Lindsay Raymond Jackson
Encyclopedia
Ray Jackson was a mandolin
and harmonica
player, and joint lead vocalist with Alan Hull
, of the folk-rock group Lindisfarne
from their original formation in 1970 until his departure in 1990. As the group’s drummer
Ray Laidlaw shared the same forename, Jackson was generally known in the group as "Jacka".
After leaving school he studied graphics at Newcastle College of Art and Industrial Design, where he met Laidlaw.
. Alongside his activities in the group, he also played mandolin on Rod Stewart
’s solo albums Every Picture Tells a Story
(1971), Never a Dull Moment (1972), and Smiler
(1974). His playing can be heard particularly on the songs "Maggie May
", "Mandolin Wind", and "Farewell
". On the sleeve of Every Picture Tells a Story
, he was not credited by name, only a reference: "The mandolin was played by the mandolin player in Lindisfarne. The name slips my mind."
In 2003 Jackson threatened legal action against Stewart, claiming that he should have been credited as co-composer of "Maggie May" alongside Stewart and guitarist Martin Quittenton
. In a statement he said, "I am convinced that my contribution to Maggie May, which occurred in the early stages of my career when I was just becoming famous for my work with Lindisfarne, was essential to the success of the record. Furthermore, a writing credit would have given me a writing status which would have encouraged my writing efforts and could well have opened doors for me." His manager Barry McKay said that Jackson was asked to write something in the studio for the then unfinished record and wrote the hook. At the time, he had no idea he would be entitled to part ownership as joint composer, and was merely paid a £15 session fee. A spokesman for Stewart dismissed his claim as ‘ridiculous’.
In Lindisfarne, Jackson generally took lead vocals on the songs written by bassist and fiddle player Rod Clements
, most notably "Meet Me On the Corner", their first hit single. He stayed with the group in 1973 when three of the five original members left to form Jack the Lad
. He designed the sleeve for Jack the Lad’s third album Rough Diamonds
, and played harmonica on the record. He also played mandolin on Chris de Burgh
’s debut album Far Beyond These Castle Walls.
. The contract, signed in October 1975, included a clause that the company would release three singles within the first year. Only one, "Take Some Time", was issued; it sold around 300 copies and no further releases were forthcoming. Jackson and McKay later sued EMI for ruining his solo career, on the grounds that they had failed to promote the record properly. EMI's defence was based on their belief that musical material provided by Jackson ‘was not satisfactory and would have been a commercial failure.’ In March 1985 Jackson and McKay were awarded damages and costs against the company to a total of £23,304.
Also in 1975 he formed a short-lived group Harcourt’s Heroes with singer-guitarist Charlie Harcourt, with whom he had formed a songwriting partnership while both were members of Lindisfarne between 1973 and 1975. However, the original group line-up had continued to reunite for Christmas concerts every year at Newcastle, which always sold out. In 1977 they decided to get back together for good, and in 1978 the next single "Run For Home" was not only a Top 10 hit in the UK, earning a silver disc for sales of 250,000, but also gave them their long-awaited breakthrough into the US Top 40, reaching #33. The album it was taken from, Back and Fourth
, also reached the UK top 25.
Jackson also recorded a solo album, In The Night, released in 1980, produced by Hugh Murphy, which included material co-written by him and Harcourt, as well as songs such as "In the Midnight Hour
", "Little Town Flirt", and the Stealers Wheel
hit "Everything Will Turn Out Fine".
"Hugh Murphy and I were asked to compromise and record a number of new songs from other sources to make it sound more commercial to the emerging market, leaving out some of the self penned songs," he said. "Regardless of this, I had a great time making the album and some great musicians played on it with me. Today, I feel that some of the performances and the songs are old fashioned sounding. However, there are still a few which stand the test of time quite well."
to leave. He left the music business, but appeared onstage to rapturous applause at a memorial concert at Newcastle celebrating the life and music of Hull in November 2005.
Later he decided to resume his creative and artistic interests by opening an art studio and picture framing business at Witney
, Oxfordshire
. He is particularly known for his skilled paintings of buses.
Recently, Jackson formed the band Gathering - Legends of Folk Rock with Jerry Donahue
, Clive Bunker
, Rick Kemp
, Doug Morter and Kristina Donahue.
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
and harmonica
Harmonica
The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
player, and joint lead vocalist with Alan Hull
Alan Hull
Alan Hull was an English singer-songwriter and founding member of the Tyneside folk rock band, Lindisfarne.-Career:...
, of the folk-rock group Lindisfarne
Lindisfarne (band)
Lindisfarne were a British folk/rock group from Newcastle upon Tyne established in 1970 and fronted by singer/songwriter Alan Hull. Their music combined a strong sense of yearning with an even stronger sense of fun...
from their original formation in 1970 until his departure in 1990. As the group’s drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Ray Laidlaw shared the same forename, Jackson was generally known in the group as "Jacka".
After leaving school he studied graphics at Newcastle College of Art and Industrial Design, where he met Laidlaw.
With Lindisfarne
He designed the group's logo and the sleeve of their debut album Nicely Out of TuneNicely Out of Tune
Nicely Out of Tune is the debut album by Lindisfarne, released in late 1970. It was thus titled as the group considered themselves 'nicely out of tune' with other prevailing musical trends at the time...
. Alongside his activities in the group, he also played mandolin on Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart
Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
’s solo albums Every Picture Tells a Story
Every Picture Tells a Story
Every Picture Tells a Story is the third album by Rod Stewart, released in the middle of 1971. It went to number one on both the UK and U.S. charts and finished third in the Pazz & Jop critics' poll for best album of 1971...
(1971), Never a Dull Moment (1972), and Smiler
Smiler (album)
Smiler is Rod Stewart's fifth album, and final album for Mercury Records, released in 1974 . It became the first album by Rod Stewart as a solo artist to become critically panned. Although it reached number 1 in the UK album chart, it stalled at number 13 in the US...
(1974). His playing can be heard particularly on the songs "Maggie May
Maggie May
"Maggie May" is a song written by singer Rod Stewart and Martin Quittenton and recorded by Stewart in 1971 for his album Every Picture Tells a Story....
", "Mandolin Wind", and "Farewell
Farewell (Rod Stewart song)
"Farewell" is the name of a song written by Martin Quittenton and Rod Stewart. Stewart released it on his 1974 album Smiler. Among the musicians featured were Ray Jackson of Lindisfarne on mandolin, and Dick Powell on violin....
". On the sleeve of Every Picture Tells a Story
Every Picture Tells a Story
Every Picture Tells a Story is the third album by Rod Stewart, released in the middle of 1971. It went to number one on both the UK and U.S. charts and finished third in the Pazz & Jop critics' poll for best album of 1971...
, he was not credited by name, only a reference: "The mandolin was played by the mandolin player in Lindisfarne. The name slips my mind."
In 2003 Jackson threatened legal action against Stewart, claiming that he should have been credited as co-composer of "Maggie May" alongside Stewart and guitarist Martin Quittenton
Martin Quittenton
Martin Quittenton is a British guitarist and composer. He played in the blues rock band Steamhammer, formed in 1968. Their debut album Steamhammer was released in 1969 with keyboardist Pete Sears as a special guest....
. In a statement he said, "I am convinced that my contribution to Maggie May, which occurred in the early stages of my career when I was just becoming famous for my work with Lindisfarne, was essential to the success of the record. Furthermore, a writing credit would have given me a writing status which would have encouraged my writing efforts and could well have opened doors for me." His manager Barry McKay said that Jackson was asked to write something in the studio for the then unfinished record and wrote the hook. At the time, he had no idea he would be entitled to part ownership as joint composer, and was merely paid a £15 session fee. A spokesman for Stewart dismissed his claim as ‘ridiculous’.
In Lindisfarne, Jackson generally took lead vocals on the songs written by bassist and fiddle player Rod Clements
Rod Clements
Rod Clements is a British guitarist and singer-songwriter.-Career:...
, most notably "Meet Me On the Corner", their first hit single. He stayed with the group in 1973 when three of the five original members left to form Jack the Lad
Jack The Lad
Jack the Lad was a folk rock or electric folk group from North East England formed in 1973 by three former members of the most successful band of the period from the region Lindisfarne. They moved from the progressive folk rock of Lindisfarne into much more traditional territory and were in the...
. He designed the sleeve for Jack the Lad’s third album Rough Diamonds
Rough Diamonds
Rough Diamonds is the sixth album by rock band Bad Company released in August 1982.Rough Diamonds, like its predecessor, Desolation Angels, was recorded at Ridge Farm Studio in Surrey, England in March and April of 1981 and engineered by Max Norman .It was the last album by Bad Company's original...
, and played harmonica on the record. He also played mandolin on Chris de Burgh
Chris de Burgh
Chris de Burgh is a British/Irish singer-songwriter. He is most famous for his 1986 love song "The Lady in Red".-Early life:...
’s debut album Far Beyond These Castle Walls.
Branching out
When Lindisfarne disbanded in 1975 Jackson embarked on a solo career with EMIEMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
. The contract, signed in October 1975, included a clause that the company would release three singles within the first year. Only one, "Take Some Time", was issued; it sold around 300 copies and no further releases were forthcoming. Jackson and McKay later sued EMI for ruining his solo career, on the grounds that they had failed to promote the record properly. EMI's defence was based on their belief that musical material provided by Jackson ‘was not satisfactory and would have been a commercial failure.’ In March 1985 Jackson and McKay were awarded damages and costs against the company to a total of £23,304.
Also in 1975 he formed a short-lived group Harcourt’s Heroes with singer-guitarist Charlie Harcourt, with whom he had formed a songwriting partnership while both were members of Lindisfarne between 1973 and 1975. However, the original group line-up had continued to reunite for Christmas concerts every year at Newcastle, which always sold out. In 1977 they decided to get back together for good, and in 1978 the next single "Run For Home" was not only a Top 10 hit in the UK, earning a silver disc for sales of 250,000, but also gave them their long-awaited breakthrough into the US Top 40, reaching #33. The album it was taken from, Back and Fourth
Back and Fourth (Lindisfarne album)
Back and Fourth is a 1978 album by English rock band Lindisfarne. Released in nine countries on three record labels, it reached position 22 on the UK album charts and contained the successful single "Run for Home".-Production:...
, also reached the UK top 25.
Jackson also recorded a solo album, In The Night, released in 1980, produced by Hugh Murphy, which included material co-written by him and Harcourt, as well as songs such as "In the Midnight Hour
In the Midnight Hour
"In the Midnight Hour" is a song originally performed by Wilson Pickett in 1965 and released on the 1966 album The Exciting Wilson Pickett. It was composed by Pickett and Steve Cropper at the historic Lorraine Motel in Memphis where Martin Luther King, Jr. would later be murdered in April 1968...
", "Little Town Flirt", and the Stealers Wheel
Stealers Wheel
Stealers Wheel are a Scottish folk rock/rock band formed in Paisley, Renfrewshire in 1972 by former school friends Joe Egan and Gerry Rafferty.The band broke up in 1975 and re-formed without Egan and Rafferty in 2008.-Biography:...
hit "Everything Will Turn Out Fine".
"Hugh Murphy and I were asked to compromise and record a number of new songs from other sources to make it sound more commercial to the emerging market, leaving out some of the self penned songs," he said. "Regardless of this, I had a great time making the album and some great musicians played on it with me. Today, I feel that some of the performances and the songs are old fashioned sounding. However, there are still a few which stand the test of time quite well."
Later years
By the mid-1980s Lindisfarne were no longer enjoying the success of former years, and they had ceased to record his songs. With diminishing earnings from record royalties and performances, to support himself and his family he took a job with a sports marketing agency as promotional manager, working on sports sponsorships. As he was unable to commit himself financially to Lindisfarne full-time any more, during a heated discussion in 1990 he was publicly asked by Alan HullAlan Hull
Alan Hull was an English singer-songwriter and founding member of the Tyneside folk rock band, Lindisfarne.-Career:...
to leave. He left the music business, but appeared onstage to rapturous applause at a memorial concert at Newcastle celebrating the life and music of Hull in November 2005.
Later he decided to resume his creative and artistic interests by opening an art studio and picture framing business at Witney
Witney
Witney is a town on the River Windrush, west of Oxford in Oxfordshire, England.The place-name 'Witney' is first attested in a Saxon charter of 969 as 'Wyttannige'; it appears as 'Witenie' in the Domesday Book of 1086. The name means 'Witta's island'....
, Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
. He is particularly known for his skilled paintings of buses.
Recently, Jackson formed the band Gathering - Legends of Folk Rock with Jerry Donahue
Jerry Donahue
Jerry Donahue is an American guitarist and producer primarily known for his work in the British folk rock scene as a member of Fotheringay and Fairport Convention as well as being a member of the rock guitar trio The Hellecasters.-Biography:Donahue was born in New York, the son of big band...
, Clive Bunker
Clive Bunker
Clive William Bunker is a British rock drummer. He was the original drummer in the British band Jethro Tull....
, Rick Kemp
Rick Kemp
Rick Kemp is an English bass player, songwriter, vocalist and record producer, best known for his work with the pioneering electric folk band, Steeleye Span.-Projects:...
, Doug Morter and Kristina Donahue.