Burrhead Jones
Melvin Nelson (1936/1937 – October 15, 2017) was an American professional wrestler who wrestled under the names Burrhead Jones and Jimmy Jones. He was born in Berkeley County, South Carolina, and grew up in Moncks Corner with his grandparents and five siblings after his mother moved away. He left South Carolina as a teenager, moved to New York City at 17, and worked in a vegetable packing plant and as an elevator operator while training to wrestle.
Nelson began wrestling in the 1960s and competed across the United States. Because African American wrestlers often could not face white opponents, he also worked as a referee when no African American challengers were available. He appeared in the World Wide Wrestling Federation (now WWE) as Jimmy Jones from 1968 to 1971, including a notable match against Ivan Koloff.
He wrestled in several other promotions, such as the Continental Wrestling Association in Tennessee, Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling, and Championship Wrestling from Florida. Promoter Billy Hines gave him the ring name Cockleburrhead Jones as a joke, which was later shortened to Burrhead Jones; the name referenced his afro hairstyle.
In Tri-State Wrestling in Montgomery, Alabama, Burrhead Jones started as a villain but teamed with Jimmy Golden after a tar-and-feather match storyline, and they later won the Tri-State Tag Team Championship. He also had a tar-and-feather match in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, that drew protests from the NAACP and led to some show cancellations.
Outside wrestling, Nelson did advertising work in Montgomery and later worked as a forklift operator. He lived in Moncks Corner for many years before moving to New York City in 2006 to be closer to his children. He died in a New York City hospital on October 15, 2017, at the age of 80.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 14:38 (CET).