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Profile
Big George Jackson
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1999 KBA Award Winner
Achievement for Blues on the Internet
Presented by the Blues Foundation
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George Jackson, who was raised in Minneapolis, says one of his earliest musical influences came from listening to his father play the harmonica. George recalls he was about 10 when he first heard the blues and discovered he really liked the sound. He didn’t start playing harmonica until his late teens with his major influences at that time being Big Walter Horton and Sony Boy Williamson. Jackson’s harmonica style most closely resembles Big Walter Horton’s with some great phrasing and a deep, full tone. George first began playing professionally around the Twin Cities starting in the late 1970’s. He comments that it was Pat Hayes, of the Lamont Cranston Blues Band, who really inspired him to keep at it and take his harmonica playing to another level. About 18 years ago (1982) George started his own band and has been performing regularly ever since. During that time he has played with some legendary performers such as James Cotton, Charlie Musselwhite, and Shirley Brown. In 1997 Big George Jackson revamped his band with some great local musicians and is playing the more traditional style of blues he was raised on – classic Chicago blues with southern-flavored harmonica. He says his music has that down-home Delta flavor. Current band members include Jeremy Johnson, former guitarist with R.J. Mischo, who provides some of the best traditional electric lead guitar around, Phil Schmid on classic lead guitar, John Schroder on bass and Dwight Dario, one of the best drummers in town. The band is working on a new album and have recently returned from their second trip to Europe where they are still riding high on the success of their 1999 album, "Beggin' Ain't For Me."
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