Born 106 Years Ago Today in North Carolina, the Country Music Sideman and Steel Guitar Inventor Who Introduced Willie Nelson to His Greatest Treasure

In 1969, a drunk audience member stepped on Willie Nelson’s Baldwin guitar during a show at Floore’s Country Store in Helotes, Texas. Two members of Nelson’s band took the damaged instrument to luthier Harold “Shot” Jackson in Nashville. Realizing the guitar was beyond repair, Jackson instead offered Nelson a Martin N-20 nylon-stringed classical guitar fashioned from Brazilian rosewood. That guitar, dubbed “Trigger”, still travels on the road with Nelson to this day, nearly six decades later.

Shot Jackson certainly knew his way around a six-string. He enjoyed a four-decade career as one of Nashville’s most prolific session guitarists, playing with Roy Acuff, Melba Montgomery, and more. He also manufactured and designed a specific type of steel guitar called the Sho-Bud, which became a mainstay of the “Nashville sound” that dominated country music in the 1960s and 1970s.

Harold Bradley Jackson was born in Wilmington, North Carolina, on this day (September 4) in 1920. Today, we’re exploring his life and career.

Where Did Harold “Shot” Jackson Get His Nickname?

Harold “Shot” Jackson acquired the nickname “Buckshot” as a child growing up in Blackshear, Georgia, where the family moved sometime after his birth.

Over time, the name was shortened to “Shot,” which was what virtually everyone in Jackson’s life called him for most of it.

His Musical Career

A dedicated Grand Ole Opry listener from a young age, Shot Jackson got his start as a member of the house band on a local country radio station in 1941. Three years later, he moved to Nashville to play in Cousin Wilbur Westbrooks’ band at the Grand Ole Opry.

Following a brief stint in the U.S. Navy, Jackson landed a steady gig playing electric steel guitar with the Bailes Brothers on the popular Shreveport-based Louisiana Hayride program.

He remained part of the cast even after the Bailes Brothers left, performing and recording with artists like Webb Pierce, Jimmie Osborne, and Red Sovine.

Around the late 1940s, Jackson joined Johnnie & Jack’s Tennessee Mountain Boys, playing Dobro on virtually all of the group’s live performances and studio sessions during the next six years. He also played on many of Kitty Wells’ early hits.

In the 1960s, Jackson played with Roy Acuff’s Smoky Mountain Boys and Melba Montgomery, including the latter’s duets with George Jones. He also recorded two albums with Roy Clark.

Shaping the Nashville Sound

Shot Jackson didn’t merely play guitars — he created them. In 1955, Jackson founded the Sho-Bud company alongside steel guitarist Buddy Emmons in a small garage in Madison, Tennessee.

Sho-Bud became a family affair after Emmons left in 1963, with Jackson bringing aboard his sons, Harry and David.

From there, Sho-Bud became the go-to for steel pedal guitars in the industry. On Saturday nights, Opry stars would exit the Ryman Auditorium, head across the alley and into the back door of Sho-Bud to share stories from their weekly travels.

[RELATED: Willie Nelson Bought His Guitar, Trigger, To Emulate the Icon He Called “Best Player Ever”]

On January 24, 1991, Harold “Shot” Jackson died at age 70 after suffering his second stroke in 10 years.

(Photo by Gary Miller/Getty Images)

The post Born 106 Years Ago Today in North Carolina, the Country Music Sideman and Steel Guitar Inventor Who Introduced Willie Nelson to His Greatest Treasure appeared first on American Songwriter.