Personalities | Stonewall Jackson | Nashville & Beyond | Country

(Vocals, b. 1932)

Thomas ‘Stonewall’ Jackson (named after the revered Civil War general) was born in Emerson, North Carolina. He grew up in poverty and suffered physical abuse at the hands of a cruel stepfather. After running away from home at 15 and serving a four-year stint in the US Navy, Jackson worked as a sharecropper in Georgia while saving the money to go to Nashville.

In the autumn of 1956, Jackson literally drove into Nashville and within three days auditioned, was hired and debuted on the Grand Ole Opry. Jackson’s first hit came in late 1958, with ‘Life To Go’, written by his friend George Jones. His career-making record, a stirring saga song called ‘Waterloo’, was a No. 1 country hit and a Top 5 pop hit in 1959. Jackson had several more big hits in the mid-1960s, including ‘A Wound Time Can’t Erase’ (1962) and ‘Don’t Be Angry’ (1964).

Styles & Forms | Nashville & Beyond | Country
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Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Country Music, consultant editor Bob Allen

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