Papa Charlie Jackson
William Henry "Papa Charlie" Jackson (November 10, 1887 – May 7, 1938) was an early African American bluesman and songster who accompanied himself with a banjo guitar, a guitar, or a ukulele. His recording career began in 1924. Much of his life remains a mystery, but his draft card lists his birthplace as New Orleans, Louisiana, and his death certificate states that he died in Chicago, Illinois, on May 7, 1938. |
Birth and Death Data: Born New Orleans (largest city of the state of Louisiana, United States), Died 1938 (Chicago (city and county seat of Cook County, and largest city in State of Illinois, United States of America) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1925 - 1948
Roles Represented in DAHR: banjo, composer, vocalist, lyricist
Notes: Papa Charlie Jackson also credited as Charlie Jackson.
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 1-25 of 56 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | BVE-34180 | 10-in. | 12/28/1925 | Shake that thing | Busse's Buzzards | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Victor | BVE-46037 | 10-in. | 7/2/1928 | The head hunter's dream | Tiny Parham and his Musicians | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, banjo | |
| Victor | BVE-46038 | 10-in. | 7/2/1928 | Stuttering blues | Tiny Parham and his Musicians | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, banjo | |
| Victor | BVE-46039 | 10-in. | 7/2/1928 | Clarice | Tiny Parham and his Musicians | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, banjo | |
| Victor | BVE-46040 | 10-in. | 7/2/1928 | Snake eyes | Tiny Parham and his Musicians | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, banjo | |
| Victor | BVE-46041 | 10-in. | 7/2/1928 | Cuckoo blues | Tiny Parham and his Musicians | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, banjo | |
| Victor | BVE-46042 | 10-in. | 7/2/1928 | Jogo rhythm | Tiny Parham and his Musicians | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, banjo | |
| Victor | BVE-48846 | 10-in. | 2/1/1929 | Stompin' on down | Tiny Parham and his Musicians | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, banjo | |
| Victor | BVE-48847 | 10-in. | 2/1/1929 | Blue melody blues | Tiny Parham and his Musicians | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, banjo | |
| Victor | BVE-57216 | 10-in. | 12/3/1929 | Dixieland doin's | Tiny Parham and his Musicians | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, banjo | |
| Victor | BVE-57217 | 10-in. | 12/3/1929 | Cathedral blues | Tiny Parham and his Musicians | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, banjo | |
| Victor | BVE-57218 | 10-in. | 12/3/1929 | Cheerful blues | Tiny Parham and his Musicians | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, banjo | |
| Victor | BVE-57219 | 10-in. | 12/3/1929 | Black cat moan | Tiny Parham and his Musicians | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, banjo | |
| Victor | BVE-57333 | 10-in. | 10/26/1929 | Pig's feet and slaw | Tiny Parham and his Musicians | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, banjo | |
| Victor | BVE-57334 | 10-in. | 10/26/1929 | Bombay | Tiny Parham and his Musicians | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, banjo | |
| Victor | BVE-57335 | 10-in. | 10/26/1929 | Fat man blues | Tiny Parham and his Musicians | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, banjo | |
| Victor | BVE-57336 | 10-in. | 10/26/1929 | Golden lily | Tiny Parham and his Musicians | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, banjo | |
| Victor | BVE-57337 | 10-in. | 10/26/1929 | Steel string blues | Tiny Parham and his Musicians | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, banjo | |
| Victor | BVE-57338 | 10-in. | 10/26/1929 | Sud buster's dream | Tiny Parham and his Musicians | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, banjo | |
| Victor | BVE-62932 | 10-in. | 11/4/1930 | Rock bottom | Tiny Parham and his Musicians | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, banjo | |
| Victor | BVE-62933 | 10-in. | 11/4/1930 | Down yonder | Tiny Parham and his Musicians | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, banjo | |
| Victor | BVE-62934 | 10-in. | 11/4/1930 | Blue moon blues | Tiny Parham and his Musicians | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, banjo | |
| Victor | BVE-62935 | 10-in. | 11/4/1930 | Squeeze me | Tiny Parham and his Musicians | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, banjo | |
| Victor | BVE-62936 | 10-in. | 11/4/1930 | Back to the jungle | Tiny Parham and his Musicians | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, banjo | |
| Victor | BVE-62937 | 10-in. | 11/4/1930 | Nervous tension | Tiny Parham and his Musicians | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, banjo |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Jackson, Papa Charlie," accessed January 2, 2026, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/106245.
Jackson, Papa Charlie. (2026). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved January 2, 2026, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/106245.
"Jackson, Papa Charlie." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2026. Web. 2 January 2026.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Papa Charlie Jackson
Discogs: Papa Charlie Jackson
Allmusic: Papa Charlie Jackson
IMDb: Papa Charlie Jackson
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Jackson, Papa Charlie, 1887-1938 - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n90665946
Wikidata: Papa Charlie Jackson - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q322760
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/5120393
MusicBrainz: Papa Charlie Jackson - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/c0b0d027-826a-4d22-97db-d89256302a8b
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/271938 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/271938
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
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