Freddie Jackson
(born Frederick Anthony Jackson
, October 2 1956, Harlem, New York [1]) is an American soul singer. He was an important figure in R&B during the 1980s and early 1990s. Among his well-known hits are "Rock Me Tonight (For Old Times Sake)", "Jam Tonight", "Do Me Again," and "You Are My Lady". He is also known for Outkast's line in their song "So Fresh and So Clean", "cooler than Freddie Jackson sippin' milkshake in a snowstorm."
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FREDDIE JACKSON TICKETS
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Career
Jackson was trained as a
gospel singer from an early age, singing at the White Rock Baptist Church. There he met Paul Laurence, who would later become his
record producer and
songwriting partner. After completing school, Jackson joined Laurence's group LJE (Laurence-Jones Ensemble) and played the New York
nightclub scene. During the early 1980s, Jackson moved to the
West Coast and sang lead with the R&B
band 'Mystic Merlin', but soon returned to New York to work with Laurence at the Hush Productions company. He sang on
demo recordings of Laurence's
compositions, and also served as a
backing singer for
Melba Moore after she saw his nightclub act.
In 1985, Jackson landed a
recording contract with
Capitol Records, and issued his
debut album,
Rock Me Tonight
. The Laurence-penned title track stormed the R&B charts, spending six weeks at number one, and made Jackson an instant hit on urban contemporary
radio. "You Are My Lady" gave him a second straight R&B chart-topper, and also proved to be his highest-charting
single on the
Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 13. With "He'll Never Love You (Like I Do)" and "Love Is Just a Touch Away" also hitting the R&B Top Ten,
Rock Me Tonight
topped the R&B album
chart and went
platinum. Jackson issued the follow-up
Just Like the First Time
1986, on the heels of a number one R&B
duet with Melba Moore, "A Little Bit More" (from her album
A Lot of Love
). Another platinum seller,
Just Like the First Time
continued Jackson's dominance of the R&B singles charts; "Tasty Love," "Have You Ever Loved Somebody," and "Jam Tonight" all hit number one, while "I Don't Want to Lose Your Love" went to number two.
The pace of Jackson's success slowed with the 1988 release of
Don't Let Love Slip Away
, which nonetheless featured another R&B chart-topper in "Hey Lover," plus further hits in "Nice and Slow" and "Crazy (For Me)". The title track of 1990s
Do Me Again
duplicated that feat, and "Main Course" just missed, topping out at number two. Even so, Jackson's earlier placings in the lower reaches of the Hot 100 had long since disappeared, and some
critics charged that his albums were growing too similar to one another. Perhaps it was a lack of distinctiveness in his material that hurt Jackson's chances for a pop breakthrough; whatever the case, 1992's
Time for Love
failed to duplicate the crossover success
Luther Vandross was belatedly enjoying, despite a hit cover of the soul classic "Me and Mrs. Jones."
Seeking a new beginning, Jackson parted ways with Capitol in late 1993, and signed with
RCA. His label debut,
Here It Is
, appeared the following year, with diminished commercial returns -- in part because his straightforward romantic
ballad style was increasingly out of step with the sexually explicit, new breed of R&B crooner. Following a Christmas album, Jackson split with RCA and recorded
Private Party
for the much smaller Street Life imprint in 1995. Several years of silence ensued, until Orpheus issued
Life After 30
in late 1999; the equally low-key release
Live in Concert
followed in 2000. After returning to the charts with
It's Your Move
in February 2004 (Martland Entertainment), Jackson released his tenth
studio album,
Transitions
, in September 2006 under the record label
Orpheus Music.
[2]
Discography
Albums
- 1985: Rock Me Tonight
(Capitol) - US #10, R&B #1, UK #37
- 1986: Just Like The First Time
(Capitol) - US #23, R&B #1, UK #30
- 1988: Don't Let Love Slip Away
(Capitol) - US #48, R&B #1, UK #24
- 1990: Do Me Again
(Capitol) - US #59, R&B #1, UK #48
- 1992: Time For Love
(Capitol) - US #83, R&B #7
- 1994: Here It Is
(RCA) - US #66, R&B #11
- 1994: Freddie Jackson at Christmas
(RCA) - R&B #65
- 1994: The Greatest Hits of Freddie Jackson
(Capitol) - R&B #45
- 1995: Private Party
(Scotti Bros.) - US #188, R&B #28
- 1999: Life After 30
(Orpheus) - R&B #81
- 2000: Live in Concert
(Town Sound)
- 2004: It's Your Move
(Martland Entertainment Group) - R&B #45
- 2005: Personal Reflections
(Artemis)
- 2006: Transitions
(Orpheus) - R&B #26
- 2007: Greatest Hits
(Capitol) - R&B #86
[3]
Singles
- 1985: "He'll Never Love You (Like I Do) - US #25, R&B #8
- 1985: "Rock Me Tonight (For Old Time's Sake)" - US #18, R&B #1, UK #18
- 1985: "You Are My Lady" - US #12, R&B #1, UK #49
- 1986: "Have You Ever Loved Somebody" - US #69, R&B #1
- 1986: "Love Is Just a Touch Away" - R&B #9
- 1986: "Tasty Love" - US #41, R&B #1, UK #73
- 1987: "Have You Ever Loved Somebody" UK #33
- 1987: "I Don't Want To Lose Your Love" - R&B #2
- 1987: "Jam Tonight" - US #32, R&B #1
- 1987: "Look Around" - R&B #69
- 1988: "Hey Lover" - R&B #1
- 1988: "Nice 'N' Slow" - US #61, R&B #1, UK #56
- 1989: "Crazy (For Me)" - R&B #17, UK #41
- 1989: "You and I Got a Thang" - R&B #5
- 1990: "All Over You" - R&B #4
- 1990: "Love Me Down" - R&B #1
- 1991: "Do Me Again" - R&B #1
- 1991: "Main Course" - R&B #2
- 1991: "Second Time Around" - R&B #81
- 1992: "Can I Touch You" - R&B #39
- 1992: "I Could Use a Little Love (Right Now)" - R&B #2
- 1992: "Make Love Easy" - R&B #22
- 1993: "Me and Mrs. Jones" - R&B #32, UK #32
- 1994: "Make Love Easy" - UK #70
- 1994: "Come Home II Us" - R&B #94
- 1994: "Was It Something" - R&B #60
- 1995: "(I Want To) Thank You" - R&B #63
- 1995: "Rub Up Against You" - R&B #25
- 1999: "Do You Wanna" - R&B #77
- 2006: "Until The End Of Time" - R&B #44
- 2007: "More Than Friends" - R&B #65
References
- Allmusic.com
- Music.yahoo.com
- British Hit Singles & Albums