By Thandisizwe Mgudlwa
CAPE TOWN/South Africa: FREDDIE JACKSON, the legendary American R&B singer has died.
He was 69.
Frederick Anthony Jackson was born on October 2, 1957, in Harlem, New York City, United States of America.
The young Jackson was trained as a gospel singer from an early age, singing at the White Rock Baptist Church of Harlem.
It is there where he met Paul Laurence, who would later become his record producer and songwriting partner.
Music records also reveal that after Jackson completed school, he joined Laurence’s group LJE (Laurence Jones Ensemble) and expressed his talents at the New York nightclub scene.
Jackson began his professional music career in the late 1970s with the California funk band Mystic Merlin.
And among his well–known R&B/soul hits are “Rock Me Tonight (For Old Times Sake)” (1985), “Have You Ever Loved Somebody” (1986), “Jam Tonight” (1986), “Do Me Again” (1990), and “You Are My Lady” (1985).
During the late 1970s, as the fast-rising Jackson moved to the West Coast and sang lead with the band Mystic Merlin ,with which he released three studio albums, 1980–1982.
However, Jackson soon returned to New York to work with Laurence at Hush Productions.
The charismatic Jackson 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 1981.
In 1984, the new star landed a recording contract with Capitol Records, and released his debut album, Rock Me Tonight in 1985.
Jackson contributed to the soundtrack for the 1989 film, All Dogs Go to Heaven with the Michael Lloyd-produced duet “Love Survives” alongside Irene Cara. He broke into acting when he appeared in the movie King of New York.
The Laurence-penned title track stormed the R&B chart, 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 No. 12.
And 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 then 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.
There was more to come from the Harlem born sensation, when 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 No. 1, while “I Don’t Want to Lose Your Love” went to No. 2.
Like with everything in life, the seasons change, and the pace of Jackson’s success slowed with the 1988 release of Don’t Let Love Slip Away, which nonetheless still managed to feature another two R&B chart-toppers in “Hey Lover” and “Nice ‘N’ Slow.”
While the title track of 1990’s Do Me Again and “Love Me Down” duplicated that feat, and “Main Course” had just missed, landing out at No. 2.
Even so, Jackson’s earlier placings in the lower reaches of the Billboard Hot 100 had long since disappeared.
Jackson had appeared as a lounge singer on the 1989 The Golden Girls episode “Two Rode Together” and sang the Disney song “It’s a Small World” to Sophia.
This was the same year of 1989, where Jackson sung the duet “Love Survives” with Irene Cara for the soundtrack to the film All Dogs Go to Heaven.
On seeking a new beginning, Jackson parted ways with Capitol/EMI in late 1993 and signed with RCA/BMG Records.
His label debut, Here It Is, appeared the following year in 1994, with diminished commercial returns.
Following a Christmas album, Jackson split with RCA and recorded Private Party for the smaller Street Life imprint of Scotti Brothers Records in 1995.
After 1995, for a few years, Jackson went silent, until Orpheus issued Life After 30 in late 1999; with the equally low-key release Live in Concert following in 2000.
And 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 on the record label Orpheus Music.
By the end of 2010, Jackson, the R&B icon, released a new album on the Entertainment One Music label, entitled For You, and produced by hit songwriter Barry Eastmond. The album featured the single “I Don’t Wanna Go”.
On August 26, 2014, Jackson released the single “Love & Satisfaction,” written by Dustin “Dab” Bowie, Gregory Bowman, Kameron Corvet, Bertram Ford Jr, and Selasi “The African Kid,”. This was released by the entertainment company, Climax Entertainment.
Notably, the single received some positive reviews and airplay, and allowed Jackson to reintroduce himself as he toured internationally in support of the release, as well as appear with artists Jeffrey Osborne, Peabo Bryson, Melba Moore, and Stephanie Mills at various performances and festivals.
And then in late 2016, Jackson announced that he was recording a new album and that a new single would be released early the following year to mark his true return to recording studio.
On May 1, 2017, the lead single “One Night” from his forthcoming album Love Signals was released via Climax and reached No. 1 on the Internet radio Indie Soul chart associated with the Internet Broadcasters Alliance on June 12, 2017, while reaching in the top 50 of independent R&B, smooth jazz, and soul charts around the US and Europe.
Then in January 2018, Jackson appeared on the cover of STS Entertainment and Fashion Magazine. He performed in Albany, GA on April 21, 2018, at a Soul Music festival along with the 69 boys and various other performers.
In August 2019, it was announced that Jackson would perform later that month as the headlining act of the 37th annual African World Festival, hosted by the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.
In 2019, Jackson released the single “A Million Ways”.
A fiction piece in the November 25, 2019, issue of The New Yorker, by John Edgar Wideman, titled “Arizona”, is written as a letter to Jackson.
During his illustrious career Jackson enjoyed a number of Tours including Tasty Love Tour (1986–87), Hey Lover Tour (1988–89), Do Me Again Tour (1991), Finer with Time Tour (Summer 2014), One Night Tour (Spring/Summer 2017).
And among the many honours and awards he received, Jackson was also nominated for Grammy Award: Best New Artist – 1985.
Others include, 1985 – nominated for Grammy Award: Best Rhythm & Blues Vocal Performance – Male (“You Are My Lady”), 1986 – nominated for American Music Award for Favorite Male Artist – Soul / Rhythm & Blues, 1988 – Jackson won the American Music Award: Favorite Soul / Rhythm & Blues Single (“Nice ‘N’ Slow”).
He died on Monday, October 5, 2026.
