Jackson

Gilbert "Gil" Scott-Heron was an American soul and jazz poet, musician, and author, known primarily for his work as a spoken word performer in the... 1970s and '80s. His collaborative efforts with musician Brian Jackson featured a musical fusion of jazz, blues, and soul, as well as lyrical content concerning social and political issues of the time, delivered in both rapping and melismatic vocal styles by Scott-Heron. His own term for himself was "bluesologist", which he defined as "a scientist who is concerned with the origin of the blues." His music, most notably on Pieces of a Man and Winter in America in the early 1970s, influenced and helped engender later African-American music genres such as hip hop and neo soul. In addition to being widely considered an influence in today's music, Scott-Heron remained active until his death, and in 2010 released his first new album in 16 years, entitled I'm New Here. A memoir he had been working on for years up to the time of his death, "The Last Holiday", was also published, posthumously, in January, 2012.
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Ed Lee "Too Tall" Jones is a retired American football player in the NFL who played 15 years for the Dallas Cowboys. Jones was a guest referee at... the World Wrestling Federation's WrestleMania 2 pay-per-view in 1986. He refereed from outside of the ring during the 20-man battle royale which included American football stars of the day. Jones starred in a GEICO commercial that initially aired in late 2009. The commercial rhetorically asks if Jones is indeed "too tall," then confirms it by showing a nurse attempting to measure his height, but breaking the medical scale's height rod when it doesn't reach high enough. The nurse then mutters, "I'm just going to guesstimate.
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Mabel Louise Smith , known professionally as Big Maybelle, was an American R&B singer and pianist. Her 1956 hit single "Candy" received the... Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1999. Born in Jackson, Tennessee, United States, Big Maybelle sang gospel as a child and by her teens had switched to rhythm and blues. She began her professional career with Dave Clark's Memphis Band in 1936, and also toured with the all female International Sweethearts of Rhythm. She then joined Christine Chatman's Orchestra as pianist, and made her first recordings with Chatman in 1944, and with the Tiny Bradshaw's Orchestra from 1947 to 1950. Her debut solo recordings, as Mabel Smith, came for King Records in 1947, backed by Oran "Hot Lips" Page, but she had little initial success. However, in 1952 she was signed by Okeh Records, whose record producer Fred Mendelsohn gave her the stage name Big Maybelle. Her first recording for Okeh, "Gabbin' Blues", was a number 3 hit on the Billboard R&B chart, and was followed up by both "Way Back Home" and "My Country Man" in 1953.
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Ed Lee "Too Tall" Jones is a retired American football player in the NFL who played 15 years for the Dallas Cowboys. Jones was a guest referee at... the World Wrestling Federation's WrestleMania 2 pay-per-view in 1986. He refereed from outside of the ring during the 20-man battle royale which included American football stars of the day. Jones starred in a GEICO commercial that initially aired in late 2009. The commercial rhetorically asks if Jones is indeed "too tall," then confirms it by showing a nurse attempting to measure his height, but breaking the medical scale's height rod when it doesn't reach high enough. The nurse then mutters, "I'm just going to guesstimate.
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Joseph Edward Hunter was an African-American musician, known for his recording session work as a pianist in Motown Records' in-house studio band,... the Funk Brothers. One of the original Funk Brothers, Hunter served as band director for the band from 1959 until 1964, when he left Motown and was replaced by Earl Van Dyke. Hunter was born in Jackson, Tennessee, United States. Though his time with the Funk Brothers was short, his unique style of piano playing was integral to the "Motown Sound" . Hunter left a lasting impression on future Motown session musicians, and artists such as Stevie Wonder. He also produced and arranged various soul tracks during the 1960s. He was involved with Pied Piper Productions. Some artists that Hunter can be affiliated with are The Metros, Dennis Edwards, The Hesitations, and Freddy Butler Hunter's influences include Art Tatum, Sergei Rachmaninov, and Nat King Cole. Among the many records he performed the piano for are "Shop Around" by The Miracles , "Do You Love Me" by The Contours, and " Heat Wave" by Martha & the Vandellas.
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Luther Ingram was an American R&B and soul singer and songwriter. His most successful record, " I Don't Want to Be Right", reached no. 1 on the... Billboard R&B chart and no. 3 on the Hot 100 in 1972. Born Luther Thomas Ingram in Jackson, Tennessee, his early interest in music led to him making his first record in 1965 at the age of 28. His first three recordings failed to chart but that changed when he signed for KoKo Records in the late 1960s, and his first hit "My Honey And Me" peaked at #55 on the Hot 100 on 14 February 1970. Many of his songs appeared in the pop and R&B charts, even though Koko was only a small label, owned by his manager and record producer, Johnny Baylor. Koko and Baylor were closely associated with the Memphis based Stax Records label during the height of its commercial success. Ingram is best known for the hit, " I Don't Want to Be Right", written by Homer Banks, Carl Hampton and Raymond Jackson. The song reached number one on Billboard 's R&B chart and peaked at number three on that publication's Hot 100 chart in the summer of 1972.
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Mabel Louise Smith , known professionally as Big Maybelle, was an American R&B singer and pianist. Her 1956 hit single "Candy" received the... Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1999. Born in Jackson, Tennessee, United States, Big Maybelle sang gospel as a child and by her teens had switched to rhythm and blues. She began her professional career with Dave Clark's Memphis Band in 1936, and also toured with the all female International Sweethearts of Rhythm. She then joined Christine Chatman's Orchestra as pianist, and made her first recordings with Chatman in 1944, and with the Tiny Bradshaw's Orchestra from 1947 to 1950. Her debut solo recordings, as Mabel Smith, came for King Records in 1947, backed by Oran "Hot Lips" Page, but she had little initial success. However, in 1952 she was signed by Okeh Records, whose record producer Fred Mendelsohn gave her the stage name Big Maybelle. Her first recording for Okeh, "Gabbin' Blues", was a number 3 hit on the Billboard R&B chart, and was followed up by both "Way Back Home" and "My Country Man" in 1953.
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Lauren Pritchard is an American soul singer, songwriter and actress, currently based in London, England. Born and raised in Jackson, Tennessee,... Pritchard began writing songs when she was just 14 years old. She then moved to Los Angeles at 16, where she lived with Lisa-Marie Presley and tried to make it as a singer in a reggae band. She eventually succeeded as a musical actress, by originating and playing the role of the 15-year-old runaway "Ilse" in the Broadway show Spring Awakening for two years. Pritchard later settled in the United Kingdom, and signed with Universal/Island Records. In August 2010 she released the single "Painkillers", and the song was also released in a remix with rapper Talib Kweli. Her debut album, Wasted in Jackson, written and produced with Eg White was digitally released on October 25, 2010 and debuted at #84 in the UK. It is also scheduled for physical release in the US on February 22, 2011. Pritchard mentions Billy Joel, Joni Mitchell, Al Green and Candi Staton as some of the influences behind her music.
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Eddie Goines is a film actor.