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Ronald Shannon Jackson

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Musician

The Resume

    (January 12, 1940-October 19, 2013)
    Born in Fort Worth, Texas
    Jazz/fusion drummer and composer
    Played 'free funk': free jazz improvision with funk rhythms
    Played with Ornette Coleman, Albert Ayler, Cecil Taylor, James Blood Ulmer and John Zorn
    Member of the bands Last Exit, SLX, Mooko, Power Tools and Encryption
    Led the band the Decoding Society
    Recorded the albums 'Eye on You' (1980), 'Nasty' (1981), 'Street Priest' (1981), 'Mandance' (1982), 'Barbecue Dog' (1983), 'Pulse' (1984), 'Decode Yourself' (1985), 'When Colors Play' (1986), 'Texas' (1987), 'Red Warrior' (1990), 'What Spirit Say' (1994) and 'Shannon's House' (1996)

Why he might be annoying:

    Before discovering illegal drugs, he and a friend would ingest massive amounts of nutmeg to get high.
    He dropped out of music in the late 60s/early 70s for seven years of heroin abuse and petty crime.
    He was a vegetarian.
    He braided New York City subway tokens into his hair.
    He claimed he was blackballed by the music industry. (Although he seemed unsure if it was because he was black or for being a drummer.)

Why he might not be annoying:

    When he was fifteen, his family moved into a white neighborhood and their house was firebombed.
    He received a full music scholarship to New York University.
    He toured Africa and Asia under the auspices of the Voice of America.
    He incorporated rock, funk and world music influences into his compositions.
    One day after undergoing an angioplasty, he checked himself out of the hospital to play at the Moers Festival in Germany (2011).
    Decoding Society keyboardist Pete Drungle said, 'He listens on a level most musicians aren't capable of and pushes you to play things you didn't know you were capable of.'

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 23 Votes: 34.78% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 10 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 131 Votes: 65.65% Annoying