Melvin “Lil’ Son” Jackson (August 16, 1915, Tyler, Texas – May 30, 1976, Dallas) was an American blues guitarist. He was a contemporary of Lightnin’ Hopkins.
Jackson’s mother played gospel guitar, and he played early on in a gospel group called the Blue Eagle Four. He trained to be a mechanic and did a stint in the Army during World War II, then decided to pursue a career in blues music. He recorded a demo and sent it to Bill Quinn, the owner of Gold Star Records, in 1946. Quinn signed him to a recording contract and released “Freedom Train Blues” in 1948, which became a nationwide hit in the U.S. He recorded for Imperial Records between 1950 and 1954, both as a solo artist and with a backing band. His 1950 tune “Rockin’ and Rollin” was recast by later musicians as “Rock Me Baby”.
He was hurt in a car crash in the middle of the 1950s and gave up his music career, returning to work as a mechanic. In 1960 he released albums for Arhoolie and Limelight Records, but he did not make a major comeback in the wake of the blues revival. He died of cancer in 1976 in Dallas, at the age of 60
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