Bluegrass, Dance & Community
The “I Am Williamson County” column features individuals in Williamson County who are known and unknown as staples of our community, doing good, being seen and exuding Williamson County! This month we feature Tommy Jackson, well-known local entertainer and community member. Tommy Jackson is the co-owner of WAKM AM-950 radio and has been with the station for ten years. He may be most recognizable from his frequent performances, impromptu and planned, on the Courthouse steps and other events and locations throughout Williamson County during the year, as part of the Rocky Top Revue – a local, award-winning square-dancing team. He and the dance team play a significant role in putting on the annual summer favorite: Bluegrass Along the Harpeth - Fiddlers Jamboree, to be held July 21st and 22nd this year in downtown Franklin.
YW: How long have you lived in Williamson County? What is it about WC that makes it feel like home to you?
TJ: I have lived in Williamson County all my life. It IS my home.
YW: What is your profession, and what led you to choose it?
TJ: I retired after fifty years of employment with The Tennessean newspaper and then got into radio broadcasting with local radio station WAKM after retirement.
YW: What are three words that best describe you?
TJ: The best words to describe me are outgoing, upbeat and dedicated.
In my spare time, I teach old-time clogging, buck dance and square dance for free. I have taught dance for over forty years and have had one of the top square dance teams in the state. The dance team, Rocky Top Revue, was formed forty-plus years ago and has performed all around Tennessee. The team was created to help preserve old-time dance. The dance team helps present the annual Bluegrass Along the Harpeth Fiddlers Jamboree every July.
YW: Where is your favorite place to go in WC, and why?
TJ: I enjoy all of Williamson County and try to support all activities county-wide. If I had to single out an area I love more, it would be the Peytonsville Bethesda community. My dad was born and raised in this area, and I have numerous family and friends living there.
YW: What organizations are you involved with and why?
TJ: I am involved with several organizations, including - Bluegrass Along the Harpeth, the Williamson County Fair, the Nashville Fair and the Williamson County Cultural Arts Commission. Bluegrass Along the Harpeth was my mom’s idea to bring old-time music and dance to Franklin so others could enjoy what we do on weekends. This idea has now become one of Tennessee’s Top Two bluegrass festivals. This will be the thirty-second year for this annual event. When The Williamson County Fair was created, I was asked to chair the entertainment for the Fair. What better way to support our county than to volunteer our services? I am honored to still get book acts for our Fair. The Nashville Fair and I have a long relationship as well. Our dance team performed there for several years, and last year, they allowed me to book the entertainment for their Bluegrass Stage. WCCCA is a wonderful organization that I joined several years ago. Their mission is to bring cultural arts to our community by supporting and celebrating artists of all genres, which was a perfect fit for me. I love interacting with people.
YW: What is the one thing you do not go a day without?
TJ: There is one thing I do daily: going by or calling my ninety-four-year-old father. You get one opportunity in life: Never fail, then you have no regrets.
YW: Finish this statement. I AM Williamson County because…
TJ: I am Williamson County because my family roots are all in Williamson County. There is not another place in the world I would rather live.
