Jackie Washington 1919 – 2009

Our remarkable friend and musician Jackie Washington passed away on Saturday, June 27th after two weeks of failing health. To all who knew him or ever heard him sing, we have lost an incredibly positive spirit and generous soul. It was not uncommon to find Jackie after performing through a long hot day at a folk festival to be jamming until five in the morning without repeating a song and more impressively, fielding requests to play any old pop or jazz standard you could think of. In fact Jackie’s encyclopedic knowledge of songs, musicians and recordings was only matched by his ability to remember the birthday of everyone he met. His infectious smile and laugh never failed to light up a room. The room may have dimmed, but Jackie’s light will continue to shine for a very long time to come. (photo courtesy of Ron Scheffler)