UB Soul Friday: Celebrating Freddie Jackson’s 40th Anniversary
His Debut Album "Rock Me Tonight" Turns 40!
This weeks “UB Soul Friday” spotlight’s one of the 80s/90s biggest chart topping R&B artists Freddie Jackson!
Freddie‘s debut album “Rock Me Tonight,” will celebrate it’s 40th Anniversary, this Monday April 28th.
“UB Soul Friday,” spotlighting artists, albums, singles and videos that left a mark in R&B and Soul music!
Legendary R&B singer Freddie Jackson was born in 1956 in Harlem, New York. Young Freddie began singing at an early age, performing frequently at his local Baptist Church.
From early on many believed Freddie Jackson was born to sing; his mother went into labor with him while singing in the church choir.
The third of five children, growing up poor in New York’s Harlem, Freddie Jackson got his musical start as a gospel singer at Mt. Nebo Baptist Church.
A child soloist, the singer sometimes moved the congregation to tears–learning early how to captivate an audience.
In the early 80’s, Freddie relocated to California and became the lead singer with the group Mystic Merlin.
He sang on their “Full Moon” album, which featured the song “Mr. Magician.”
Despite a brief stint at the start of the 80’s on the West Coast, it was back on native soil that Freddie Jackson would launch his career.
Once again, his gospel-bred musical connections would play a key role in his destiny. Even while singing backup for theeee Melba Moore, it was fellow church member and friend Paul Laurence at Hush Productions, who joined to shape Freddie’s own turn at center stage.
As a talented record producer and songwriter, Laurence realized enough was enough and pulled Freddie Jackson from behind both a typewriter and other acts; penning him a hit with the title track for what would become his debut album, “Rock Me Tonight.”
Freddie Jackson continued touring with Melba Moore as a back-up vocalist in the mid-1980s. “The Melba Moore tour was the most exciting,” Freddie stated to an industry trade. “She taught me so much about the stage and pacing myself, I think that was really the beginning and highlight of my touring education in mastering the stage. It’s something I will never forget.”
Freddie Jackson soon after circled the globe headlining his own tour and performed with legends such as Jeffrey Osborne, Ashford & Simpson, and Dionne Warwick, one of his favorite singers.
His cameo solos sparked the interest of industry heavyweights and audiences alike, which lead to his solo career.
His performances caught the attention of Paul Laurence, who offered Freddie a gig as soon as he finished high school, to perform with his group the Laurence Jones Ensemble. With LJE, Freddie Jackson began performing around the New York area, eventually garnering the attention of Capital Records.
Capital signed Freddie Jackson in 1985, and later than year issued his debut album, “Rock Me Tonight.”
Released 40 years ago this Monday, on April 28th, 1985.
“Top 10, that’s an accomplishment in itself. But I was away, and I kept getting these calls from my management. It know it moved another notch, and it moved another notch, and the next thing you was #1. It was just fantastic. I had no idea,” Freddie told Billboard Magazine about the out-the-gate success.
The song “Rock Me Tonight” rose to the top of the R&B charts, eventually rising to the #1 and remaining there for six consecutive weeks.
“The song seems to be doing very well in all of the cities hat we’ve gone to. They know almost all of the songs on the album,” Freddie Jackson stated, in disbelief to Billboard. “People are sitting in the audience singing along with me. That’s an honor — first time out you usually have to push the songs on people, (but) these people are singing every line, line for line.”
Produced by Paul Laurence, with whom Freddie Jackson originally hooked up at Harlem’s well-known White Rock Baptist Church, where Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson also met for the first time.
It was a fateful ‘‘meeting. According to “legend,” Freddie Jackson was fated for a musical career anyway, since he decided to enter the world during his mother’s own vocal performance.
That crisis resolved, Freddie Jackson was able to grow up singing gospel and make his way to Laurence’s Laurence Jones Ensemble. The singer and the producer became “writing partners and began to get songs placed, one of which, “Trust Me,” was eventually recorded by Lilo Thomas.
Like many sophisticated singers in New York with Gospel backgrounds, Freddie Jackson was attracted to cabaret, and it was at Freddy’s Supper Club that Jackson was spotted by Melba Moore in 1982.
“Good Morning Heartache” featured Stanley Turrentine on sax. The balance of material, style and charisma helped push Freddie over the top.
Capitol’s early ad campaign even suggested that having Freddie’s “number” could help you meet beautiful women. “I just recorded the music that I liked,” Freddie Jackson said at the time, dismissing the ladies man hype. “And I’m fortunate that a lot of ladies have liked the record and gone out and bought it. But didn’t go to Capitol and say, ‘I’m a ladies man and I want to make a ladies man record.’ I don’t want to stereotype myself and my music. I don’t want to alienate anybody.”
It was later eclipsed by the even more successful single, “You Are My Lady,” which earned Freddie Jackson a Grammy nomination for Best Rhythm & blues Vocal Performance in 1985.
Freddie Jackson was also nominated for Best New Artist in the same year.
He quickly followed up with, “He’ll Never Love You (Like I Do)” and “Love Is Just a Touch Away”, while sending them both straight to R&B Top 10.
The debut album reigned over the Billboard R&B album charts, going platinum.
His phenomena persisted after a duet with Melba Moore, “A Little Bit More” shot to #1 R&B, and he backed it with yet another platinum-smash aptly titled, “Just Like the First Time,” in 1986.
This is when Freddie Jackson appeared musically magical with the success of the album’s singles, charting: “Tasty Love”, “Have You Ever Loved Somebody”, and the soother, “Jam Tonight.”
All hitting #1 as if he planned it. Even, “I Don’t Want to Lose Your Love” reached #2.
Freddie Jackson followed up “Rock Me Tonight” with “Just Like the First Time” in 1986, “Don’t Love Love Slip Away” in 1988, and 1990‘s “Do Me Again,” all of which rose to the #1 spot on the Billboard R&B charts.
In 1989, Freddie Jackson made a guest appearance, on the classic NBC series “The Golden Girls,” as lounge singer & piano player.
Since the early 1990’s, Freddie Jackson continued to perform and record, releasing the albums: “Time for Love” (1992), “Here It Is” (1994), “Private Party” (1995), “Life After 30” (1999), “It’s Your Move” (2004), “Personal Reflections” (2005), “Transitions” (2006), and “For You” (2010).
The albums featured a slew of Billboard R&B #1 hits: “A Little Bit More,” “Tasty Love,” “Have You Ever Loved Somebody,” “Jam Tonight,” “Nice n’ Slow,” “Hey Lover,” “Love Me Down,” and “Do Me Again.”
Also came “Main Course”, which reached #2. The soul remake of Billy Paul‘s, “Me and Mrs. Jones” also was a Gold #1 single for Freddie Jackson.
No stranger to creating lyrics, Freddie Jackson has written for Whitney Houston, Melba Moore, Lillo Thomas, and Howard Johnson.
His songs have been covered by many other artists including Mary J. Blige, Anita Baker, Luther Vandross, Toni Braxton, Faith Evans, Jennifer Lopez and more.
Having made numerous rounds of major TV shows—from American Bandstand, Top of the Pops, Oprah, to the Soul Train Awards, and even writer/performer on The Tom Joyner Sky Show.
His music is kept current, for now four decades even via the digital age, such as his hit, “Have You Ever Loved Somebody” being placed in the video game, Grand Theft Auto IV, in 2008.
Eventually, like many major artists in the Internet dominant age, Freddie Jackson created independently produced projects, gaining more control over both his life and his career—while still charting songs in the Top 100’s including, “Life After 30” (#81 R&B, 1999), “It’s Your Move” (#45 R&B, 2004), and “Transitions” (#26 R&B, 2006).
By 2010, he released the single, “I Don’t Wanna Go”, from the Barry Eastmond produced, “For You,.
In 2012, the TV series Unsung featured The Life of Freddie Jackson, who in turn gave a new audience of fans yet another single two years later with Climax Entertainment entitled, “Love & Satisfaction.”
His last album release “Love Signals” released in 2018, offers longtime fans and new listeners alike just that—a melodic offering of love in a multitude of styles.
From the orchestral openings to the instrumental driven collaborations with master musician Gerald Albright on “Hold Me Tonight.”
In 2019, Freddie Jackson was rightfully honored by the Black Music Honors, while Avery Wilson, Tony Terry and Tevin Campbell performed his hits.
Freddie Jackson has garnered 18 songs in the Top 10, with 10 songs rocketing to #1,he’s a 3x Grammy Nominee, and an American Music Award winner.
With multiple gold and platinum, singles and albums.
He mastered the art of chart domination during the mid to late 80’s, and today continues proving his distinction, being listed as one of Billboard’s Top 50 Greatest R&B Singers.
Freddie Jackson will go down as one of the best male R&B vocalist of the 80s, and beyond.
Take A Trip Down Memory Lane with The Debut of Freddie Jackson!
