Jacksonians

Though I moved to the mountains of East Tennessee when I retired, Jackson will always be my hometown and where my heart will return for rejuvenation. Jackson is located in Madison County in the heart of West Tennessee along the banks of the beautiful South Fork of the Middle Fork of the Forked Deer River. It is named for that great Tennessean, President and hero of the Battle of New Orleans, Andrew “Old Hickory” Jackson. His sister-in-law, Jane Hayes, lived in what was then Alexandria and later became Jackson. Another great Tennessean, Davey Crockett, after his political defeat in 1835 for Congress, declared on the steps of the Madison

County courthouse, "The rest of you can go to hell, for I am going to Texas." Last I heard, he, along with several other Tennesseans, made a pretty good name for himself there.

Known as the “Hub City” because of its proximity to the center of West Tennessee, it later became part of the “Golden Circle” area when the local newspaper, The Jackson Sun, was acquired by some Yankees who attempted to remake the area.

Having spent most of my life in Jackson, I have been surprised at who and what has come out of my home town over the years. So, here’s the skinny on Jacksonians, famous and otherwise, offered in no certain order. Unless otherwise noted, all were born in Jackson. Oh yeah, Old Hickory was not one of them.

Entertainment

Carl Lee Perkins - Carl is known as the “Father of Rockabilly” and writer of “Blue Suede Shoes”. He influenced such people as Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, The Beatles and Eric Clapton. On his death in 1998, his funeral here in Jackson was attended by a virtual who’s who of modern music. Though he spent most of his life in Jackson, he was born near Tiptonville, TN.

Randall Wallace - Born in Jackson in 1949, Wallace’s bestselling book, Braveheart, about his Scottish ancestor, won him an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. He went on to direct The Man in the Iron Mask, We Were Soldiers, and Secretariat.

Luther Thomas Ingram - Luther was an R&B artist best known for his mellow voice and hit “(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don’t Want To Be Right”. He passed away in 2007 as a result of heart disease.

Winston Conrad “Wink” Martindale - Wink is a disk jockey, recording artist and television game show host. He hosted What’s This Song and Tic Tac Dough and his recording of “Deck of Cards” reached #7 on the Billboard 100 in 1959.

Joseph (Joe) Edward Hunter - Joe was a studio pianist for Motown Records. He is best known as a member of the in-house studio band, The Funk Brothers. The group was purported to have played on more number one recordings than The Beatles, Elvis Presley, The Rolling Stones and The Beach Boys combined! He died in 2007.

Brother Dave Gardner - Brother Dave is best known as a comedian and singer. He had a top 20 recording in 1958 with “White Silver Sands”. He appeared on The Tonight Show. He died in 1983. You can currently hear his recordings on Sirius XM Radio 103 (Blue Collar Comedy).

Thomas Harris, author of the suspense novels with the character Hannibal Lector. His most noted work is The Silence of the Lambs

Joshua Brown - Josh is a the lead singer of the Christian rock band Day of Fire. He is the former lead singer for the mainstream rock band Full Devil Jacket.

John Lee Curtis “Sonny Boy” Williamson - The original Sonny Boy Williamson (though less famous than Alex “Rice” Miller who took his name after his death) has been called “the Father of the Modern Blues Harp” for his prowess with the harmonica. He is a member of the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame Mabel Louise “Big Maybelle” Smith - Big Maybelle was a 1950’s R&B singer and Grammy Winner.

William "Billy" Frank “Christopher” Jones - Christopher is a character actor who starred in the TV serial The Legend of Jesse James and in the movies Three in the Attic and Ryan’s Daughter.

Royalty

Elizabeth Reid Rogers - Born August 17, 1893, the daughter of a Tennessee millionaire and toast of Washington society, she met Prince Christian Ludwig Friedrich Adolf Alexis Wilhelm Ferdinand von HESSE in Egypt while on a world tour. They married in 1915 and she became Baroness von Barcheld relinquishing her US citizenship.

Sports

Aldra Kauwa “Al” Wilson - Al was the All-Universe middle linebacker for the University of Tennessee Volunteers and the NFL Denver Broncos. He was released from the Broncos in 2007 as a result of a neck injury in 2006.

Ed Lee "Too Tall" Jones- Ed was the All Pro defensive end for the Dallas Cowboys from 1974 till 1989 except for 1979 when he attempted to become a pro boxer. He played basketball in high school and did not take up football until his junior year at Tennessee State University.

Fred Everette “Trey” Teague III - Trey was a seventh round draft pick for the Denver Broncos in 1998 and former University of Tennessee center. He was released by the NY Jets in February, 2007.

Jabari Greer - Jabari was born in Milwaukee, WS, but moved to Jackson in the 8th grade where he learned his football skills. He currently starts as cornerback for the New Orleans Saints.

Artis Hicks - Artis most recently played left guard for the Minnesota Vikings through the 2006 season. He is currently a free agent.

Frank Lane “Pete” Charton - A former pitcher for the Boston Red Sox signed in 1963.

Paul William "Bear" Bryant - Bear Bryant was not born in Jackson, but, in 1936, he became an assistant coach at Union University for a brief period before moving on to an assistant position at some university in Alabama.

Lambuth University - Lambuth University was the 2007 NAIA Division I National Women’s Basketball champion. The Women’s National championship was held in Jackson from 1990 till 2011.

Union University - Union University was the NAIA Division I National Women’s Basketball champion in 2006, 2005 and 1998.

Adventurers, Entrepreneurs, Outlaws, etc.

John Luther "Casey" Jones- Though Casey Jones was born in southeast Missouri, he claimed Jackson as his home in 1900 on that foggy, rainy night in Vaughn, MS, when fate took his life as he attempted to keep “Ole 382” from plowing into the rear of a parked passenger train. His heroic effort resulted in his lone death and being proclaimed “the world’s best engineer”.

Monroe Dunaway (M. D.) Anderson - Born in Jackson in 1873, Anderson made his fortune as a banker and in cotton. In 1941, Anderson donated $500,000 toward what became the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX. The M. D. Anderson Planetarium, located on the Lambuth University campus, now the University of Memphis, was built in his honor with donations from his foundation.

Ed Coyne - Born in Bemis in south Jackson in 1931, he became the vice president and general manager of the Rod, Bar and Wire group of Kaiser Aluminum in Newark, Ohio, and was responsible for the location of the Tennalum plant in Jackson. Prior to his death he served as dean of the American College of Dublin, Ireland.

James Stephen “Steve” Fossett - Steve is an adventurer, sailor and aviator who is probably best known for his solo balloon flight around the world. He disappeared in September, 2007, while flying over the Nevada desert.

Isaac Burton Tigrett - Isaac is founder of the “Hard Rock Cafe” chain and, along with Dan Ackroyd, “The House of Blues”.

William Blevins “Billy” Tripp - Billy is a nationally known outdoor sculptor and creator of The Mindfield, the largest outdoor sculpture in Tennessee.

John Murrell - A legendary bandit and horse thief along the Mississippi River in the mid-1800’s. He was purported to have been born either in Jackson or Williamson County (current home of one Alex Beaton, a coincidence not to be discounted lightly).

Institutions
The International Rockabilly Hall of Fame and Museum - The Rockabilly Museum is dedicated to the preservation of Rockabilly Music. It has hosted visitors from throughout the US as well as Sweden, England and Germany.

Kirklands - Kirkland’s Home, retailer of home decor, is headquartered in Jackson.

Railroad Museums - Jackson includes both the Casey Jones Home and Railroad Museum and the N.C.& St.L. Depot and Railroad Museum.

Hard Rock Cafe - The first American Hard Rock Cafe was opened by Isaac Tigrett in the Old Hickory Mall in 1982 and closed after a brief operation. It is generally, though erroneously, reported that the first American Hard Rock was opened in LA.

Pringles - Originally developed and opened by P&G, Kellogg’s now owns and operates a large facility in Jackson that produces ALL of the Pringles for the US market. It was the original production facility for all Pringles and continues to be one of the largest producers in the world. For an extensive list of the many flavors of Pringles throughout the world, take a look at Wikipedia.

Events
Old-Time Music Festival - May event presented by the Plectral Society.

International Rockabilly Music Festival - 2nd Saturday in August.

Shannon Street MusicFest (formerly Blues & Heritage Festival) - first week of June.

Celtic Society of West Tennessee Celtic Fest - First or second weekend in November. Et Cetera
Madison Academic High School - MAHS won first place in the US Academic Decathlon in Division III in 2007 and 2004. They placed 3rd in 2006 and 5th in 2005. MAHS, along with Jackson-Central Merry HS, have been the perennial winners of the Tennessee Academic Decathlon.

George Flew - Titular head and self-proclaimed Clan Chief of Clan McMuffin, Master of the Breast, Laird of the Leg and High Errol of the Aig.

Otherwise Noted

(The following were born in counties surrounding Jackson)

Eddie Arnold - Born in Henderson County, Eddie became an international star in the country music industry. My father, Frank, actually sang with him on local radio in his early career.

Tina Turner - Born in Nutbush in Haywood county.