Roddy Jackson Obituary, Death – Roddy Jackson is gone from our midst indefinitely. RIP George Rodrick Born on April 9, 1942, “Roddy” Jackson is a rockabilly and rock and roll singer, songwriter, pianist, and saxophonist from the United States. He is known by his stage name “Roddy.” In the 1950s, he was a member of the Specialty Records roster and contributed recordings to that label’s catalog. After being born in Fresno, California, Roddy Jackson and his family eventually settled in Merced when he was a little child.
His father was a vocalist and pianist who performed and toured with the band The Sons of the Pioneers. He was a member of the band at the time of his passing. At the age of 12, Jackson created his first band, which was called The Dreamers, and began performing on the radio station KYOS. He then went on to have a successful career as a musician. He has no formal training in either the drums or the keyboard.
In addition to that, he was proficient on the clarinet, trumpet, and trombone; but, he chose to concentrate his efforts on the alto saxophone and, later on, the tenor saxophone. After becoming influenced by Fats Domino and Little Richard, he founded a new multi-racial rock and roll band in 1956 named the Blue Notes from among his buddies from high school. The band’s name was derived from the song “Blue Monday” by Fats Domino.
‘Two of his most important musical influences were artists by the names of Little Richard and Fats Domino. They gained a large following in the Merced area very quickly, and they were guided professionally by the town’s fire chief, George Coolures, who was instrumental in getting them an audition with the A&R man for Specialty Records, Sonny Bono. George Coolures was also instrumental in getting them a recording contract with Specialty Records.
Although Bono was successful in convincing Art Rupe, the owner of the record label, to sign Jackson as a solo artist, the other members of the Blue Notes were not given contracts by Art Rupe. The Blue Notes were never included on any of Michael Jackson’s albums, despite the fact that they continued to perform with the singer for a considerable amount of time. After Jackson left the band, Coolures became the band’s frontman to fill the void left by Jackson. Later on, the band changed their name to the Merced Blue Notes and remained a well-liked live act in the area well into the 1960s once they had established themselves there.