Ray Jackson (musician)

Ray Jackson (born Lindsay Raymond Jackson, 12 November 1948, Wallsend, Newcastle-upon-Tyne) was mandolin and harmonica player, and joint lead vocalist with Alan Hull, of the folk-rock group Lindisfarne from their original formation in 1970 until his departure in 1990. As the group’s drummer Ray Laidlaw shared the same forename, Jackson was generally known in the group as "Jacka".

After leaving school he studied graphics at Newcastle College of Art and Industrial Design, where he met Laidlaw.

With Lindisfarne

He designed the group's logo and the sleeve of their debut album Nicely Out of Tune. Alongside his activities in the group, he also played mandolin on Rod Stewart’s solo albums Every Picture Tells a Story (1971), Never a Dull Moment (1972), and Smiler (1974). His playing can be heard particularly on the songs Maggie May, Mandolin Wind, and Farewell. On the sleeve of Every Picture Tells a Story, he was not credited by name, only a reference: "The mandolin was played by the mandolin player in Lindisfarne. The name slips my mind."

In 2003 Jackson threatened legal action against Stewart, claiming that he should have been credited as co-composer of Maggie May alongside Stewart and guitarist Martin Quittenton. In a statement he said, "I am convinced that my contribution to Maggie May, which occurred in the early stages of my career when I was just becoming famous for my work with Lindisfarne, was essential to the success of the record. Furthermore, a writing credit would have given me a writing status which would have encouraged my writing efforts and could well have opened doors for me." His manager Barry McKay said that Jackson was asked to write something in the studio for the then unfinished record and wrote the hook. At the time, he had no idea he would be entitled to part ownership as joint composer, and was merely paid a £15 session fee. A spokesman for Stewart dismissed his claim as ‘ridiculous’.

In Lindisfarne, Jackson generally took lead vocals on the songs written by bassist and fiddle player Rod Clements, most notably Meet Me On the Corner, their first hit single. He stayed with the group in 1973 when three of the five original members left to form Jack the Lad. He designed the sleeve for Jack the Lad’s third album Rough Diamonds, and played harmonica on the record. He also played mandolin on Chris de Burgh’s debut album Far Beyond These Castle Walls.

Branching out

When Lindisfarne disbanded in 1975 Jackson embarked on a solo career with EMI. The contract, signed in October 1975, included a clause that the company would release three singles within the first year. Only one, Take Some Time, was issued; it sold around 300 copies and no further releases were forthcoming. Jackson and McKay later sued EMI for ruining his solo career, on the grounds that they had failed to promote the record properly. EMI's defence was based on their belief that musical material provided by Jackson ‘was not satisfactory and would have been a commercial failure.’ In March 1985 Jackson and McKay were awarded damages and costs against the company to a total of £23,304.

Also in 1975 he formed a shortlived group Harcourt’s Heroes with singer-guitarist Charlie Harcourt, with whom he had formed a songwriting partnership while both were members of Lindisfarne between 1973 and 1975. However, the original group line-up had continued to reunite for Christmas concerts every year at Newcastle, which always sold out. In 1977 they decided to get back together for good, and in 1978 the next single Run For Home was not only a Top 10 hit in the UK, earning a silver disc for sales of 250,000, but also gave them their long-awaited breakthrough into the US Top 40, reaching #33.

Jackson also recorded a solo album, In The Night, released in 1980, produced by Hugh Murphy, which included material co-written by him and Harcourt, as well as songs such as In the Midnight Hour, Little Town Flirt, and the Stealers Wheel hit Everything Will Turn Out Fine. “Hugh Murphy and I were asked to compromise and record a number of new songs from other sources to make it sound more commercial to the emerging market, leaving out some of the self penned songs," he said. "Regardless of this, I had a great time making the album and some great musicians played on it with me. Today, I feel that some of the performances and the songs are old fashioned sounding. However, there are still a few which stand the test of time quite well."

Later years

By the mid-1980s Lindisfarne were no longer enjoying the success of former years, and they had ceased to record his songs. With diminishing earnings from record royalties and performances, to support himself and his family he took a job with a sports marketing agency as promotional manager, working on sports sponsorships. As he was unable to commit himself financially to Lindisfarne full-time any more, during a heated discussion in 1990 he was publicly asked by Alan Hull to leave. He left the music business, but appeared onstage to rapturous applause at a memorial concert at Newcastle celebrating the life and music of Hull in November 2005.

Later he decided to resume his creative and artistic interests by opening an art studio and picture framing business at Witney, Oxfordshire. He is particularly known for his skilled paintings of buses.