To urban contemporary listeners, Freddie Jackson is one of the biggest stars to dominate the R&B charts seemingly at will in the late 80's and early 90's. Jackson's forte is sophisticated, romantic soul ballads aimed at adult audiences, but he is also capable of tackling urban contemporary dance fare and even the occasional jazz tune.
Jackson was born October 2, 1956, in Harlem, and like so many soul stars, he 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 producer and songwriting partner. After completing school, Jackson joined Laurence's group LJE (Laurence-Jones Ensemble) and played the New York club scene. During the early '80s, 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 backup singer for Melba Moore after she caught his nightclub act.
In 1985, Jackson landed a record deal with Capitol Records and issued his debut album, "Rock Me Tonight". The Laurence-penned title track stormed the R&B charts, spending a whopping six weeks at number one, and made Jackson an instant sensation 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 pop side, 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 charts and went platinum. Jackson wasted no time issuing his follow-up set "Just Like the First Time" in 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 incredible 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.
Jackson's success continued in 1988 with the release of "Don't Let Love Slip Away", which nonetheless featured two more R&B chart-toppers in "Nice and Slow" and "Hey Lover". In 1990 came the release "Do Me Again", in which "Love Me Down" and the title track both reached number one with "Main Course" just missing, topping out at number two.
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. 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 and "Live in Concert" in 2000. Jackson in 2004 released "It's Your Move" and "Personal Reflections" in 2005.
On September 26, Orpheus will be releasing Freddie's career defining cd entitled "TRANSITIONS". The first single "Until The End of Time" has already proven to be a wedding favorite and another Freddie Classic. Second single "More Than Friends" continues the romantic magic set by Freddie in the 80's. Industry insiders are buzzing that "TRANSITIONS" welcomes back that LEGENDARY VOICE that produced 11 number one singles and several gold and platinum records.
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