"The House that Jack Built" by Hal Jackson

In 1928, 13 year orphan, Hal Jackson rented a room for $5.00 a week and wheedled himself into two jobs. The young boy did one job before going to school in the morning, but it was the other that he loved. He did not get paid for cleaning up trash at Griffith stadium, but he got to see all the games for free. In "The House That Jack Built", Jackson says his "most thrilling experience" was when Babe Ruth offered him a ride home as he was leaving the stadium after the Yankees played the Senators. Jackson traveled a long road after that encounter until he realized his dream to be a radio sports announcer; perhaps that encounter was his inspiration for creating an imaginary house for his radio persona and show, The House That Jack Built.

Other than being a voice on the radio and show host, I knew little about Hal Jackson when I picked up this book. That is sad, because Jackson is an extraordinary person. He credits his winning attitude to meeting a legless man named Porgy when he was a child. Like his friend, Jackson says, "I never dwelt on what I couldn't do; I just went and did it". When a General manager of WINX radio station told him "No nigger will ever go on this radio station.", he said, "Well, we'll see about that", By purchasing air time through white advertising agencies his Bronze Review premiered on WINX in November 1939. Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune was his guest on that 15 minute show. The station was flooded with calls thanking the owner for a terrific show and innovative idea. The listeners were unaware that Jackson and Dr. Bethune had to rush into the studio 15 minutes before Showtime, to prevent the GM from stopping the show. The station owner saw revenue potential and the general manager was stuck with him, despite his proclamations when Jackson first approached him with the idea.

Jackson was a workaholic. He not only broke color barriers on radio, he used his shows to promote charity work and created a Good Deeds Club. Off the air he was always busy organizing and hosting charity events. His work earned him Presidential commendations from Roosevelt, Truman and Kennedy. When wrongfully accused of "commercial bribery" in what was known as a disc jockey payola scandal, he worked two cleaning jobs. Like most DJs he had to line up his own advertisers. He hosted, wrote and produced a black variety show for television in 1949. Salesman, survivor, entrepreneur, energetic, go-getter, unstoppable are all words to describe Jackson. He did manage to take some time off from work to get arrested when participating in Civil Rights rallies.

The House That Jack Built does not give a lot of details about Jackson's private life; just briefly mentions how his incessant work activity took a toll on his personal relationships. He is CEO and founder of Hal Jackson's Talented Teen contest and Youth Development Foundation. Jackson was inducted into the
Radio Hall of Fame in 1995. Not content to retire, at 67 he returned to radio with Hal Jackson's Sunday Classics on WBLS radio.

"The House That Jack Built" is Hal Jackson's story written with James Haskins and is aptly subtitled "My Life As A Trailblazer In Broadcasting and Entertainment". Published by Harper Collins in 2001, this book is 201 pages of rich antidotes from the trailblazer. Sprinkled throughout the book are lots of black and white photos of Mr. Jackson with well known celebrities: Milton Berle, Joe Lewis, Mick Jagger, Ella Fitzgerald, Stevie Wonder, a young Spike Lee, Mariah Carey, LL Cool Jay~well, you get the picture! Like Jackson, this book is a winner. It will inspire young readers as Porgy once inspired the young Hal Jackson and older folks will love getting to know the man behind the voice on the radio.

Paperback copies are available online at Barnes & Noble for $16.95.

Use this link for more information about Hal Jackson's Talented Teens.