Jackie Washington
| Jackie Washington | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Jack |
| Born | November 12, 1919, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada |
| Origin | Canada |
| Died | June 27, 2009 (aged 89), Hamilton |
| Genres | Blues, Folk |
| Occupations | singer/songwriter |
| Years active | 1930–2009 |
| Labels | Borealis Records |
| Associated acts | The Washingtons, Scarlett, Washington & Whiteley |
| Website | www.jackiewashington.com |
Jackie Washington (November 12, 1919 — June 27, 2009[1]) was a Canadian blues musician.
Born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario, Washington became Canada's first black disk jockey in 1948, at CHML in Hamilton.[2][3]
Washington came from a large family of musicians, including his brothers Reg (Hammond B3) and Dickie (drums) (now both deceased). In the 1930s, he was one of the Washington Brothers, who played clubs and nightspots until his brother's tragic death by drowning [4]. Washington played with saxophonist Freddie Purser for many years during the 1970s and 1980s at the Windsor and Royal taverns in Hamilton. In 1980 Washington played the part of the janitor in the film adaptation of the play: Hank Williams: The Show He Never Gave".[5] He also appeared in the 2005 television documentary: I Want To Be Happy: The Jackie Washington Story.[6]
His first release as a solo blues artist was Blues and Sentimental in June 1976. In addition to his own albums, Washington appeared on recordings by Duke Ellington, Lionel Hampton, Joni Mitchell and Gordon Lightfoot. He had also been a regular performer at many Canadian folk and blues festivals, several of which have named awards in his honour. Washington was well known for having a repertoire of some 1300 blues, folk and jazz songs.[7]
He was nominated for a Juno Award in 1993 for Best Roots & Traditional Album, along with Ken Whiteley and Mose Scarlett, for their album Where Old Friends Meet. In 1995 Washington was inducted into Hamilton's Gallery of Distinction.[8] In 2002 he was inducted into the Canadian Jazz & Blues Hall of Fame.[9] He was also honoured through the establishment of the Jackie Washington Rotary Park in Hamilton in 2004.[10]
Contents |
[edit] Discography
- New Folks (Fontana Records TFL 6012, UK, 1962) | 4 tracks, from Jackie Washington; Soon I Will be Done, Angelitos Negros, Let Me Fly, Lowlands + The Greenbriar Boys, Hedy West and David Gudge)
- Where Old Friends Meet (Borealis, 1991) (with Mose Scarlett and Ken Whiteley)[11]
- Jackie Washington and Friends in Concert on December 4, 1994 (Sound of Jazz Concerts, 1994[12])
- Keeping Out of Mischief (Borealis, 1995, reviews[13][14])[11]
- Three by Three (Borealis, 1995; foregoing is one of the 3 CDs in this set) (with Mose Scarlett and Ken Whiteley)[11]
- Midnight Choo Choo (Borealis, 1998, reviews[13][14])
- We'll Meet Again (Borealis, 1999) (with Mose Scarlett and Ken Whiteley)
- Sitting on a Rainbow (Borealis, 2003) (with Mose Scarlett and Ken Whiteley)
- Blues and Sentimental (Knight II, 1976, review[13])
[edit] Songs in other projects
- Mariposa Folk Festival 1976, "In My Solitude" (Mariposa, 1976)
[edit] Awards
- 1984 Hamilton Arts Award
- 1986 The Jackie Washington Award: Northern Lights Festival Boreal (NLFB), Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
- 1991 Lifetime Achievement Award, Ontario Arts Council
- 1995 inducted into the Gallery of Distinction, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- 1998 Blues With A Feeling Award: Maple Blues Awards (The Toronto Blues Society's Lifetime Achievement Award)
- 2001 Estelle Klein Lifetime Achievement Award, Ontario Council of Folk Festivals
- 2002 inducted into the Canadian Jazz & Blues Hall of Fame
- 2003 honorary Doctorate in Humanities, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario
[edit] See also
- Strecker, James (1988). Talks with Jackie Washington. Image Publishing. ISBN 9780919357570.
- Strecker, James (1996). More Than A Blues Singer: Jackie Washington Tells His Story. Mini Mocho Press. ISBN 9780921980131.
[edit] References
- ^ Jackie Washington: 1919-2009. Hamilton Spectator, June 27, 2009.
- ^ p. 4, bio in: Folk Prints Fall 2001. Retrieved 11-01-2009.
- ^ Jackie Washington article, in the: Encyclopedia of Music in Canada. Retrieved 11-01-2009.
- ^ http://www.hamiltonmagazine.com/sitepages/?aid=1288&cn=Arts &an=A & E MUSIC | Forever Jackie
- ^ Hank Williams: The Show He Never Gave at Answers.com. Retrieved 10-01-2009.
- ^ I Want To Be Happy at Telefilm Canada
- ^ Budd, Barbara (2009-06-29). "Obit: Jackie Washington". As It Happens, CBC Radio One. http://www.cbc.ca/radioshows/AS_IT_HAPPENS/20090629.shtml. Retrieved 2009-08-29.[dead link]
- ^ Jackie Washington profile at the Hamilton Gallery of Distinction. Retrieved 25-10-2008.
- ^ National Jazz Awards 2002 article at Billboard. Retrieved 10-01-2009.
- ^ Rotary Club of Hamilton newsletter (21-10-2004). Retrieved 24-01-2009.
- ^ a b c Year of release refers to year of original release on Pyramid Records. Later re-released by Borealis Records, subsequent to its formation in 1996. See Jackie Washington Discography at The Encyclopedia of Music in Canada.
- ^ Canadian Jazz Archive Online, Jackie Washington biography
- ^ a b c Kidney, David (2003). "(Review) Jackie Washington". Green Man Review (Midwinters Night Publishing). http://www.greenmanreview.com/CD/cd_washington_omni_2003.html. Retrieved 11-01-2009.
- ^ a b Wilburn, Gene (1999). "Jackie Washington". Northern Journey Online. http://www.northernjourney.com/cdnfolk/book/artist/washington.jackie.html. Retrieved 11-01-2009.
[edit] External links
- Jackie Washington page at Borealis Records
- Illustrated Jackie Washington discography (contains info on the recordings of "both" Jackie Washingtons). Retrieved 25-10-2008.
- Jackie Washington at Allmovie
- Jackie Washington at Allmusic
- Hank Williams: The Show He Never Gave at the Internet Movie Database
