Stonewall Jackson


Stonewall Jackson reached a high level of popularity as a country singer in the 50's and 60's and had one record cross over to the pop top forty chart, a song that was a big hit for him in 1959.

Stonewall Jackson -- his real name -- was born in Tabor City, North Carolina in 1932, the youngest of three children. He is the great-great-grandson of Confederate General Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson, who was a true Civil War hero for the Confederacy. Stonewall Jackson joined the United States Navy at age seventeen and performed as an entertainer in the Navy after learning how to play a guitar. He worked at a variety of jobs as a young man, all the while saving his money for a trip to Nashville in hopes of becoming a country music singer. In the mid-50's he worked as a carpenter and a farmer, and for a time owned a company in Moultrie, Georgia that shipped logs on trucks.

In 1956 Jackson struck out on his long-awaited trip to Nashville. He tried out for a place with the Grand Ole Opry, and although he had never recorded a single record, managed to secure a contract there, becoming the only singer of his time to do so. He also signed a recording contract with producer Wesley Rose at Acuff-Rose Publishing.

In 1958 Stonewall Jackson recorded his first record, titled Don't Be Angry which did not sell well, but did serve to gain some notice for him in country music circles. He began making records that became hits on the country chart. The first of these came in 1958 with the George Jones-written Life To Go. He followed this with Waterloo, a song written by Nashville songwriters Marijohn Wilkin and John D. Loudermilk. Waterloo went to number one country and number four pop in the summer of 1959. A catchy song about meeting one's comeuppance, it would prove to be his biggest hit ever.

Jackson's distinctive voice separated him from other Nashville recording artists in that he had somewhat of a rural sound. In the 60's he turned out a number of hits on the country charts, but would not return to the pop top forty. Among these were That's Why I'm Walkin', A Wound Time Can't Erase, I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water, B.J. the D.J. (a #1 country hit), Don't Be Angry, and in 1967, Help Stamp Out Loneliness. He had another country hit in 1971 with Me And You And A Dog Named Boo and during the same time period recorded many albums that sold well, all on the Columbia label. His run on the charts was over by the mid-70's, and a compilation album, titled Greatest Hits, was issued on Lakeshore in 1981. He has remained popular with longtime fans of country music for many years after that.

The year 2008 finds Stonewall Jackson living in Brentwood, Tennessee with his wife Juanita, and continuing to tour. He made his greatest impression on the record-buying public with his 1959 hit Waterloo.


Most Recent Update: May 1, 2008

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