Yes, you heard that right. In case the red hair and tattoos didn’t give it away, Jack is my uncle. Known around North Texas – specifically Fort Worth – for his “low-brow” linoleum printing, you might know Jack for his work taking local and national pop culture icons and turning them into anything from a Pokemon version of Old Yeller to Deadpool desecrating (and defecating in) a Buc-ee’s.
We are excited to announce the launch of our collab with Jackdaw for full-color posters, crewnecks, and hoodies, available only to our members.
By becoming a Dallas Observer member and giving at least $20, you are eligible to receive a poster featuring Jackdaw's design. If you up your contribution to $75 or more, you can also receive a hoodie or crewneck (your choice). Already a member? Keep an eye on your email for details on how to get your items.
Jackdaw’s Journey From Music to Art
From Dallas to Fort Worth, Jackdaw is well known in the art and music communities. During the late 2000s into the mid-2010s, he regularly won at our own Dallas Observer Music Awards (DOMA) for his contributions to the Dallas music scene with his band Whiskey Folk Ramblers.His band frequented Deep Ellum, which is widely considered the heart of Dallas’ music scene, but his musical career is not the start of his history with the neighborhood.
“I have a personal musical connection to Deep Ellum,” he said. “I started going there when I was 17 'cause Trees would let 17-year-olds in, so I would just go to whatever shows were going on.”
He still makes music now, but his focus has shifted to physical art – specifically, linoleum cut printmaking.
Dallas Observer x Jackdaw: The Story Behind the Design
While he calls his art “low-brow lino cut,” I would not quite consider the messages of some of his pieces to be low-brow. The piece that he created for the Observer is anything but.The design pays homage to Deep Ellum’s Black music history. It is set on Elm Street, which is where the neighborhood’s name was derived. The area is famous for its music venues and talented artists, and the piece depicts two Dallas music legends: one from Deep Ellum’s past and one from the modern day.
Blind Lemon Jefferson, seen on the left side of the piece, was a busker and bluesman who contributed largely to the rise of Deep Ellum’s music scene in the 1910s and '20s. The Texas State Historical Association said that while there is no solid account that Jefferson lived in Dallas, he “was known to perform almost daily” on Elm Street. The bluesman helped turn the neighborhood into the music mecca it is today.
The figure on the right side of the piece is Leon Bridges who, more than 100 years after Jefferson, has been seen busking in Deep Ellum in 2015 and in Bishop Arts in 2022. Even after making it big, the Fort Worth native hasn’t forgotten his roots.
Finally, the piece depicts Deep Ellum’s ambassador, The Traveling Man, peeking around the corner to catch the tunes from past and present-day artists. While the neighborhood often gets a bad rap for its less-than-spotless reputation, it is still an important piece of Dallas’ music history that deserves recognition.
So grab some merch, and as always, thank you in advance for your support of local, independent journalism.
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