Calvin Jackson was born in Philadelphia in 1919 and studied piano for 17 years, four of those years at Julliard School of Music and New York University. He was a classical and jazz pianist, composer, conductor, and arranger. He began his popular career playing with Frankie Fairfax' band in the early 1940s and did arrangements for the Harry James Band. He then joined Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer as assistant musical director under George Stoll. There he scored 14 musical pictures, including "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" for which he received an Academy Award nomination. While in Los Angeles, he gave concerts and wrote scores for television. He toured with his own 21-piece orchestra, jazz trio, and jazz quartet and spent 5 years in Toronto where he was a soloist for the Toronto Symphony and performed for the CBC. While in Toronto, he wrote two ballets, "Marie Chapdelaine" and "The Loon's Necklace". He returned to New York City, where he recorded for Columbia Records. One of his famous recordings was of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue". In the mid-1970s he moved to San Diego to compose and died there in 1985.
From the description of Calvin Jackson papers, 1946-1984. (University of Wyoming, American Heritage Center). WorldCat record id: 64579000
