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Steve Peck writes: The new documentary Blues Run the Game: The Strange Tale of Jackson C Frank is a vivid recounting of Frank’s tragic life, featuring a poignant interview and musical performance by John Renbourn, recorded shortly before his passing. The film also includes appearances by Al Stewart, John Kay (of Steppenwolf), and others who knew Frank personally.

I had the opportunity to see the film in Buffalo, New York, and it’s coming back to the UK and Ireland!

London - Rio Cinema - 18 May 2025 at 15:45

Dublin - Light House Cinema - 28 May 2025 at 18:15

(there may be other screenings to be announced)

It’s a superb film—easily one of the best music documentaries I’ve seen.

The tragic story of Jackson C Frank is well known to many diehard folk fans. However, in the grand scheme of the musical world, he remains one of the most obscure figures.

His tale is very sad and complex, but to quickly summarize:

Frank survived a deadly school fire as a child, learned to play guitar and write songs, and in 1965 traveled from Buffalo, New York, to London, where he became a brief, yet influential sensation on the folk scene.

He wrote the classic Blues Run the Game and recorded a mesmerizing debut record produced by Paul Simon.

However, Frank disappeared after that, returning to the US, where he suffered from mental illness and recurring homelessness for the rest of his life. He never released another album, though he did record demos in the 1970s and ’90s.

In 2015, I had the opportunity to attend Frank’s induction into the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame. Ten years later, I returned to Buffalo on May 5 for the screening of the new documentary Blues Run the Game: The Strange Tale of Jackson C Frank.

My initial trip was an experience I’ll never forget. I had discovered Frank only the year before and quickly became obsessed—learning all I could about his life and immersing myself in his spine-tingling music.

I was privileged to meet Jim Abbott, the dedicated fan who, in 1993, rescued Frank from the streets of New York, found him a new home, and managed his affairs for the remainder of his life. At the time, Abbott had just published his definitive biography, Jackson C Frank: The Clear Hard Light of Genius. I had my copy signed and we struck up an immediate friendship—one that continues to this day.

Jim Abbott accepting Jackson Frank's award in Buffalo - 2015. Photo by Carol A. Paddock.

Returning to Buffalo was an opportunity to reconnect with Jim and other friends I had met in 2015. It proved well worth the long eight-hour drive from Indianapolis, Indiana.

Monday afternoon, a group of us met at the Elma Cemetery in Elma, New York, where Frank is interred. This wasn’t a solemn occasion—it was a celebration of the man and a renewal of friendships. Abbott brought his guitar, and we sang a very loose but spirited version of Blues Run the Game.

Abbott is pictured on the far right. I'm in the middle. Photo by Donna Rhoden.

After that, we made our way to Mount Calvary Cemetery in Cheektowaga, where Frank’s sixth-grade girlfriend, Marlene DuPont, is buried. She lost her life in the 1954 school fire that left Jackson severely burned. In 1975, he commemorated her with the song Marlene, which remains the most haunting recording I’ve ever heard.

Photo by Steve Peck

Then we traveled to Cleveland Hill Elementary School, where the fire took place, and we paid our respects at the memorial. It honors the fifteen lives lost in the fire, as well as those who survived.

Photo by Steve Peck

Up next was an in-store event at Revolver Records. The screening of Blues Run the Game – The Strange Tale of Jackson C Frank followed later that evening.

Folk duo Old Friends, featuring Greg Hennesey and Steven Metivier, sang several Frank songs, including Blues Run the Game, which they had performed at the 2015 Hall of Fame ceremony.

Old Friends - Photo by Steve Peck.

Damien Dupont and Etienne Chtcheglov, the French filmmakers, also made an appearance. They had just arrived after a long drive from Boston, Massachusetts, where the film had been shown the night before. Meeting them was one of the highlights of my journey. They were gracious and generous with their time, and I thoroughly enjoyed our extended conversation throughout the evening.

Dupont told me he discovered Frank’s music inadvertently while surfing YouTube. He was spellbound by what he heard, and after researching the singer’s strange life, he knew immediately that he wanted to capture it on film.

What he didn’t expect was that it would take over ten years to complete!

Damien Dupont and Etienne Chtcheglov - Photo by Steve Peck.

Further enhancing the atmosphere, the store played several tracks from the captivating new Jackson Frank covers album by Mick Harvey and Amanda Acevedo.

The film was shown at the North Park Theatre in Buffalo, which first opened its doors in 1920. Once a grand showplace, the theatre had fallen into disrepair before being lovingly restored by new owners a decade ago. It provided the perfect setting for a film honoring a legendary local figure.

North Park Theatre - Photo by Steve Peck.

Coming soon in part 2, I will cover the documentary itself and how it chronicles Jackson Frank’s triumphs and tribulations.

Steve Peck also writes at his Hickory Notes Facebook music blog

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