Jackson Heights (band)


Jackson Heights were an English musical group formed by bassist and vocalist Lee Jackson. The group was formed in 1970, when keyboardist Keith Emerson left The Nice to form ELP. In 1973, Jackson teamed up again with The Nice drummer Brian "Blinky" Davison to form Refugee with Patrick Moraz.

History

After the break-up of The Nice in 1969, each of that group's three members formed a group of his own, and those three groups toured together : Emerson formed Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Davison's group was named Every Which Way, and Jackson appeared with Jackson Heights.
Jackson Heights' debut album, King Progress, included a reworking of "The Cry Of Eugene", a song originally recorded by The Nice, and new material including "Doubting Thomas" and "Insomnia". The group, which included Charlie Harcourt on lead guitar, Mario Enrique Covarrubias Tapia on bass and Tommy Sloane on drums, produced a radically different sound from that with which Jackson had become well-known, centred upon songs and led by acoustic guitar played by Lee Jackson mostly.
This group disbanded shortly after the first album's release and reformed as a trio featuring pianist Brian Chatton - who played with Jon Anderson's Warriors and Phil Collins's Flaming Youth - and singer/songwriter/guitarist John McBurnie, with Jackson mainly playing bass as well as acoustic guitars. The group left the Charisma label and signed with Vertigo, for whom they recorded three albums, The Fifth Avenue Bus and Ragamuffins Fool and Bump 'n' Grind. And then the group disbanded when Jackson teamed up with Patrick Moraz and Brian Davison and formed Refugee in 1973. Godfrey Salmon, who played violins on the last album Bump n' grind, would later meet Keith Emerson in ELP, as he led the orchestra on the Works Volume one album and tour in 1977.

Band members

Studio albums