Jackson on my Mind

Speaking of how confusing geography can be, I’ve been planning a big road trip in the South in March, and I’m hoping to hit some major music history landmarks along the way. Memphis is a no-brainer, but I’d like to see some lesser-known sites too, and even places where there may not be anything concrete to see, but where the name still means something to me. I thought Jackson could be one of those places—you know, the Jackson town that Johnny Cash and June Carter sing about?

It turns out that no less than 20 American states boast a town called Jackson, eight of them in the South alone, and the contestants from Mississippi and Tennessee both claim the song as their own. Making matters even worse, apparently this Canadian is not only clueless about America’s geography, but its history, too: I have to admit that I had never even heard of Andrew Jackson before this week. (Though at least I know that none of the Jacksons is the capital of France. Or Europe.)

So can anyone help a foreigner out? Which Jackson is the one where Johnny was planning to mess around on poor June?

©2026 World Hum, All Rights Reserved