How a Teesside girl’s unlikely nickname from father put Jacksons on the musical map!
It’s not every firm of solicitors that can boast it has a song named after it.
But research into the 150-year history of Jacksons, which has offices in Stockton and Newcastle, has revealed how an affectionate nickname from a Teesside Dad to his little daughter became a pop song!
Jacksons Monk & Rowe was released in 1993 by Elvis Costello and The Brodsky Quartet – a group with firm roots in Middlesbrough.
The song was the only single to be released from ‘The Juliet Letters’ album, penned by both Costello and the quartet.
Jacky Thomas, 65, the Brodsky Quartet’s cellist who began performing at the age of 10, explained how Jacksons Monk & Rowe was an unlikely nickname given to her by her Dad, when she was about five.
At that time, the family, which included eight children, lived in Linthorpe, Middlesbrough, on the corner of The Crescent and The Avenue, and Jacky’s father ran Linthorpe Insurance Brokers, next door to Jacksons Monk & Rowe law firm in Queen’s Square.
Jacqueline said: “My Dad nicknamed all his kids and he nicknamed me Jacksons, Monk & Rowe – the name of the firm next door to his – because I was Jacky.
“It just stuck and he would come in singing the name to me to the tune of a song by Schumann or to ‘Bringing in the Sheaves’.”
The close-knit family would regularly gather around the piano on an evening and Jacky and her siblings were in a local orchestra from the age of 10.
The Brodsky Quartet grew out of that.
“Some of the kids from the orchestra used to congregate in our house following practice at a local school on Linthorpe Road,” Jacky said.
“We would play bits of chamber music in these smaller groups that eventually became the Brodsky – originally Cleveland – Quartet.
“If it was a sunny day, we would sometimes play our instruments on the lawn to show off!
“People used to know that ours was the house where all the musicians used to come and go.”
Jacky explains that, being from a large, musical family – her dad used to play the piano in his own father’s pub along with his siblings – they had a special arrangement when it came to Christmas gifts.
“We used to do a secret Santa where we would each sing or write a poem as a present to each other and a longer version of Jacksons, Monk & Rowe was my brother’s present for me one year,” she said.
Little did she know that what had begun life as a gift from her brother would become a song she and the Brodsky Quartet would collaborate with Elvis Costello on!
Speaking about how the collaboration came about, Jacky said: “In the 1990s, we realised that Elvis Costello was a bit of a fan of ours, and we were fans of his too.
“The record company put us in touch with each other and when we chatted, we had a lot of similar values in music.
“We all believe a piece of music is something you either like or you don’t – there are no categories you should refuse to listen to, just because you’re from one genre or another.”
Jacky adds string quartets “don’t usually write their own music” – but the Brodsky Quartet had enjoyed creating arrangements for many years before the opportunity to work with Costello came along.
“When we met him, we were already quite into the creative side of it and so we wrote this album together,” Jacky said.
“The lyrics and music to Jacksons Monk & Rowe were just as my brother had written for me that Christmas. The only changes were the intro and outro, which Elvis wrote, and some of the words.”
In homage to the song’s legal roots, it was Jacky who wrote the verse about solicitors, which goes: ‘Messrs. all, noble sirs, highly paid solicitors, find enclosed my signed divorce, sad proceedings you endorse’.
“There’s also a little line about ‘touching the brass name plate’ which is a reference to an old black and white movie, Passport to Pimlico set in London during a heatwave in the 1950s,” explains Jacky.
“Children were daring each other to touch the brass name plate because it was so boiling hot.
“Elvis came up with this lovely couple of lines about that.
“It was a metaphor for the idea that if you go into legal matters, you can get your fingers burned.”
Jacky says the writing process with Elvis was a voyage of musical discovery.
The intro and outro to the song were changed by Elvis, as the original tune had borrowed from a classical music composition, which was still protected by copyright at the time.
Jacky also learned the lyrics count as much as the music when it comes to the royalties.
“I was gobsmacked by that because for me, the song is the music,” she said.
When touring with the album Jacky says people would be asking ‘What the hell is this song?’ and ‘Why is it called Jacksons, Monk & Rowe?’
“Elvis Costello is a really brilliant stand-up comedian – or you would think he was, his timing is great and he’s got a fantastic rapport with the audience,” Jacky said.
“One night we were in a huge music hall and he handed me the microphone to explain more about the song.
“He only ever asked me to do it once!”
Speaking about her father’s thoughts on the newfound fame of the song in her nickname-sake, Jacky said: “My Dad was very into classical music – he wasn’t into pop and didn’t really understand why we were collaborating with a pop singer – but he liked the fact we did that song.
“Songs from The Juliet Letters have been covered more than any of Elvis Costello’s other songs all over the world.
“There are quartets and vocalists performing it in California, Australia and it’s been translated into many other languages.”
Eighteen months ago, The Brodsky Quartet played with Elvis Costello again and Jacky says it was great to be able to play The Juliet Letters and Jacksons, Monk & Rowe live again.
Although living in London now, Jacky says she is heartened by the vibrancy of the music scene on Teesside today.
“Back in the 1970s it was absolutely amazing,” she said.
“There were loads of kids who played musical instruments as both the lessons and instruments were free.”
The Brodsky Quartet is currently touring and is playing in Helmsley in October.
“We are not planning to give up just yet,” said Jacky.
“While we’re still enjoying it and we are still being asked to play, we will continue.”
Erica Turner, head of legal at Jacksons, said: “It has been wonderful learning about our history as part of this year’s 150th anniversary celebrations – and we were very intrigued to find out more about the song that carries our old name!
“We are very grateful to Jacky for taking the time to shed some light on this piece of work and share some fascinating and heartwarming insights into her childhood with us.”
Jacky’s book, ‘Jacksons, Monk and Rowe and The Brodsky Quartet was released in 2022 and features a picture of her with a cello as a 10-year-old, alongside her 60-year-old self. It also contains many other images in side, including one of Jacksons’ old offices at Queen’s Square.
For more information, visit www.brodskyquartet.co.uk or visit them on Facebook.
