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Ashawnta Jackson

@heyjackson.bsky.social

1.8K followers 543 following 87 posts

Writer and record collector. Author of SOUL-FOLK (Bloomsbury) and a forthcoming book on Black-owned record labels (WW Norton, 2027) www.heyjackson.net

Posts Replies Media

Ashawnta Jackson @heyjackson.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Some days I feel like my dad is reaching from the great beyond to haunt my inbox because when I get messages like this, I won't lie, it's a little haunting? weird? I never thought the name Percy Jackson would end up being as well-used as it is. He would absolutely love this

Email subject line from Bookshop.org reading "Perfect for fans of Percy Jackson and Impossible Creatures"

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Ashawnta Jackson @heyjackson.bsky.social · 12/06/2025

For those that don't know, Debut Records was a label founded in 1952 by jazz musicians Charles Mingus and Max Roach, and Mingus's wife, Celia (who did the heavy lifting running the day-to-day) "She was the brains, but it was my ideas, and her carrying them out," Mingus said

Cover of Debut Records catalog "The Latest and Greatest in Jazz"

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Ashawnta Jackson @heyjackson.bsky.social · 12/06/2025

Adventures in research. Digging into the Debut Records archives. The research is almost always more fun than the writing

Typed letter from lawyers to bassist Charles Mingus reading, in part "Dear Mr. Mingus, our firm would appreciate it greatly if you not announce to our friends and business associates plus others in various walks of like that we are stealing your money from royalties and other assets. [...] We hope you respond with the same vigor to this urgent matter as you did in publishing the rumor that we were thieves."

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Ashawnta Jackson @heyjackson.bsky.social · 26/02/2025

Anyway, there are so many stories like this about small and not-so-small Black-owned labels. Someone should write a book. Oh. Wait. Someone is! Back to work, I guess. This was a nice diversion

Image of a Deal Report from Publishers Marketplace announcing the sale of my book, MOVE ON UP, a history of Black-owned record labels

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Ashawnta Jackson @heyjackson.bsky.social · 16/01/2025

While looking for something else, I came across this article from 1975. People have been absolute disasters for a long time. I also tried and failed to find out how it all ended. I'm guessing the judge probably told that man "good luck" and sent him on his way

Clipping of newspaper article from the Des Moines Tribune, Friday, May 02, 1975. Headline reads "Courtship to Court; Wants Money Back." The article then goes on the describe one Mr. Robert W. McCoy who is suing his girlfriend Mrs. Wanda Anderson for $13,474, the amount he spent on her throughout their relationship. But get this: both of them are married, and have been carrying on for three years. He said that she said they were going to get married, but now he's in court because he claims she had "no intention whatsoever" to marry him. McCoy added that he's "darn serious" about getting his money back. Money, he says, went to Anderson's "rent, utilities, groceries, gasoline, cigarettes, and other items" I love history

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Ashawnta Jackson @heyjackson.bsky.social · 19/11/2024

I've wanted to explore the history of Black-owned record labels for a long time, and so I'm pretty excited to do it in book form. This is a history that starts way before Motown and continues far beyond it. It's full of characters, stories, weirdness and good music. Can't wait to share it

Publishers Marketplace Deal Report with the body text "Freelance journalist and author of SOUL FOLK for the 33 1/3 series Ashawnta Jackson's MOVE ON UP: HOW BLACK-OWNED RECORD LABELS SHAPED THE SOUNDS OF AMERICAN MUSIC, which shows how small regional Black-owned record labels had a profound influence on the growth and direction of popular music over the last 100 years, and how the early labels laid the groundwork for major players like Motown, to Amy Cherry at Norton, for publication in spring 2027, by John Rudolph at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret (world)."

I'm pretty excited about it

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