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Leodie was born in Blocker, Oklahoma. His parents were Benny and Zella Jackson.
A site providing information about his death indicated he started his own
band back in the Kiowa area of Oklahoma, playing the steel guitar. His brother
Leon was also part of that band.
We first learned of Leodie while archiving some black and white negatives in our
collection and started to see what information could be found about his musical career.

He played in the Los Angeles / Hollywood hillbilly music scene during the 1940s. He
did make a name for himself. The Bigsby guitar company ran an ad in 1949 in the old
Jamboree magazine that listed him among several steel guitar players of that era - Joaquin
Murphy, Noel Boggs and Speedy West.
We have found a few photos of Leodie and his Bigsby steel guitar
playing with Cotton Henry and Bob Armstrong at
the Nordondo Club which was on Redondo Beach Boulevard in Gardena, California. After
the owner died, the family sold the building / property.
Later on, Leodie formed his own group and did a couple of recordings for the Courtney (slogan was "Music you Feel")
label as Leodie Jackson and his Swingsters. The images we have seen of the Courtney label for Leodie's
recordings show the label's address was 1424 East 78th Street in Los Angeles, California. Those
recordings can be found on re-issue CD's today.
Leodie Jackson passed away in 1995 and was buried near his hometown area in Oklahoma.
Credits & Sources
- Jamboree Magazine; March 1949; Drawer 1731; Ventura, CA
- Jamboree Magazine; May 1949; Drawer 1731; Ventura, CA
- Jamboree Magazine; June-July 1949; Drawer 1731; Ventura, CA
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