After the break-up of The Nice in 1969, each of that group’s three members formed a group of his own, and those three groups toured together: Emerson formed Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Davison’s group was named Every Which Way, and Jackson appeared with Jackson Heights.

Jackson Heights’ debut album, King Progress, included a reworking of «The Cry Of Eugene», a song originally recorded by The Nice, and new material including «Doubting Thomas» and «Insomnia». The group, which included Charlie Harcourt on lead guitar, Mario Enrique Covarrubias Tapia on bass and Tommy Sloane on drums, produced a radically different sound from that with which Jackson had become well-known, centred upon songs and led by acoustic guitar.

This group disbanded shortly after the first album’s release and reformed as a trio featuring pianist Brian Chatton (born 19 July 1948, Bolton, Lancashire) and singer/songwriter/guitarist John McBurnie, with Jackson mainly playing congas. The group left the Charisma label and signed with Vertigo, for whom they recorded three albums, The Fifth Avenue Bus and Ragamuffins Fool (1972) and Bump ’n’ Grind (1973). In the recording studio, and sometimes at concerts, the group was often augmented by notable session musicians as well as by overdubs.