Jackson was born in Paraíba, Brazil, a region in the northeast of the country. His mother, Flora Mourão, was a musician and singer who played several percussion instruments. He began playing music with the zabumba, however, in order to assist his mother in performances.
When Jackson was 13 years old his family moved to Campina Grande, a city in Paraíba. After the move, Jackson lived in João Pessoa, where he performed in various cabarets and on the radio. And also to Recife, where he eventually began working in a radio station and took the pseudonym of Jackson do Pandeiro.
Originally his mother had nicknamed him "Jack", after the actor Jack Perry, who played parts in cowboy films which were popular in Brazil during Jackson"s youth.
He had his first hit with "Sebastiana", a song based on traditional Brazilian rhythms. The single was followed by a number of albums that were successful with audiences throughout Brazil.
The two had been performing in a duo together and were eventually married in October 1954. Jackson did find some greater success later, though, when the popular singer and guitarist Gilberto Gil, as well as the singer Gal Costa, rerecorded some of his material in 1972.
