Stonewall Jackson
Stonewall Jackson was one of the most popular country stars of the early '60s, scoring a string of Top Ten country hits and becoming a fixture at the Grand Ole Opry with a pleading voice that seemed to reflect his hard, often-abusive upbringing on a south Georgia dirt farm. He was named after the Confederate general Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, to whom he was related, according to family legend. When he was ten he traded his bike for a guitar and began making up songs. Some of his later hits, such as "Don't Be Angry," were written very early in his creative life. Jackson began singing professionally in the mid-'50s, moving to Nashville in 1956. Within a few days of his arrival he delivered an unsolicited demo recording to the offices of the Acuff-Rose publishing house, and executive Wesley Rose heard his singing and set up an audition for Jackson at the Grand Ole Opry. Jackson became the first entertainer to join the Opry without a recording contract, performing first on the Opry's Friday Night Frolics before his official debut. Backed by Ernest Tubb's Texas Troubadours, he proved so popular that the audience demanded four encores.
Eventually Jackson hit the road with Tubb, who became a mentor to the young singer and songwriter. By early 1957, Jackson had signed a recording contract with Columbia and cut his first record, "Don't Be Angry." Jackson followed up with a cover of George Jones' "Life to Go," which peaked at number two in early 1959. The upbeat "Waterloo," with its mixture of novelty and melancholy, did even better, spending five weeks at the top of the country charts, hitting number four on the pop charts, and garnering Jackson some national television exposure. Through the early '60s, Jackson was a consistent hitmaker with such country standards as "Why I'm Walkin'" (number six, 1960), "A Wound Time Can't Erase" (number three, 1962), and "I Washed My Hands in Muddy Water" (number eight, 1965). Jackson's second number one hit, "B.J. the D.J.," arrived in early 1964.
During the second half of the '60s, he reached the Top 40 less often, scoring only one Top Ten hit: 1967's "Stamp Out Loneliness." His Columbia albums of this period contained ornate wordplay from the pens of well-established Nashville writers like Vic McAlpin; songs such as "Ship in a Bottle" and "Nevermore Quote the Raven" applied literary virtuosity to traditional country themes. By 1970, however, Jackson wasn't even hitting the Top 40. He bounced back briefly in 1971 with a cover of Lobo's "Me and You and a Dog Named Boo." In 1973, he had his last hit with "Herman Schwartz," which reached number 41. After that, Jackson continued to appear regularly on the Opry and to record occasionally, releasing albums like the inspirational Make Me Like a Child Again. He also re-recorded versions of his old hits, and he privately published his autobiography, From the Bottom Up, in 1991. Stonewall Jackson died in Nashville on December 4, 2021 due to vascular dementia; he was 89 years old.
© Sandra Brennan & James Manheim /TiVo
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Stoned Country - [The Dave Cash Collection]
Country - Released by The Dave Cash Collection - OMP on 9 May 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Remastered Hits (All Tracks Remastered)
Country - Released by jjjedizionimusicali on 15 Aug 2023
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
That's Why I'm Walking (Singles As & Bs 1957-1962)
Country - Released by Jasmine Records on 24 Jan 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mary Don't You Weep (Billboard Hot 100 - No 41)
Country - Released by Music Manager on 3 Dec 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Milestones of Legends - Country & Western Stars, Vol. 4
Stonewall Jackson, Leroy Van Dyke
Country - Released by Documents 2 on 25 Mar 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Things to Talk About
Country - Released by StarPointe Records on 1 May 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Old Country Church
Country - Released by Columbia Nashville Legacy on 22 Jan 1969
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Full Moon Empty Pockets
Country - Released by Gulf Coast Records on 1 Mar 1980
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Exciting Stonewall Jackson
Country - Released by Columbia Nashville Legacy on 15 Aug 1966
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Country Stonewall - [The Dave Cash Collection]
Country - Released by The Dave Cash Collection - OMP on 9 May 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Waterloo (UK Chart Top 40 - No. 24)
Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred) - Released by Music Manager on 19 Dec 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Anthology: His Early Hits (Remastered)
Country - Released by Master Tape Records on 18 Jun 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Waterloo - The Best of Stonewall Jackson
Country - Released by AP Digital on 1 Jan 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Stonewall Jackson - Vintage Sounds
Country - Released by Retro Music Box on 3 Feb 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Sadness In A Song
Country - Released by Old Stars on 30 Aug 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Complete Releases 1957-62
Country - Released by ACROBAT on 9 Nov 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Stonewall Jackson Country Legends
Country - Released by StreamWorld Entertainment Classics on 19 Feb 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Dynamic Stonewall Jackson
Country - Released by RedDirt on 1 Jan 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo