Snapshot: E.T. Jackson

Instrument: Lead Vocalist, Rhythm Guitar & Audio Technician

Hometown: Eden, N.C.

Joined the Band: 1990

E.T.'s Story

Edwin Tuttle Jackson -- that's simply E.T. to all who know the Eden, N.C., native -- began to teach himself to play his father's guitar when he was 9. He caught on quickly. By the time he was 10, he was jamming with local musicians at cookouts his father hosted.

E.T. credits his father for encouraging his early inclinations. "He was the single most influential person in my musical development." Dad took him to concerts and bluegrass festivals, and E.T. developed his craft by watching and learning from other musicians. Throughout high school, he sang and played with hometown-area bands. He went on to win guitar competitions at the same bluegrass festivals his father had taken him to years earlier.

After graduating from Morehead High School, E.T. took his talent and his guitar to Nashville, Tenn., the home of country and bluegrass music. He wanted to learn straight from the pros, and he soon got the opportunity. He sat in on jam sessions with Vince Gill, Ricky Skaggs, Marty Stuart, Doc Watson and other big names in country music. He also appeared numerous times as a guest performer at the Martin Guitar Theater at Opryland.

In 1984, E.T. was offered a full-time job as a musician at The Stompin' Ground Music Hall in Maggie Valley, N.C. He worked seven nights a week and before long became the lead singer of The Risin' Fast Band. While there, he performed on The Nashville Network's "Fire on the Mountain" TV series.

E.T. began to do some contract musician work with the Lawmen in 1990. In 1992, Norfolk Southern hired him as a special officer at Brosnan Forest, S.C. Two years later, he earned a promotion to full-time corporate musician and transferred to Asheville, N.C., where he is currently stationed.

E.T. never has strayed far from his North Carolina roots. "I still have that very first guitar I picked up," he says. "I'm thankful that my father pushed me and roped me into music, even when I didn't feel like playing."

A lot of Lawmen fans are thankful, too.