Freddie Jackson

To urban contemporary listeners, Freddie Jackson was one of the biggest stars of the second half of the ’80s, dominating the R&B charts seemingly at will. Jackson’s forte is romantic, subtle soul ballads geared toward adult audiences, but he’s also capable of tackling urban contemporary dance and even the occasional jazz tune. However, unlike many of his peers – Luther Vandross, Anita Baker, Peabo Bryson, etc. – Jackson never made it to the pop charts, where no R&B songs made the Top Ten. As new trends like hip-hop changed the contemporary urban landscape, Jackson gradually faded throughout the 90s. Jackson was born on October 2, 1956, in Harlem, and like so many music stars soul, he trained as a gospel singer at an early age, singing at White Rock Baptist Church. There he met Paul Laurence, who later became his producer and songwriting partner. After completing his studies, Jackson joins Laurence’s (Laurence-Jones Ensemble) LJE group and plays the club in New York. In the early 80s, Jackson moved to the West Coast and sang lead vocals with the R&B band Mystic Merlin, but later returned to New York to work with Laurence at Hush Productions. He sang on demo recordings of Laurence’s compositions, and was also a backup vocalist for Melba Moore after she caught sight of his nightclub performance. In 1985, Jackson signed a recording contract with Capitol and released his debut album, Rock Me Tonight. The Laurence-written title track stormed the R&B charts, spending six weeks at number one, and making Jackson an instant hit on urban contemporary radio. “You Are My Lady” helped him topped the R&B chart for the second consecutive year, and also proved to be the highest charting single in pop music, reaching number 13. With “He I” ll Never Love You (Like I Do)” and “Love Is Just a Touch Away” also entered the Top Ten R&B, Rock Me Tonight topped the R&B album chart and went platinum. Jackson wasted no time releasing a sequel; Just Like the First Time appeared in 1986 after the number one R&B duet with Melba Moore, “A Little Bit More” (from her album A Lot of Love). Another platinum-selling album, Just Like the First Time continued Jackson’s incredible dominance on 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” came in at number two. world | Top Q&A Jackson’s pace of success slowed to less than sublime with the 1988 release of Don’t Let Love Slip Away, which nonetheless featured another R&B chart-topper in “Hey Lover,” along with other hits on “Nice and Slow” and “Crazy.” The 1990 Do Me Again title track repeated that feat, and “Main Course” was only missed. slipped, topping at number two.Even so, Jackson’s original lows of the pop Top 40 were long gone, and some critics suggested that his albums Perhaps it was his lack of particularity in material that affected Jackson’s chances for a breakthrough in pop music; either way, 1992’s Time for Love didn’t could repeat the success Luther Vandross belatedly enjoyed, despite having included a cover of the soul classic hit “Me and Mrs. Jones”. Looking for a fresh start, Jackson parted ways with Capitol in late 1993 and signed with RCA. His first company, Here It Is, popped up the following year, with commercial profits dwindling – in part because his outspoken romantic ballad was increasingly out of tune with the evocative new R&B crooner. sex. Following a Christmas album, Jackson recorded Private Party (1995) for the Scotti Brothers; Its biggest single, “Rub Up Against You,” entered the Top 25 of the R&B chart. Since then, Jackson has recorded independent albums with modest commercial success. These releases include Life After 30 (No. 81 R&B, 1999), It’s Your Move (No. 45 R&B, 2004), covers of Personal Reflections (no chart, 2005), Transitions (No. 26 R&B, 2004). , 2006) and For You (2010) .Read more: The end of who moved the mountain