Al Jackson, Jr.
| Al Jackson Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Albert J. Jackson Jr. |
| Born |
November 27, 1935 Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Died | October 1, 1975 (aged 39) Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Genres | R&B, funk, soul, Memphis soul |
| Instruments | Drums |
| Years active | 1940–1975 |
| Labels | Stax |
| Associated acts | Booker T. & the M.G.'s |
Albert J. "Al" Jackson Jr. (November 27, 1935 – October 1, 1975), known as Al Jackson, was a drummer, producer, and songwriter. He is best known as a founding member of Booker T. & the M.G.'s, a group of session musicians who worked for Stax Records and produced their own instrumentals. Jackson was affectionately dubbed "The Human Timekeeper" for his drumming ability. He was inducted into the Memphis Music Hall of Fame in 2015.
Jackson's father, Al Jackson Sr., led a jazz/swing dance band in Memphis, Tennessee. The young Jackson started drumming at an early age and began playing on stage with his father's band in 1940, at the age of five. He later played in producer and trumpeter Willie Mitchell's band and at the same time was holding down a chair in the popular Ben Branch Band.
In an interview with Drum! magazine, Mitchell recalled,
"Al Junior was about 14 years old then. I said to his father, 'Hey, let’s use your son!' He said, 'Oh, man, he can’t play this shit!' But he did make the gig. He set up his kit – a cymbal, a snare drum, and a bass drum – and I kicked the thing off. And, man, that thing went off at 20 tempos!
But that was around 7:00 o'clock. And by the time Al Senior came in an hour later, at 8:00 o'clock, Al Jackson Jr. was swinging that damn band like a pro."
Future bandmates Steve Cropper and Donald "Duck" Dunn first heard Jackson playing in Mitchell's band at the Flamingo Room, and the all-white Manhattan Club. Mitchell had also hired Booker T. Jones for his band. It was Jones who suggested Jackson be brought to Stax. He said, "You guys need to know about Al." Dunn said that Jackson almost caused his wife to divorce him, because after finishing his own gig at one o'clock, he would stop by a club to hear Jackson and would get home at four or five in the morning; "He was that good!" said Dunn. It took only one session with Jackson to convince Dunn and Cropper that they had to have him. Jackson was reluctant at first. He felt he could make more money playing live than doing session work. He wanted a guaranteed regular salary to come over to Stax (although he continued to play on sessions produced by Mitchell for Hi Records). And so he became the first Stax session musician to be on a weekly salary.
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