Shelby Jackson
Posted By thecircusblog on March 31, 2009
I want to thank Bill Strong for sending me this picture. This man is someone that every young man should know. Back in the late 1950’s, Shelby and Babe, his wife were on Siebrand Bros Circus with us. He and Babe did a horizontal bar act. Shelby did “fly overs” like you have never seen….as a matter of fact everything he did on the bars was great. One day I said in front of him ” I wish I could do that” and that’s all it took…… there was no turning back. We practised every day except matinees and tear down. After a few months and a hundred peel offs, I knew five or six tricks. The next thing he wanted me to learn was how to play the trumpet. He loved to play those dirty Dixie Jazz Blues. He used to say in the winter, if things get rough, you can get a job in a club to help pay your bills. I said, have you?……….he answered NO. He laughed and pretended to powder his lips with a rosin bag and started to play. He was full of jokes and fun. He was my friend.
There is a must read comment on Shelby.
About the author
thecircusblog
My name is Ivan M. Henry and I am the 4th generation of a circus/show business dynasty. I hope you enjoy the blog.Comments
One Response to “Shelby Jackson”
Leave a Reply
Please note: Comment moderation is currently enabled so there will be a delay between when you post your comment and when it shows up. Patience is a virtue; there is no need to re-submit your comment.
w.s. jack jackson was in his last years my clowning and travel partner. we met on carson amd barnes circus when he was the boss clown and my humble self a stiltwalking member of clown alley fresh off the big john strong show. i lived in his back yard in louisville ky. we were on lewis brothers,great american and carson and barnes circus. we also did mall shows and played music together…he was one of the real true great kinkers and thru him i met many other show greats..stu miller,joanne pinson,dime and connie wilson, and on and on!! he was a real gem and a true true showman thru and thru..i learned many lessons about the biz from him and big john…may they rest in peace,the world is a better place for having them among us!!!!! buckles the clown..aka the great baldini