Forgotten Songwriters pt.2: Jackson C. Frank
August 4, 2007 at 3:19 am
Image credit: cover art self titled album (1965)
How forgotten must a songwriter be to be called a forgotten songwriter? When is it right to include them in this series? In my opinion that moment is already there when after all those years they still stand hidden in the shadows of their counterparts. In that sense you could say that Jackson C. Frank is still a forgotten songwriter, even though his name is well-known in folk circles and probably even beyond. Apparently however his name is better known than his actual music, judging from the voting stats on Rate Your Music. More than 2.800 votes for Nick Drake’s ‘Pink Moon’ but only a bafflingly 72 votes for Jackson C. Frank’s self-titled album. And the same thing occurs on similar websites. This all the more encourages me to write a few words of praise about this man and his wonderful music.
Jackson C. Frank (March 2, 1943 - March 3, 1999) from Buffalo, NY only managed to record one album in his entire life. A 10-song self-titled masterpiece that was released in 1965 on Columbia. The fact that this album ever came to light was a miracle in itself and was fuelled by a tragic accident early in his life. In elementary school at the age of 11 a fire killed many of his classmates and left him with severe burns. This traumatic experience formed his life and his musical career on many levels. Not only did it leave him with physical and psychological scars, but also while recuperating from his wounds in hospital for seven months he learned to play guitar.
In addition, a large insurance cheque made it possible for him to travel to England at the age of 21. There he entered the British folk scene and met with a still-unknown Paul Simon who produced his debut self-titled album. A record that would change the face of songwriting according to fellow musicians and friends of that time like Bert Jansch. The album is glowing with overpowering songs like “Blues Run the Game”, “My Name Is Carnival” and “Milk and Honey” and with “Don’t Look Back” as a powerful protest song. His music possesses a melancholic beauty that has a sense of sadness and urgency without drowning in self-pity. The songs feel like a genuine insight in the life of a troubled young man.
Catch a boat to England, baby
Maybe to Spain…. Wherever I’ve been
and gone….
the blues are all the same.
~ Jackson C. Frank / Blues Run the Game ~
The album was well-received in British folk circles in England and Scotland, but eventually proved to be a commercial disaster when the album was released in the United States. Everything seemed to go downhill from there. Writers block, stage fright, depression and running low on money meant that he returned to the States in 1969 without releasing another album. He did manage to do a short recording session in 1975 which spawned songs like “Marlene”, but they never reached the public until later reissues of his debut album as bonus tracks. From the late seventies to the early nineties he lived with his parents, in mental hospitals and ultimately homeless on the streets in New York for years. In 1994 a fan of his music, Jim Abbott, looked him up in New York and helped him to settle back in Woodstock, where he managed to do a few final recordings. But trouble seemed to follow him wherever he went, being randomly shot in the left eye by a street kid when sitting on a bench, consequently blinding him.
Image credit: cover art Blues Run the Game (2003)
Apart from the excellent liner notes from the reissue by Castle Music there have been several very informative and well written articles about Jackson C. Frank. Some of them are to be found at the bottom of this post. The reissue by Castle Music from 2003 also contains all the songs from the 1975 recording and a full second disc of recordings from the mid-nineties.
I remember being introduced to Jackson C. Frank several years ago through a mixtape which contained his song ‘Marlene’. The whole mixtape was really great but this one song really jumped out. I was immediately fascinated; both with his lyrics and with his voice. His music has been a part of my life ever since and I regard his album as one of my very favourites. Although I realize that a digital playlist is only a poor substitute for a real mixtape, I sincerely hope that our readers every once in a while get the same experience as I once had with that particular mixtape and Jackson C. Frank’s music.
- Jackson C. Frank - Marlene (1975)
Blues Run the Game (Disc 1) (Castle Music, 2003) - Jackson C. Frank - Blues Run the Game
Self titled (Columbia, 1965) - Jackson C. Frank - My Name Is Carnival
Self titled (Columbia, 1965) - Jackson C. Frank - Don’t Look Back
Self titled (Columbia, 1965) - Jackson C. Frank - Relations (1975)
Blues Run the Game (Disc 1) (Castle Music, 2003) - Jackson C. Frank - Goodbye to My Loving You (1994)
Blues Run the Game (Disc 2) (Castle Music, 2003) - Nick Drake - Milk and Honey (Jackson C. Frank cover)
Family Tree (Island, 2007)
Further reading:
Lost Singer Found by T.J. McGrath (Dirty Linen #57 April/May ‘95)
Game, Set, Blues by Andrew Means (Folk Roots #146/147 Aug/Sept ‘95)
The Unofficial Jackson C. Frank homepage
Jackson C. Frank on MySpace
Blues Run the Game review by Tiny Mix Tapes
Earlier in this series:
Ed Askew
Strangely I have discovered this man through the “Brown Bunny” soundtrack, and I was surprised to hear this alternate version of the beautiful Milk & Honey.
Here is the one from the soundtrack
http://1001nightart.free.fr/Milk&honey.mp3
thanks for this post
Thanks for this post. Sometimes people with tragic lives make the most beautiful music.
Tremendous work. Many thanks.
I’m going to listen to these with a pint of Guinness and take a seat on the hills in West Cork Ireland overlooking the Atlantic.
yes I remember him on the brown bunny ost as well (sneezer movie with great soundtrack) Beautiful songs from a very underrated artist with a very sad life.
How did he get randomly shot in the eye!? Was it a lost bullet?
Not exactly what I’d call a forgotten songwriter, but surely a man who derves deepest respect.
Thanks everyone! :-)
@ Silmonia: That’s the same one as on his self titled album. Beautiful song. Besides Nick Drake, Milk & Honey was also covered by Sandy Denny, who also was Frank’s girlfriend for a short period of time actually.
@ Moka: Just some street kid who shot him with a pellet gun, just for fun…
@ Joey: I know what you mean, but you have to see the term ‘forgotten’ in perspective of course. For you and me he might not be forgotten and sure within certain crowds he is even well known. I just think that that crowd is still way too small for his talent.
I’m loving these forgotten songwriters series so far. Wonder if you’ve heard of Tucker Zimmerman? He’s very talented and I think it would fit well in within this section. His 10 songs album from 1969 is definitely one of my favorite plays.
whoa i never heard that nick drake version milk and honey..my, i love it. thanks bob!
Here you go I think the download link wil still work:
Tucker Zimmerman - “Ten Songs” (1969)
megaupload.com/es/?d=FDTRNM4J
Me again, Im sorry, just thought I’d be a good citizen and also share another link since Jackson C frank’s album is very hard to find and it’s too good to do without it:
Jackson C. Frank - “Blues Run the Game” (1965)
megaupload.com/es/?d=27DJE431
damn. sometimes forgotten for good reason; as in this case. dime-a-dozen hippie drivel.
For anyone who is interested, Nick Drake also covers “Blues Run the Game” on the oft-bootlegged home recordings entitled “Tanworth-in-Arden 1967/68″.
[...] After Bubbachups amazing introduction to Jackson C. Frank’s music I decided to research and find out whatever I could about this immesely talented and underrated artist. This investigation led me to the last place on earth I would expect to find any information on him : A Daft Punk forum. Not only a Daft Punk forum but also a forum discussing a movie they premiered last year in Cannes, called Electroma. It seems everyone else but me was aware of the existence of this movie and I wonder how it went under my radar after all this months when I share the same obsession towards Daft Punk’s general aesthetics in their musical videos and discographic output as the rest of my generation. [...]
i’m buffalo gal and it is always nice to find a hometown hidden gem has warm reception somewhere.
looking forward to walking in the first snowfall with jackson….
thanxs.
Thanks for the intro to this man. I’ve been a Nick Drake fan for years, and I’ve always thought his life and Pink Moon were the epitome of tragic life/beautiful sad album. But Marlene and Dialogue are something else entirely; these songs completely slay me. Coupled with his story (some good info on Wiki, btw), he’s been running through my head since this post.
I’ve been trying to figure out all the lyrics to Marlene; I’d recommend anyone giving a few very close listens. They are incredibly revealing regarding the classroom explosion, and the lingering effects that shaped his life.
By the way… big thanks, La caverna. Looking forward to hearing the other fella, too.
Good spot Alex! It was only later when I read about his life in several articles that I started to see the true meaning of that song. I mean, the beautiful lyrics were right there under my nose all along but I only came to understand them when I knew about his background. It made the song even more beautiful and precious.
[...] Anyhow, yesterday it turned out that this still wasn’t the whole story. Before striking folk gold as half of Simon & Garfunkel Paul Simon spent some time in the burgeoning English early 60s folk scene where he happened to produce the only complete album by another American refugee, the extremely troubled Jackson C. Frank. I was reading this post at Motel de Moka and I discovered that, following a fire in his school classroom which killed several classmates, Frank was able to use the insurance money to travel to England, which resulted in his collaboration with Simon. Apparently he is still well known in folkie circles, although I’d never heard of him, but the likes of Bert Jansch and Nick Drake rated him very, very highly apparently. To read the whole story go to Motel de Moka - I’d really recommend it. It’s a rather sad tale of a troubled artist whose problems ultimately overwhelmed his artistic output, and apart from a few abortive session tracks in 1975 he only ever released a single, self-titled album. [...]
[...] album by another American refugee, the extremely troubled Jackson C. Frank. I was reading this post at Motel de Moka and I discovered that, following a fire in his school classroom which killed several classmates, [...]