Former Blackwood Brothers Pianist Jack Marshall Passes Away

Tuscaloosa, AL (August 28, 2018) — Jack Nelson Marshall, age 88, of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, passed away August 27, 2018 at his home.

When he first moved to Memphis at age 19, he traveled with the Hartford Quartet. Marshall then made the move to the legendary Blackwood Brothers Quartet where he would stay for almost the entire decade of the 50s. According to Jimmy Blackwood, Jackie would practice for hours on end to insure every note was correct. “It’s difficult to pinpoint what was different about Jack’s style, but it was “so much better than most quartets had known,” stated Blackwood.

After his tenure with The Blackwood Brothers, Marshall would, for approximately two decades in Memphis, own and operate a music store, music studio, and record label.

After retiring from his Memphis-based businesses, Marshall would venture into food services, starting Jack Marshall Foods out of Alberta, which at its peak owned and operated 52 Kentucky Fried Chicken franchises.

Services will be 12 noon Thursday, August 30, 2018, at Heritage Chapel with Ronald A. Wilson and Rev. Frank Kennedy officiating. Burial will follow at Tuscaloosa Memorial Park with Heritage Chapel Funeral Home & Cremation, a Dignity Memorial Provider, directing. Visitation will be two hours prior to service at Heritage Chapel.

Photo Courtesy of John Crenshaw