Stonewall Jackson

Stonewall Jackson, born Jackson on November 6, 1932, in Tabor City, North Carolina, was an American country music singer. Named after Confederate General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, he grew up working on his uncle's farm in South Georgia after his father's death and enlisted in the Navy in 1950. He moved to Nashville, Tennessee, in 1956, where Wesley Rose arranged for him to audition for the Grand Ole Opry. Stonewall Jackson became the first artist to join the Opry before obtaining a recording contract and signed with Columbia Records in 1958. His breakthrough came with "Life to Go" written by George Jones, which peaked at number 2 in early 1959. His follow-up record, "Waterloo," reached Number 1 for five weeks that year and crossed over into the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Stonewall Jackson's other notable hits include "Don't Be Angry" and "B.J. the D.J." in 1964, and his final Top 10 hit, a cover version of Lobo's "Me and You and a Dog Named Boo" in 1971. From 1958 to 1971, Stonewall Jackson had 35 Top 40 country hits. He lived on a farm in Brentwood, Tennessee and died on December 4, 2021, at the age of 89 from complications of vascular dementia.