Lindsay Raymond "Ray" Jackson (born 12 December 1948, Wallsend, Northumberland) is an English mandolin and harmonica player.
He was a member and also joint lead vocalist, with Alan Hull, of the folk-rock group Lindisfarne from their original formation in 1970 until his departure in 1990.
Alongside his activities in Lindisfarne, he also played mandolin on Rod Stewart's solo albums Every Picture Tells a Story (1971), Never a Dull Moment (1972), and Smiler (1974).
Stewart had called Jackson in to play on "Mandolin Wind", and was so pleased at the results that he asked the musician if he had any ideas for the unfinished "Maggie May".
In a statement he said, "I am convinced that my contribution to 'Maggie May,' which occurred in the early stages of my career when I was just becoming famous for my work with Lindisfarne, was essential to the success of the record.
[2] In Lindisfarne, Jackson generally took lead vocals on the songs written by bassist and fiddle player Rod Clements, including "Meet Me on the Corner", their first hit single.
Jackson also recorded a solo album, In The Night, released in 1980, produced by Hugh Murphy, which included material co-written by him and Harcourt, as well as songs such as "In the Midnight Hour", "Little Town Flirt", and the Stealers Wheel hit "Everything Will Turn Out Fine".
After a disagreement between Jackson and the band around the time Lindisfarne recorded a re-worked version of "Fog on the Tyne" with Paul Gascoigne—in which Jackson took part neither in the recording or in the promotional video—the musician retired from performing and joined a sports marketing agency as promotional manager, working on sports sponsorships.
[citation needed] Later, he decided to resume his creative and artistic interests by opening an art studio and picture framing business at Witney, Oxfordshire.
[8] In February 2013, in support of Newcastle City Hall which was then under threat of closure,[9] Ray Jackson announced he would return to the famous venue for a Christmas show for the first time in 23 years.
Although his decision has come as a surprise to us, it was always Jacka's intention to hand things over at some point and ensure the great name of Lindisfarne continues to keep the songs and spirit alive well into the future.