The Life and Music of Graham Jackson

A
groundbreaking Black artist and his career in the Jim Crow South
This book is the first biography
of Graham Jackson (1903‒1983),
a virtuosic musician whose life story displays the complexities of being a
Black professional in the segregated South. David Cason discusses how Jackson
navigated a web of racial and social negotiations throughout his long career and
highlights his little-known role in events of the twentieth century.

Widely known for an iconic photo taken of him playing the accordion
in tears at Franklin D. Roosevelt's funeral, which became a Life
magazine cover, Jackson is revealed here to have a much deeper story. He was a
performer, composer, and high school music director known for his skills on the
piano and organ. Jackson was among the first Black men to enlist in the Navy during
World War II, helping recruit many other volunteers and raising over $2 million
for the war effort. After the war he became a fixture at Atlanta music venues
and in 1971, Governor Jimmy Carter proclaimed Jackson the State Musician of
Georgia.

Cason examines Jackson's groundbreaking roles with a critical eye,
taking into account how Jackson drew on his connections with white elites
including Roosevelt, Coca-Cola magnate Robert Woodruff, and golfer Bobby Jones,
and was censured by Black Power figures for playing songs associated with
Confederate memory. Based on archival, newspaper, and interview materials, The
Life and Music of Graham Jackson brings into view the previously unknown
story of an ambitious and talented artist and his controversial approach to the
politics and culture of his day.

Publication of this work made possible by a
Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan grant from the
National Endowment for the Humanities.