Jackson C. Frank: Forgotten But Never Gone — The Basement
Jackson C. Frank has one of the most tragic backstories of any 60s folksingers. At the age of eight, he was at choir rehearsal in his school’s attic annex, when a fire broke out. Jackson was one of the few that survived the flames, with burns over 80% of his body. How he survived such injuries, no one really knows.
During his long, painful recovery process, he heard the Alan Lomax collections of American folk songs and fell in love with folk music, especially the songs of the Civil War. He got a guitar and started picking out the songs in the collection and then writing his own. After finally getting out of the hospital and therapy, Jackson went to England on the money from his insurance settlement. There he would make a living selling Martin guitars he had brought from America, busking on the streets, and playing folks clubs that spotted the city. He claimed since he was running out of old folk songs, he wrote this one, his most well-known song Blues Run the Game in about 30 minutes.
His only album was produced by fellow busker and songwriter Paul Simon, who was also attracted to the mid-60s London folk scene after his own first album with partner Art Garfunkel came out to middling sales. Jackson’s album, full of his original compositions was released and did… nothing really. Jackson did record some more, but his injuries from the fire made it harder and harder to play and sing. Coming back to America, he became homeless for a while and then was blinded in one eye by a teen shooting randomly with a pellet gun. He was found by a reporter/fan in upstate New York, where Frank tried to play his most famous song but wasn’t able to anymore. He had once tried to ask Paul Simon for help but was unable to reach him. Destitute, he died of pneumonia in 1999.
He album. though had become a classic among folk song fans, he was a ‘folksinger’s folksinger’, and the few songs he recorded after that album was combined with the original and issued as a CD. Many people have recorded “Blues Run The Game” (including Simon and Garfunkel) and others have been covered and featured on soundtracks. Jackson Frank lives on, his music overcoming the tragedy of his life and drawing new fans with each new play.
Originally published at http://www.tompstewart.com on June 13, 2023.