King Progress

Although a Geordie lad himself, Lee Jackson's path to fame was realized in Brighton when he joined the solid R&B outfit Gary Farr and The T-Bones alongside Keith Emerson, with whom he eventually rode the progressive wave in The Nice. With Emerson's departure into ELP, Jackson summoned bass guitarist Mario Tapas and the talents of old Newcastle cohorts Tommy Sloane and Charlie Harcourt to emerge as Jackson Heights. Combined with Jackson's reputation in the Nice and Tony Stratton-Smith's confidence, Charisma provided the platform for their first effort, King Progress in 1970. King Progress offers a less complex structure than Jackson's past exploits with Emerson, with more acoustic than electric reflections throughout. A progressive pop style underpins the acoustic textures that richly bind the compositions of Jackson and Harcourt. Deserving of much higher praise than it was originally afforded, both Jackson Heights and King Progress were quickly sidelined in favor of bigger and more financially-secure names. Charisma ditched the band after disappointing sales, leaving Jackson to ponder his next move, resulting in three albums for Vertigo until 1973 when the band finally imploded.