Jackson Hawke was founded by two of the Sault's finest musicians who have both since passed away, Bob Yeomans and Tim Ryan.  Another late Sault musician was also in the band in its early form, Bobby "Crowe" Clarke.  They recorded two of the finest albums in Canadian music that garnered them a Juno Award nomination for most promising group of the year in 1978.  In 1984 Tim Ryan was nominated for a Juno award for most promising male vocalist of the year.

Their hit song, "You Can't Dance" was covered by England Dan and John Ford Coley and became a hit for them.  As well, the song was covered by Ricky Nelson.  Jackson Hawke's rendition of Van Morrison's "Into the Mystic" was also a stand out song for them.

Tim Ryan and Bob Yeomans were both members of the successful local group The Amen with their local hit, "Carnivals and Cotton Candy".  The group then tried to break into the Toronto circuit and ended up being manage by a young Bernie Finklestein (manger of Bruce Cockburn, Murray McLauchlin, and Dan Hill).

The band still has a loyal fan base across the country and it was proved locally when they headlined the 18 Forever Concert filling it to capacity.