Papa Charlie Jackson was an early male bluesman to record. He played a hybrid banjo-guitar and ukulele, recording beginning in 1924. Much of his life remains a mystery, but it is probable that he was born in New Orleans and died in Chicago in 1938.
Originally performing in minstrel and medicine shows, Jackson was playing all around Chicago in the early 1920s, soon recording "Papa's Lawdy Lawdy Blues" and "Airy Man Blues", the first recordings by a male singer of the blues. One of his following tracks, "Salty Dog Blues", became perhaps his most famous song. He soon began cutting records with Ida Cox, Hattie McDaniel and Ma Rainey.
The late 1920s saw Jackson reach the pinnacle of his career, recording "Papa Charlie and Blind Blake Talk About It" (a two-part song) with Blind Blake. A few more recordings followed before the 1930s, but then Jackson left Paramount Records and moved to Okeh, recording with Big Bill Broonzy.
PapaCharlieJackson was the first bluesman to record, beginning in 1924 with the Paramount label, playing a hybrid banjo-guitar (six strings tuned like a guitar but with a banjo body that gave it a lighter resonance) and ukulele.
Jackson switched to guitar on some of his late-'20s recordings, and occasionally played the ukulele as well, although he was back to using the five-string hybrid in 1934, when he cut his final sessions.
PapaCharlieJackson remains a shadowy figure, considered a highly influential figure in the blues, though not quite a major blues figure, apart from the fact that he was the first male singer/guitarist who played the blues to get to record.
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