul and blues singer, songwriter, dancer, DJ and comic entertainer from Memphis, Tennessee. He recorded for several labels, including Chess Re ...

Carla Thomas Carla Venita Thomas (born December 21, 1942) is an American singer, who is often referred to as the Queen of Memphis Soul. Thomas is best known for her 1960s recordings for Atlantic and Stax including the hits " Gee Whiz (Look at His Eyes)" (19 ...

Eddie Floyd Edward Lee Floyd (born June 25, 1937) is an American R&B and soul singer and songwriter, best known for his work on the Stax record label in the 1960s and 1970s, including the No. 1 R&B hit song " Knock on Wood". Biography Floyd was born in ...

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Otis Redding Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. ...

and blues guitarist

Albert King Albert Nelson (April 25, 1923 – December 21, 1992), known by his stage name Albert King, was an American guitarist and singer who is often regarded as one of the greatest and most influential blues guitarists of all time. He is perhaps ...

(whose work Jackson also produced). In the 1970s, he co-wrote and played on several hits by

Al Green Albert Leornes Greene (born April 13, 1946), better known as Al Green, is an American singer, songwriter, pastor and record producer best known for recording a series of soul hit singles in the early 1970s, including " Take Me to the River", ...

, including " Let's Stay Together" and " I'm Still in Love with You", at Hi, and he was also a session drummer for many artists, such as

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...

Bill Withers William Harrison Withers Jr. (July 4, 1938 – March 30, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He had several hits over a career spanning 18 years, including "Ain't No Sunshine" (1971), " Grandma's Hands" (1971), " Use Me" (1972 ...

Wilson Pickett Wilson Pickett (March 18, 1941 – January 19, 2006) was an American singer and songwriter. A major figure in the development of soul music, Pickett recorded over 50 songs which made the US R&B charts, many of which crossed over to the ''Bill ...

Leon Russell Leon Russell (born Claude Russell Bridges; April 2, 1942 – November 13, 2016) was an American musician and songwriter who was involved with numerous bestselling records during his 60-year career that spanned multiple genres, including rock and ...

Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as "rock & roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis made ...

, Eric Clapton,

Jean Knight Jean Knight (née Caliste; born January 26, 1943)Official records state that Jean Caliste, aged 16, married in June 1954, indicating a birth year of 1938. is an American R&B and soul singer from New Orleans, Louisiana. Launching her profession ...

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in ''Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". With ...

Major Lance Major Lance (April 4, 1939, 1941Soul music A-Z 1995 p. 185 or 1942The golden age of American rock 'n roll: Volume 3; 2002 p. 556 – September 3, 1994) was an American R&B singer. After a number of US hits in the 1960s, including " The Mon ...

Ann Peebles Ann Lee Peebles (born April 27, 1947) is an American singer and songwriter who gained celebrity for her Memphis soul albums of the 1970s for Hi Records. Two of her most popular songs are " I Can't Stand the Rain", which she wrote with her husband ...

Rod Stewart Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British rock and pop singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, he is of Scottish and English ancestry. With his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the best-selling ...

Shirley Brown Shirley Brown (born January 6, 1947, West Memphis, Arkansas) is an American R&B singer, best known for her million-selling single " Woman to Woman", which was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1975. Biography Brown was born in West Memphis, but ...

Donny Hathaway Donny Edward Hathaway (October 1, 1945 – January 13, 1979) was an American soul singer, keyboardist, songwriter, and arranger whom ''Rolling Stone'' described as a "soul legend". His most popular songs include " The Ghetto", "This Christmas ...

and

Herbie Mann Herbert Jay Solomon (April 16, 1930 – July 1, 2003), known by his stage name Herbie Mann, was an American jazz flute player and important early practitioner of world music. Early in his career, he also played tenor saxophone and clarinet (inc ...

. In 1975, four years after the release of their last album, ''

Melting Pot The melting pot is a monocultural metaphor for a heterogeneous society becoming more homogeneous, the different elements "melting together" with a common culture; an alternative being a homogeneous society becoming more heterogeneous through ...

'', the members of Booker T. & the M.G.'s decided to wrap up their individual projects and devote three years to a reunion of the band. A few months later, Jackson was murdered in his home.

Death

On September 30, 1975, Jackson was scheduled to fly from Memphis to Detroit, to produce a

session, when he supposedly heard a reminder on the radio about the

Joe Frazier Joseph William Frazier (January 12, 1944November 7, 2011), nicknamed "Smokin' Joe", was an American professional boxer who competed from 1965 to 1981. He was known for his strength, durability, formidable left hand, and relentless pressure ...

–

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...

fight that night. Jackson called Detroit to delay the session, saying he was going to watch the "

Thrilla in Manila Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier lll, billed as the "Thrilla in Manila", was the third and final boxing match between WBA, WBC, and '' The Ring'' heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali, and Joe Frazier, for the heavyweight championship of the world. T ...

" on the big screen at the Mid-South Coliseum. Though still legally married, Jackson was estranged from his wife, Barbara Jackson. In July 1975, his wife had shot him in the chest, but he decided to not press charges. He was in the process of filing for a divorce and intending to move to

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, so that he could begin working with

singer and songwriter William Bell. Jackson attended the screening with

and

Terry Manning Terry Manning is an American photographer, composer, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, audio engineer, and visual artist. In a career spanning more than 50 years, he has worked with Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden, Bryan Adams, ...

. After the screening, he returned home to find intruders in the house. Reportedly, he was told to get down on his knees, and was fatally shot five times in the back. Around 3 A.M. on October 1, Barbara Jackson ran out in the street, yelling for help. She told police that burglars had tied her up and shot her husband when he had returned home. Police found nothing out of place in the house, and Jackson's wallet and jewelry were still on him. The man believed to have pulled the trigger had reportedly known someone in Memphis. After robbing a bank in Florida, that person told the alleged triggerman to meet him at Al Jackson's house. Tracked through Florida, to Memphis, and to Seattle, Washington, the suspected murderer, the boyfriend of Barbara Jackson's friend Denise LaSalle, was killed by a police officer on July 15, 1976, after an unrelated gun battle.

Equipment

For recording Jackson typically used various combinations of Ludwig and Rogers drums and

Zildjian :''Zildjian leads here. For people with the surname, see Zildjian (disambiguation)'' The Avedis Zildjian Company, simply known as Zildjian (), is a musical instrument manufacturer specializing in cymbals and other percussion instruments. Founded ...

cymbals. Two studio kits played by Jackson are on display in museums; a Ludwig kit (with a Rogers Powertone snare drum) from

in the Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum, and a Rogers kit (with a Ludwig Acrolite snare drum) from

in the Stax Museum. According to

, as quoted in ''Give the Drummer Some!'' by Jim Payne, a grey pearl Rogers floor tom was used in the mix 'n' match kit at Stax.

Collaborations

With Booker T. & the M.G.'s * ''

Green Onions "Green Onions" is an instrumental composition recorded in 1962 by Booker T. & the M.G.'s. Described as "one of the most popular instrumental rock and soul songs ever" and as one of "the most popular R&B instrumentals of its era", the tune is ...

'' (Stax Records, 1962) * '' Soul Dressing'' (Stax Records, 1965) * '' And Now!'' (Stax Records, 1966) * '' In the Christmas Spirit'' (Stax Records, 1966) * ''

Hip Hug-Her ''Hip Hug-Her'' is the fifth studio album by the Southern soul band Booker T. & the M.G.'s, released on Stax Records in June 1967. The title track was the band's most successful single since their debut, " Green Onions" while their cover of th ...

'' (Stax Records, 1967) * ''

Doin' Our Thing ''Doin' Our Thing'' is the sixth studio album by R&B band Booker T. & the M.G.'s, released in April 1968. The album was their first self-produced effort and charted at number 176 on the Billboard Top 200 Chart. Track listing ;Side 1 #"I Can Di ...

'' (Stax Records, 1968) * '' Soul Limbo'' (Stax Records, 1968) * '' UpTight'' (Stax Records, 1969) * '' The Booker T. Set'' (Stax Records, 1969) * ''

McLemore Avenue ''McLemore Avenue'' is a 1970 album by Booker T. & the M.G.s, consisting entirely of mostly instrumental covers of songs from the Beatles' album ''Abbey Road'' (released only months earlier, in September 1969). The title and cover are an homag ...

'' (Stax Records, 1970) * ''

'' (Stax Records, 1971) With

* ''

Pain in My Heart ''Pain in My Heart'' is the debut album of soul singer-songwriter Otis Redding. Redding recorded for Volt Records, a subsidiary of Stax Records, based in Memphis, Tennessee. Volt LPs were initially issued on the Atco label, which released this a ...

'' (Atco Records, 1964) * ''

The Great Otis Redding Sings Soul Ballads ''The Great Otis Redding Sings Soul Ballads'', simply referred to as ''Soul Ballads'' or ''Sings Soul Ballads'', is the second studio album by American soul singer-songwriter Otis Redding, released in 1965. The album was one of the first issued ...

'' (Volt Records, 1965) * '' Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul'' (Volt Records, 1965) * ''

The Soul Album ''The Soul Album'' is the fourth studio album by American soul singer-songwriter Otis Redding, released in 1966. It features Redding performing songs that he co-wrote, as well as covers of songs by such musicians as Sam Cooke, Eddie Floyd, Roy ...

'' (Volt Records, 1966) * '' Complete & Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul'' (Volt Records, 1966) * ''

King & Queen ''King & Queen'' is a studio album by American recording artists Otis Redding and Carla Thomas. It is Thomas' fourth album and Redding's sixth and the final studio album before his death on December 10, 1967. Influenced by Marvin Gaye's duets, th ...

'' (Volt Records, 1967) * '' The Dock of the Bay'' (Volt Records, 1968) With

* ''

'' (Atco Records, 1971) With

* '' Let's Stay Together'' (Hi Records, 1972) * '' I'm Still in Love with You'' (Hi Records, 1972) * '' Call Me'' (Hi Records, 1973) * '' Livin' for You'' (Hi Records, 1973) With

* ''Woman to Woman'' (Truth Records, 1974) With David Porter * ''Victim of the Joke? An Opera'' (Enterprise Records, 1971) With

* ''

Atlantic Crossing ''Atlantic Crossing'' is the sixth studio album by English singer-songwriter Rod Stewart, released on 15 August 1975. It peaked at number one in the UK (his fifth solo album to do so), and number nine on the ''Billboard'' Top Pop Albums chart. ...

'' (Warner Bros. Records, 1975) * '' A Night on the Town'' (Warner Bros. Records, 1976) With

* '' Just as I Am'' (Sussex Records, 1971) With

Delaney & Bonnie Delaney & Bonnie were an American duo of singer-songwriters Delaney Bramlett and Bonnie Bramlett. In 1969 and 1970, they fronted a rock/soul ensemble, Delaney & Bonnie and Friends, whose members at different times included Duane Allman, Gregg ...

* ''

Home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or many humans, and sometimes various companion animals. It is a fully or semi sheltered space and can have both interior and exterior aspects to it. H ...

'' (Stax Records, 1969) With William Bell * ''The Soul of a Bell'' (Stax Records, 1967) * ''Bound to Happen'' (Stax Records, 1969) * ''Relating'' (Stax Records, 1974) With Alan Gerber * ''The Alan Gerber Album'' (Shelter Records, 1971) With

Mavis Staples Mavis Staples (born July 10, 1939) is an American rhythm and blues and gospel singer, actress, and civil rights activist. She rose to fame as a member of her family's band The Staple Singers (she is the last surviving member of that band). Duri ...

* ''

'' (Volt Records, 1969) * '' Only for the Lonely'' (Volt Records, 1970) With

* ''

Young, Gifted and Black ''Young, Gifted and Black'' is the eighteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Aretha Franklin, released in early 1972, by Atlantic Records. The album climbed to #2 on ''Billboards R&B albums survey and peaked at #11 on the main al ...

'' (Atlantic Records, 1972) With

* ''

Born Under a Bad Sign ''Born Under a Bad Sign'' is the second compilation album by American blues musician Albert King, released in August 1967 by Stax Records. It features eleven electric blues songs that were recorded from March 1966 to June 1967, throughout fi ...

'' (Stax Records, 1967) * ''

Years Gone By ''Years Gone By'' is a studio album by Albert King, released 1969. Track listing #"Wrapped Up in Love Again" (Albert King) – 2:18 #" You Don't Love Me" (instrumental) ( Willie Cobbs) – 3:28 #"Cockroach" (Bettye Crutcher, Deanie Parker) – 3 ...

'' (Stax Records, 1969) * '' The Blues Don't Change'' (Stax Records, 1974) With Eric Clapton * ''

461 Ocean Boulevard ''461 Ocean Boulevard'' is the second studio album by English musician Eric Clapton. The album was released in late July 1974 for RSO Records, shortly after the record company released the hit single "I Shot the Sheriff" in early July the same ...

'' (RSO Records, 1974) With

* ''In the Midnight Hour'' (Atlantic Records, 1965) * ''

The Exciting Wilson Pickett ''The Exciting Wilson Pickett'', released in 1966, was the third album by R&B and soul singer Wilson Pickett. The album charted at #3 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' R&B albums chart and #21 on the popular albums chart, becoming the highest-charting ...

'' (Atlantic Records, 1966) With

* '' Knock on Wood'' (Stax Records, 1967) With

* '' Raised on Rock / For Ol' Times Sake'' (RCA Records, 1973) With

* ''Memphis Queen'' (Stax Records, 1969) * ''Love Means...'' (Stax Records, 1971) With

* ''

Will O' the Wisp In folklore, a will-o'-the-wisp, will-o'-wisp or ''ignis fatuus'' (, plural ''ignes fatui''), is an atmospheric ghost light seen by travellers at night, especially over bogs, swamps or marshes. The phenomenon is known in English folk belief, ...

'' (Shelter Records, 1975)

References

Cited sources

External links

Al Jackson Jr. page – funkydrummer.com
* * *''Soulsville USA: The Story of Stax Records'' by Rob Bowman
Al Jackson Jr. tribute page – DrummerCafe.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Al 1935 births 1975 deaths 1975 murders in the United States American session musicians Musicians from Memphis, Tennessee People murdered in Tennessee Deaths by firearm in Tennessee Murdered African-American people Male murder victims American murder victims Booker T. & the M.G.'s members African-American drummers American funk drummers Rhythm and blues drummers Soul drummers Bongo players Conga players Triangle players Maracas players Tambourine players Güiro players 20th-century American drummers American male drummers American blues drummers 20th-century American male musicians