Tommy Jackson
Musician · 1926–1979 · Birmingham, Alabama
Best known for
Fiddle
Tommy Jackson was the original Nashville A-Team fiddler, a child prodigy whose work on Hank Williams's late-1940s sides and Ray Price's "Crazy Arms" defined the country fiddle voice of the 1950s and 60s — said to have been heard on more country records than any other musician of his era.
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- Thomas Lee Jackson Jr.; born March 31, 1926 in Birmingham, Alabama; family moved to Nashville when he was an infant.
- Original Nashville studio A-team fiddler alongside Jerry Byrd, Louis Innis, and Zeke Turner.
- Child prodigy who toured with Johnnie Wright and Kitty Wells before serving as a U.S. Army Air Forces tail gunner in WWII.
- Played on Hank Williams's classic late-1940s recordings including "Lovesick Blues."
- Introduced the influential single-string fiddle style on Ray Price's 1956 hit "Crazy Arms."
- Recorded with Webb Pierce, Faron Young, George Jones, Bill Monroe, Red Foley, and Patsy Cline.
- Cut hoedown and square-dance fiddle albums for Mercury, Decca, and Dot Records in the 1950s and 60s.
- Died December 9, 1979 in Nashville at age 53.
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Bill Monroe and His Blue Grass BoysPlayed on recordings with Bill Monroe and His Blue Grass Boys
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Mac WisemanPlayed on recordings with Mac Wiseman
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Carl Story and His Rambling MountaineersPlayed on recordings with Carl Story and His Rambling Mountaineers
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Doc WatsonPlayed on recordings with Doc Watson
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Hylo BrownPlayed on recordings with Hylo Brown
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Rose MaddoxPlayed on recordings with Rose Maddox
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The Osborne Brothers and Red AllenPlayed on recordings with The Osborne Brothers and Red Allen
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George Jones and Melba MontgomeryPlayed on recording with George Jones and Melba Montgomery
