Cliff Jackson

British guitarist and singer Cliff Jackson is one of a small gaggle of musicians with this name, but can lay claim to being the hardest rocking. One of his most famous associations was with the band Epitaph, which began cutting heavy vinyl slabs in the early '70s. Since then, Jackson played in both Kingdom and Domain before staking out his own private property, the Cliff Jackson Band. He came out of the lively music scene of Sheffield, England, traipsing across the moors in the late '60s with a band called the Red Roosters, two thirds British and one third German. The latter connection helped land the group gigs in German cities such as Dortmund and Hanover. Scouts from Polydor were attracted to the band based on popular gigs in the latter city; a switch to the Epitaph name took place shortly before a contract was inked. The group's first album was cut in 1971, spawning the single "London Town Girl" and more comparisons to Deep Purple than mini-skirts on a summer day on Carnaby Street. Epitaph was soon associated with a list of musically-similar bands with whom combined tours were mounted, including Curved Air and long-winded bluesman Rory Gallagher. In 1973, the group did its first American tour, breaking in new drummerNorbert "Panzer" Lehmann. Jackson maintained a steady presence in the band as membership shifted all around him, old members who had quit waltzing back in -- Klaus Walz is a good example -- and new members figuring out how to play like the old guys. In 1983, an unfortunate incident resulted in the group's name being added to the list of ensembles whose literal performing epitaph resulted from having all of the group's equipment ripped off. With a new drum set, Jackson formed Kingdom circa 1986, but had to change the name to Domain following a threatened...