Jackson Carey Frank (
Buffalo, New YorkBuffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, second only to New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River, Buffalo is the principal city of the Buffalo-Niagara Falls metropolitan area and the seat of Erie...
, March 2, 1943 -
Great Barrington, MassachusettsGreat Barrington is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,527 at the 2000 census. Both a summer resort and home to Ski Butternut, Great Barrington includes the villages of Van...
, March 3, 1999) was an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
folk musicThe term folk music originated in the 19th century as a term for musical folklore. It has been defined in several ways; as music transmitted by word of mouth, music of the lower classes, music with no known composer...
ian.
At the age of 11, a furnace exploded, sending a ball of flames down corridors until it ended up in Frank's music classroom in the
Cleveland HillCleveland Hill is a school district in Cheektowaga, New York.-History: In 1954, a fire at the elementary school facility claimed the lives of 15 sixth-grade students. The facility was made entirely of wood, prompting the United States to introduce code that prohibited...
Elementary School in Cheektowaga,
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. The fire killed fifteen of his fellow students and hospitalized him for seven months. It was during his time in the hospital that he was first introduced to playing music, when a teacher, Charlie Castelli, brought in an acoustic guitar to keep Frank occupied during his recovery.
Jackson Carey Frank (
Buffalo, New YorkBuffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, second only to New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River, Buffalo is the principal city of the Buffalo-Niagara Falls metropolitan area and the seat of Erie...
, March 2, 1943 -
Great Barrington, MassachusettsGreat Barrington is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,527 at the 2000 census. Both a summer resort and home to Ski Butternut, Great Barrington includes the villages of Van...
, March 3, 1999) was an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
folk musicThe term folk music originated in the 19th century as a term for musical folklore. It has been defined in several ways; as music transmitted by word of mouth, music of the lower classes, music with no known composer...
ian.
Early life
At the age of 11, a furnace exploded, sending a ball of flames down corridors until it ended up in Frank's music classroom in the
Cleveland HillCleveland Hill is a school district in Cheektowaga, New York.-History: In 1954, a fire at the elementary school facility claimed the lives of 15 sixth-grade students. The facility was made entirely of wood, prompting the United States to introduce code that prohibited...
Elementary School in Cheektowaga,
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. The fire killed fifteen of his fellow students and hospitalized him for seven months. It was during his time in the hospital that he was first introduced to playing music, when a teacher, Charlie Castelli, brought in an acoustic guitar to keep Frank occupied during his recovery. When he was 21, he was awarded an insurance check of $100,000 for his injuries, giving him enough to "catch a boat to England."
Music career
His 1965 self-titled album,
Jackson C. FrankJackson C. Frank is the 1965 self-titled album by Jackson C. Frank, released by Columbia . It was produced by Paul Simon, and both Al Stewart and Art Garfunkel attended the recording. Frank was apparently so nervous at the time that, in order to play and sing, he had to have screens around him...
, was produced by
Paul SimonPaul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter. He entered the public consciousness in 1965 as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, along with longtime artistic partner Art Garfunkel. Simon solely wrote most of duo's songs, including such memorable songs as "The Sound of Silence", "The Boxer",...
whilst both men were playing folk clubs in England. Jackson was so shy during the recording that he asked to be shielded by screens so that Paul Simon,
Art GarfunkelArthur Ira "Art" Garfunkel is an American singer, poet and actor, best known as half of the folk duo Simon & Garfunkel.-Early life and career:...
, and
Al StewartAl Stewart is a British singer-songwriter and folk-rock musician.Stewart came to stardom as part of the legendary British folk revival in the sixties and seventies, and developed his own unique style of combining folk-rock songs with delicately woven tales of the great characters and events from...
(who also attended the recording) could not see him, claiming 'I can't play. You're looking at me.' The most famous track, "Blues Run the Game", was covered by
Simon and GarfunkelSimon & Garfunkel is an American singer-songwriter duo consisting of Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel. They formed the group "Tom and Jerry" in 1957, and had their first taste of success with the minor hit "Hey, Schoolgirl". As Simon and Garfunkel, the duo rose to fame in 1965, backed by the hit single...
, and later by
Counting CrowsCounting Crows is a rock band originating from Berkeley, California. The group gained popularity in 1994 following the release of its debut album August and Everything After, which featured the hit single "Mr. Jones". The band's influences include Van Morrison, R.E.M., Mike & The Mechanics,...
and
Colin MeloyColin Patrick Henry Meloy is the lead singer and songwriter for the Portland, Oregon, folk-rock band The Decemberists. In addition to his vocal duties, he performs with an acoustic guitar, 12-string acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bouzouki, and percussion...
, while
Nick DrakeNicholas Rodney "Nick" Drake was an English singer-songwriter and musician best known for his haunting, acoustic, autumnal songs. His primary instrument was the guitar, although he was also proficient at piano, clarinet and saxophone...
also recorded it privately. Another song, "Milk and Honey", appeared in
Vincent GalloVincent Gallo is an American film actor, director, producer, screenwriter, singer-songwriter, and painter. Although he has had minor roles in mainstream films such as Goodfellas, he is most associated with independent movies...
's film
The Brown BunnyThe Brown Bunny is a 2004 American independent art house film written, produced and directed by actor Vincent Gallo about a motorcycle racer on a cross-country drive who is haunted by memories of his former lover. It had its world premiere at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival to boos and catcalls...
, and was also covered by
Fairport ConventionFairport Convention are an English folk rock and later electric folk band, formed in 1967 who are still recording and touring today. They are widely regarded as the most important single group in the English folk rock movement...
,
Nick DrakeNicholas Rodney "Nick" Drake was an English singer-songwriter and musician best known for his haunting, acoustic, autumnal songs. His primary instrument was the guitar, although he was also proficient at piano, clarinet and saxophone...
, and
Sandy DennySandy Denny, born Alexandra Elene Maclean Denny , was an English singer and songwriter who has been described by Allmusic's Richie Unterberger as "the pre-eminent British folk rock singer"...
, whom he dated for a while. During their relationship, Jackson convinced Sandy to give up nursing (then her profession) and concentrate on music full time.
Although Frank was well received in England, for a while, in 1966, things took a turn for the worse as his mental health began to unravel. At the same time, Frank began to experience writer's block. His insurance cheque was running out, so he decided to go back to the USA for two years. When he returned to England in 1968, he was deemed a different person. His depression, steming form the childhood trauma of the classroom fire, had increased, and he had no self-confidence. Al Stewart recalled that
"[Frank] proceeded to fall apart before our very eyes. His style that everyone loved was melancholy, very tuneful things. He started doing things that were completely impenetrable. They were basically about psychological angst, played at full volume with lots of thrashing. I don't remember a single word of them, it just did not work. There was one review that said he belonged on a psychologist's couch. Then shortly after that, he hightailed it back to
WoodstockWoodstock is a town in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 6,241 at the 2000 census.The Town of Woodstock is in the northern part of the county. Woodstock is northwest of Kingston, New York and lies within the borders of Catskill Park.- History :The first non-indigenous...
again, because he wasn't getting any work."
Woodstock 1970
While in Woodstock, he married Elaine Sedgwick, an English former fashion model. They had a son, though he died of
Cystic FibrosisCystic fibrosis is a genetic disorder known to be an inherited disease of the secretory glands, including the glands that make mucus and sweat....
, and later a daughter, Angeline. This sent Frank into a period of great depression, and he was committed to an institution. By the early 70's Frank had become so pitiful that he began to beg aid from friends. Karl Dallas wrote an enthusiastic piece in 1975 in
Melody MakerMelody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s-1960s:Originally the Melody...
, and in 1978, his 1965 album was re-released as Jackson Frank Again, with a new cover sleeve, although this did not encourage fresh awareness of Frank.
1980s - death
In 1984, Frank took a trip to New York in a desperate bid to locate Paul Simon, but he ended up sleeping on the sidewalk. His mother, who had been in hospital for
open heart surgeryOpen Heart Surgery was released on August 8, 2000 by rock band Virginwool. The band signed to Breaking/Atlantic Records after initially beginning signed to Universal Records. The album was produced and mixed by Brad Wood....
, found him gone with no forwarding address when she arrived home. He was living on the street, and was frequently admitted and discharged from various institutions. He was treated for paranoid schizophrenia, when he actually had depression caused by the trauma he’d experienced as a child. Just as Frank’s prospects seemed to be at their worst, a fan from the area around Woodstock, Jim Abbott, discovered him in the early 1990’s. Abbott had been discussing music with Mark Anderson, a teacher at the local
collegeCollege is a term most often used today to denote degree awarding tertiary educational institution. More broadly, it can be the name of any group of colleagues, for example, an electoral college, a College of Arms or the College of Cardinals...
he was attending. The conversation had turned to
folk musicThe term folk music originated in the 19th century as a term for musical folklore. It has been defined in several ways; as music transmitted by word of mouth, music of the lower classes, music with no known composer...
, which they both enjoyed, when Abbott asked the teacher if he’d heard of Jackson C. Frank. He recollects:
- "I hadn’t even thought about it for a couple of years, and he goes, ‘Well yes, as a matter of fact, I just got a letter from him. Do you feel like helping a down-on-his-luck folk singer?"
Frank, who had known Anderson from their days at Gettysburg College , had decided to write him to ask if there was anywhere in Woodstock he could stay after he had made up his mind to leave New York City. Abbott phoned Frank, and then organized a temporary placement for him at a senior citizens’ home in Woodstock. Abbott was stunned by what he saw when he travelled to New York to visit Frank.
- "When I went down I hadn’t seen a picture of him, except for his album cover. Then, he was thin and young. When I went to see him, there was this heavy guy hobbling down the street, and I thought, ‘That can’t possibly be him’…I just stopped and said ‘Jackson?’ and it was him. My impression was, ‘Oh my God’, it was almost like the elephant man or something. He was so unkempt, dishevelled.” a further side effect
Unintended consequences are outcomes that are not the results originally intended by a particular action. The unintended results may be foreseen or unforeseen, but they should be the logical or likely results of the action...
of the fire was a parathyroid malfunction causing him to put on weight. “He had nothing. It was really sad. We went and had lunch and went back to his room. It almost made me cry, because here was a fifty-year-old man, and all he had to his name was a beat-up old suitcase and a broken pair of glasses. I guess his caseworkerIn social work, a caseworker is a type of social worker who is employed by a government agency, non-profit organization, or other group to take on the cases of individuals and provide them with advocacy, information or other services....
had given him a $10 guitar, but it wouldn’t stay in tune. It was one of those hot summer days. He tried to play Blues Run The Game for me, but his voice was pretty much shot."
Soon after this, Frank was sitting on a bench in NY while awaiting a move to Woodstock, when someone shot him in his left eye, and consequently blinded him. At first no reason was given for this but it was later determined that kids from the neighborhood were firing a pellet gun indiscriminately at people and Jackson happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Abbott then promptly helped him move to Woodstock. During this time, Frank began recording some demos of new songs, but despite some beautiful lyrics and melodies, they were unfortunately disappointing, deficient of the harmonious ease of his original album, although Frank’s resurfacing did lead to the first CD release of
Jackson C. FrankJackson C. Frank is the 1965 self-titled album by Jackson C. Frank, released by Columbia . It was produced by Paul Simon, and both Al Stewart and Art Garfunkel attended the recording. Frank was apparently so nervous at the time that, in order to play and sing, he had to have screens around him...
.
Jackson Frank died of pneumonia and cardiac arrest in Great Barrington, Massachusetts on March 3rd, 1999, at the age of fifty-six. Though Frank never achieved fame during his lifetime, his songs have been covered by many well-known artists, including Simon and Garfunkel,
Counting CrowsCounting Crows is a rock band originating from Berkeley, California. The group gained popularity in 1994 following the release of its debut album August and Everything After, which featured the hit single "Mr. Jones". The band's influences include Van Morrison, R.E.M., Mike & The Mechanics,...
,
Nick DrakeNicholas Rodney "Nick" Drake was an English singer-songwriter and musician best known for his haunting, acoustic, autumnal songs. His primary instrument was the guitar, although he was also proficient at piano, clarinet and saxophone...
,
Sandy DennySandy Denny, born Alexandra Elene Maclean Denny , was an English singer and songwriter who has been described by Allmusic's Richie Unterberger as "the pre-eminent British folk rock singer"...
, and
Bert JanschHerbert Jansch , known as Bert Jansch, is a Scottish folk musician and founding member of the band Pentangle. He was born in Glasgow and, in the 1960s, he was heavily influenced by the guitarist Davey Graham and folk singers such as Anne Briggs...
. In September 2006, an unreleased song, known only as Woodstock 1970 was offered as an audio track on a Norwegian only audiobook of a new novel titled "Babylon Badlands" by Levi Hendriksen.
Frank's song "I Want To Be Alone", also known as "Dialogue", appeared on the soundtrack for the film
Daft Punk's ElectromaDaft Punk's Electroma is a film by French duo Daft Punk. The plot revolves around the quest of two robots to become human. The music featured in this film is not by Daft Punk. This is a first for the duo considering their previous film and home video releases, D.A.F.T. and Interstella 5555...
.
Marianne FaithfullMarianne Evelyn Faithfull, Baroness Sacher-Masoch is an award-winning English singer, songwriter and actress whose career spans over four decades. Her early work in pop and rock music in the 1960s was overshadowed by her struggle with drug abuse in the 1970s...
has recently covered Frank's poignant folk song "Kimbie" on her latest album
Easy Come, Easy GoEasy Come, Easy Go is a 1967 musical film starring Elvis Presley.-Primary cast:*Elvis Presley : Lt. Ted Jackson*Dodie Marshall : Jo Symington*Pat Priest : Dina Bishop*Pat Harrington, Jr. : Judd Whitman*Skip Ward : Gil Carey...
. Faithfull has included the song in the repertoire of her 2009 tour.
Albums
- Jackson C. Frank
Jackson C. Frank is the 1965 self-titled album by Jackson C. Frank, released by Columbia . It was produced by Paul Simon, and both Al Stewart and Art Garfunkel attended the recording. Frank was apparently so nervous at the time that, in order to play and sing, he had to have screens around him...
(1965)
Re-issues:- 1978 ('Jackson Again', vinyl), 1996 (CD), 2001 (vinyl), 2001 (CD), 2003 (2 CD)
External links