Blues Run the Game: The Haunted Legacy of Jackson C. Frank

Written in 1965, ‘Blues Run the Game’ became one of the defining songs of the folk revival. This article traces Jackson C. Frank’s journey from Buffalo to Soho, his years at Les Cousins, and the New Bond Street recording session that produced the song. Drawing on eyewitness accounts, archival material, and contemporary reviews, it examines how the song emerged, how it spread rapidly through the British folk scene, and how it came to outlive its author.