During his brief lifetime of 44 years, Tony Jackson (1876—1921) was a musical bridge between the multicultural sounds of his native New Orleans and the emerging syncopated music of his adopted Chicago home—both important precursors of modern jazz. Jackson was widely respected in both cities as an engaging performer, a prolific composer and a mentor to emerging younger musicians. Although no recordings were ever made to document Jackson's unique style of singing and piano playing, his most enduring musical legacy was creating the familiar chorus of the 1916 hit song "Pretty Baby."
Born in New Orleans in 1876, Tony Jackson gained much of his musical education by observing the entertainers at the saloons, gambling houses and brothels in the city's notorious Storyville district. He began playing piano in honky-tonks while in his early teens and was considered one of the top entertainers of New Orleans by the time he was 18. With an outgoing personality, an animated way of singing and a mastery of New Orleans-style piano, Jackson had the ability to perform instantly any song or type of music requested by the customers—from ragtime to the classics.
Despite his growing popularity as a musician and entertainer, Jackson found life as a gay male in New Orleans to be a challenging experience. Seeking a more receptive home for his music and sexuality, he relocated to Chicago in about 1908. Here he gained steady employment in the theaters and cafes of the South Side's African-American entertainment district centered along South State Street—popularly known as "The Stroll." In Chicago as well as New Orleans, younger musicians gravitated to Jackson's performance style and musicianship. Among those he inspired and mentored were jazz pioneers Ferdinand "Jelly Roll" Morton and prolific composer and bandleader Clarence Williams.
New Orleans jazz historian Al Rose claimed that the familiar imagery of early-1900s saloon pianists (flashily dressed with arm garters, checkered vests and pearl-gray derbies) was directly inspired by the way Tony Jackson dressed when performing. While many musicians were frustrated that they couldn't match Jackson's performance talents, they did their best to imitate his style of clothing—which has since become the stereotypical manner of dress for depicting saloon pianists in movies, plays and popular culture.
Tony Jackson left a small legacy of published songs but retained the majority of his personal compositions for his own performances, and they are now lost. According to popular legend, the original lyrics for Jackson's 1916 hit song "Pretty Baby" were written for a gay companion, but no evidence of this early version is known to survive. The words and musical verse of "Pretty Baby" as commercially published were reworked by songwriters Gus Kahn and Egbert Van Alstyne, but the signature chorus remained true to Jackson's original melody. Tragically, Jackson sold his rights to this popular hit for a reported sum of $45.
From Out and Proud in Chicago: An Overview of the City's Gay Community, edited by Tracy Baim, Surrey Books, 2008.
