Freddie Jackson

Frederick Anthony Jackson was born on October 2, 1956, in the Harlem section of New York City. Raised in the church, he trained as a gospel singer at White Rock Baptist Church of Harlem, where he met Paul Laurence, who would later become his record producer and songwriting collaborator. After completing his schooling, Jackson joined Laurence's group, the Laurence Jones Ensemble, performing on the New York nightclub circuit before relocating to the West Coast in the late 1970s to sing lead with the California funk band Mystic Merlin, with whom he recorded three studio albums between 1980 and 1982. He subsequently returned to New York to work with Laurence at Hush Productions, contributing demo recordings of Laurence's compositions and serving as a backing vocalist for Melba Moore following her attendance at one of his nightclub performances in 1981.

Jackson secured a recording contract with Capitol Records in 1984 and released his debut album, Rock Me Tonight, in 1985. The Laurence-penned title track spent six weeks at number one on the R&B chart, and the follow-up single "You Are My Lady" also reached the top of the R&B chart while peaking at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. Additional singles from the album, including "He'll Never Love You (Like I Do)" and "Love Is Just a Touch Away," reached the R&B Top Ten, and Rock Me Tonight topped the R&B album chart and was certified platinum. Jackson received a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist in 1985, as well as a Grammy nomination for Best Rhythm & Blues Vocal Performance – Male for "You Are My Lady." He was also nominated for an American Music Award for Favorite Male Artist in the Soul/Rhythm & Blues category in 1986.

His second album, Just Like the First Time, arrived in 1986 on the heels of a number one R&B duet with Melba Moore, "A Little Bit More," taken from her album A Lot of Love. The follow-up record was another platinum seller, producing three number one R&B singles in "Tasty Love," "Have You Ever Loved Somebody," and "Jam Tonight," while "I Don't Want to Lose Your Love" reached number two. The 1988 release Don't Let Love Slip Away yielded two more R&B chart-toppers in "Hey Lover" and "Nice 'N' Slow," the latter earning Jackson the American Music Award for Favorite Soul/Rhythm & Blues Single in 1988. His 1990 album Do Me Again continued the pattern, with the title track and "Love Me Down" both reaching number one on the R&B chart.

In 1989, Jackson appeared as a lounge singer on the Golden Girls episode "Two Rode Together," performing the Disney song "It's a Small World" to the character Sophia. That same year, he recorded the duet "Love Survives" with Irene Cara, produced by Michael Lloyd, for the soundtrack to the animated film All Dogs Go to Heaven. Jackson also appeared in the film King of New York. Also in 1989, he appeared on Broadway in Freddie Jackson: Up Close & Personal.

Jackson parted ways with Capitol/EMI in late 1993 and signed with RCA/BMG Records, releasing Here It Is in 1994. A Christmas album followed that year, after which he recorded Private Party for Street Life, an imprint of Scotti Brothers Records, in 1995. Orpheus issued Life After 30 in 1999 and Live in Concert in 2000. He returned to the charts with It's Your Move in February 2004 on Martland Entertainment, and released his tenth studio album, Transitions, in September 2006 on Orpheus Music. In 2010, Entertainment One Music released For You, produced by Barry Eastmond, which featured the single "I Don't Wanna Go."

On August 26, 2014, Jackson released the single "Love & Satisfaction" through Climax Entertainment, written by Dustin Bowie, Gregory Bowman, Kameron Corvet, Bertram Ford Jr., and Selasi "The African Kid." He subsequently toured internationally in support of the release and appeared alongside Jeffrey Osborne, Peabo Bryson, Melba Moore, and Stephanie Mills at various performances and festivals. On May 1, 2017, he released the single "One Night," the lead track from his forthcoming album Love Signals, which reached number one on the Indie Soul internet radio chart associated with the Internet Broadcasters Alliance on June 12, 2017, while also placing in the top 50 of independent R&B, smooth jazz, and soul charts across the United States and Europe. Love Signals was released in 2018. In January 2018, Jackson appeared on the cover of STS Entertainment and Fashion Magazine. In August 2019, he was announced as the headlining act of the 37th annual African World Festival, hosted by the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, and that same year released the single "A Million Ways." A fiction piece in the November 25, 2019, issue of The New Yorker, written by John Edgar Wideman and titled "Arizona," was composed as a letter addressed to Jackson.