Reggae bass legend Jackie Jackson dies at 79
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- Clifton “Jackie” Jackson, the legendary bass guitarist who played on countless hit songs by artistes such as Toots And The Maytals, Jimmy Cliff and Paul Simon, died in Montego Bay on Wednesday.
- Jackson, 79, was admitted to the Cornwall Regional Hospital in St James recently.
- He was a fixture on the Montego Bay hotel scene for many years, mentoring artistes and musicians including his wife, Karen Smith, who died in 2021.
- Sagicor builds on R Danny Williams’ legacy of motivation with ‘SMS’ Latest News, News Sagicor builds on R Danny Williams’ legacy of motivation with ‘SMS’ September 22, 2026 From Central Kingston, Jackson got his start in the mid-1960s at the Treasure Isle recording studio of producer Duke Reid.
- He was a member of The Supersonics, the house band that played on numerous hit singles including Girl I’ve Got A Date by Alton Ellis, Little Nut Tree by The Melodians and Queen Majesty by The Techniques.
Clifton “Jackie” Jackson, the veteran Jamaican bass guitarist whose distinctive playing helped shape recordings by Toots and the Maytals, Jimmy Cliff, Paul Simon and some of Jamaica’s biggest musical acts, has died. He was 79.
Jackson died Wednesday in Montego Bay after being hospitalized at Cornwall Regional Hospital in St. James for nearly two months, according to Jamaican media reports. He leaves behind four daughters.
For more than five decades, Jackson was closely associated with Toots and the Maytals, touring with the group for about 50 years and playing on some of its best-known recordings, including “Pressure Drop,” “Funky Kingston” and “Sweet and Dandy.”
But his career extended well beyond the legendary reggae group. Jackson played on recordings by Bob Marley and the Wailers, Alton Ellis, Ken Boothe, The Melodians and Desmond Dekker, among others. His international credits included Paul Simon’s “Mother and Child Reunion,” recorded in Jamaica with a group of Jamaican musicians in the early 1970s.
From Treasure Isle to Jamaica’s golden era
A Kingston native, Jackson began his professional career in the mid-1960s at producer Duke Reid’s Treasure Isle studio. He became a member of The Supersonics, Reid’s house band, which provided the backing for numerous rocksteady hits.
Among the recordings featuring Jackson’s bass were Alton Ellis’ “Girl I’ve Got a Date,” The Melodians’ “Little Nut Tree” and The Techniques’ “Queen Majesty.”
He later worked with producer Leslie Kong on recordings including Desmond Dekker and The Aces’ “Israelites,” The Melodians’ “By the Rivers of Babylon” and Jimmy Cliff’s songs “The Harder They Come” and “Wonderful World, Beautiful People.”
Jackson’s session work made him part of a generation of Jamaican musicians whose instruments formed the foundation of ska, rocksteady and reggae, even as many of them remained largely out of the spotlight.
In 1972, Jackson joined guitarist Hux Brown and keyboardist Neville Hinds on the Jamaican recording sessions for Simon’s “Mother and Child Reunion,” which appeared on the American singer-songwriter’s self-titled debut solo album that year.
A career of touring and mentorship
Jackson’s relationship with Toots and the Maytals became one of the defining partnerships of his career. He toured internationally with the group for decades, helping carry its distinctive sound to audiences around the world.
His contribution to Jamaican music was formally recognized in 2012 when he received the Order of Distinction for his contribution to the development of Jamaican music.
Jackson also became a mentor to younger musicians and remained vocal about the importance of preserving Jamaica’s musical history.
At the Back-2-Bass-es concert at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts in St. Andrew in February 2026, Jackson spoke about the need to pass knowledge of reggae’s history to younger generations.
“Mentoring the younger generation is paramount to our music industry,” he told the Jamaica Observer. He added that the music he had played over the years would continue to inspire future generations.
The February event brought together several of Jamaica’s leading bass players, including Boris Gardiner, Lloyd Parks, Daniel “Danny Axeman” Thompson, Donald “Danny Bassie” Dennis and Errol “Flabba Holt” Carter.
Jackson was also known for his connection to Jamaica’s live entertainment and hotel scene in Montego Bay, where he mentored musicians and artistes, including his wife, singer Karen Smith, who died in 2021.
His death marks the loss of another key musician from the generation that helped establish Jamaica’s popular music on the international stage.
