Papa Charlie Jackson born November 10, 1887

William Henry "Papa Charlie" Jackson (November 10, 1887* – May 7, 1938) was an early African American bluesman and songster who accompanied himself with a banjo guitar, a guitar, or a ukulele.

Maxwell Street

According to most sources, very little information is available on the life of Papa Charlie. His draft card lists his birthplace as New Orleans, Louisiana. During the 'teens he played in medicine and vaudeville shows in New York, Memphis, and in the Midwest. He moved to Chicago in the early 20s and reportedly lived at 624 Maxwell Street. He played the Maxwell Street Market in 1924-25 and the West Side club circuit through the 1930s. Although Ed Andrews was actually the first male country Blues singer to be recorded, in April 1924 by Okeh Records in Atlanta " Barrelhouse Blues ", Papa Charlie was the first commercially successful self-accompanied Bluesman. This meant that "he was the first recorded artist to depart from the traditional orchestral style Blues, sung by women like Bessie Smith, which dominated RACE music from 1920 to 1926.

                                   

He recorded " Salt Lake City Blues ", " Airy Man Blues ", and " Salty Dog Blues " (his most famous song) in Chicago in the fall of 1924 for Paramount Records, and he continued to record for them until 1930. He also recorded two sides with Gertude " Ma" Rainey for Paramount in 1928. According to the blues writer Bruce Eder, Jackson achieved "a musical peak of sorts in September of 1929 when he got to record with his longtime idol, Blind Arthur Blake, often known as the king of ragtime guitar during this period. 'Papa Charlie and Blind Blake Talk About It' parts one and two are among the most unusual sides of the late '20s, containing elements of blues jam session, hokum recording, and ragtime. All of his recordings for Paramount were made in either Chicago or Grafton, Wisconsin. He moved to Okeh Records and recorded several sides for them elsewhere from 1930 to 1934. Among his recordings are several in which he accompanied Ida Cox and Hattie McDaniel.

Papa Charlies' immense popularity was due to his ability to sing and play for his audience in a lively and cheerful manner. His style with quick tempos was very different from that of the slow  sorrowful Blues of his contemporaries. Papa Charlie sang of the misfortunes and predicaments in life, but with amusement and a sarcastic sense of humour. " Shake That Thing ", which is about a popular dance of the time, was a prototype of a genre called hokum/blues. Several of the songs he recorded "Salt Lake City Blues", "Mama Don't Allow It ", "The Fakin' Blues", Salty Dog Blues", and "4-11-44" contain sexual innuendos. Along with the Mississippi Shieks, Papa Charlie had a great propensity for non-blues music, which may have helped account for his large record sales since most people bought records at that time to make themselves feel good. However, Papa Charlie also recorded a few traditional sounding Blues songs like "Up That Way Bound", "Red Hot Papa # 2", "Tailor Made Lover", and "Take Me Back Blues # 2" . Incidentally. he played a guitar on these songs, not his banjo.

He played a 4 string banjo like jazz and minstrel musicians and a 5 string banjo like few other Bluesmen, but he preferred the 6 string banjo. Papa Charlie was the only musician to play a 6 string banjo, which was tuned and fretted like a guitar, although its sound was much lighter. He did not play in the bluegrass clawhammer or jazz flat picking styles. Instead, he used a combination of 2 fingered picking and single strumming with free and very quick rhythms played with his thumb.

His importance in the history of the Blues has been lessened by several factors. His flair for unique and irreverent material, similar to that of Charley Patton, along with his fast upbeat tempo which made his records sell, did not fit into the traditional Blues category. His records were of poor quality since about half of his 66 sides were recorded with an acoustic horn, not a microphone. The rest contained a lot of "hiss" since Paramount used inferior quality materials in their pressing of records. Also, his banjo was not viewed as a traditional Blues instrument. However, no one has duplicated his unique performances. William Henry "Papa Charlie" Jackson died on the West Side of Chicago on May 7, 1938. He was 50 years old. Due to his early death Jackson seems to have fallen through the cracks and is all but forgotten today by critics and historians. Instrumentally he resides on the same plateau with Lonnie Johnson and Teddy Bunn and is one pioneer who deserves wider recognition.

Due to his early death Jackson seems to have fallen through the cracks and is all but forgotten today by critics and historians. Instrumentally he resides on the same plateau with Lonnie Johnson and Teddy Bunn and is one pioneer who deserves wider recognition. It wasn't until 2013 that the Killer Blues Headstone Project placed a headstone for Charlie Jackson at Lincoln Cemetery in Chicago.

(Edited from bio by Michael Agresti & Syncopated Times)(* Other sources give December as birth month)