John Jackson—Traditional Musician
John Jackson, Piedmont guitar master and influential traditional musician, was born near here on
25 Feb. 1924. One of fourteen children of tenant
farmers Suddy and Hattie Jackson, Jackson learned
songs on the guitar and banjo from his parents,
traveling and local musicians, and records. He
moved to Fairfax County in 1950, where he worked
various jobs and started a grave-digging business.
Introduced to the Washington, D.C., folk scene in
1964, Jackson performed on eight records, at clubs,
on radio, and at festivals in the U. S. and Europe.
He received the prestigious National Heritage
Fellowship Award in 1986. Jackson died at home
in Fairfax Station on 20 Jan. 2002.
Marker is on Sperryville Pike (U.S. 522) south of Hawlin Road (County Route 816), on the left when traveling south.
Courtesy hmdb.org
