British bandleader Jack Jackson was born in Yorkshire in 1907, going on to study at the Royal Academy of Music. His first professional gigs were as a trumpeter on ocean liners, followed by stints backing Jack Hylton and Bert Ambrose; he also played with Bert Ralston on the ill-fated 1931 tour of South America which ended in Ralston's death. After two years with Jack Payne, in 1933 Jackson formed his own big band which was soon booked into the Dorchester Hotel, where it remained until the spring of 1939; in between the orchestra cut a number of recordings, some of them spotlighting blues legend Alberta Hunter. Following their stay at the Dorchester, the group toured theaters, ballrooms and hotels until disbanding in 1947; Jackson later moved on to a career in broadcasting. ~ Jason Ankeny