40 Indiana guitarists every Hoosier should know: Evansville, Indiana’s Jackie Clark

December 10, 2025

On this episode of Cultural Manifesto, we’ll hear the first edition of a new segment titled “40 Indiana Guitar Pioneers That Every Hoosier Should Know.” Over the next year, we’ll be sharing the music and history of Indiana guitarists who made notable contributions to music. Some of these musicians are world-famous; some you may not have heard of. This is not a ranked list, and it won’t be presented in any particular order. We’ll kick this new series off with the Evansville, Indiana guitarist Jackie Clark, who played and recorded with some of the greatest legends in rock and R&B music, including Ike and Tina Turner, Iggy Pop, Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones, and Bobby Womack, among others.

Jackie Robinson Clark was born in Evansville, Indiana, in 1950. He began playing guitar in a local Evansville church at age 13. As a student at Central High School, he started a band called The Montclairs, and a few years later, at the University of Evansville, he formed a jazz band called Jackie and the Intelligents. Jackie’s big break came in 1970 when he met Ike and Tina Turner during a jam session at Evansville’s Executive Inn hotel. Jackie made a big impression on the Turners. In 1982, he told the Evansville Courier and Press that he maintained contact with Ike and Tina, and within a year, he was offered a chance to join their band. Jackie spent the next five years touring and recording with Ike and Tina. His guitar was prominently featured on two albums produced by Ike Turner under the name The Family Vibes, and his fuzz-drenched, acid guitar brought a heavy sound to Ike and Tina’s music.

The 1970s were a busy time for Jackie Clark. His guitar was featured on the first two solo albums by Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman. In 1976, Jackie accepted an offer to join the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and he performed with the group during their historic tour of the USSR. At this time, Jackie was among the few Black musicians performing country or Americana roots music. As the 1970s ended, Jackie recorded and toured with the Godfather of Punk, Iggy Pop. He played bass and electric guitar with Iggy and is featured on Iggy’s 1979 album New Values. Jackie also appears on numerous live recordings with Iggy during this period — many of which feature the Sex Pistols’ original bass player, Glen Matlock. Jackie was among the first Black musicians working in punk rock music.

During the early 1980s, Jackie’s music career came to an abrupt end. He moved back to his hometown of Evansville, where he died in 1990 at the age of 40. Jackie Clark remains an unsung figure in the history of Indiana music, but his extraordinary contributions to American music during the 1970s deserve much greater recognition.