Freddie Jackson

Biography

Frederick Anthony Jackson (October 2, 1956 – October 5, 2026) was an American R&B singer and songwriter. Originally from New York City, Jackson began his professional music career in the late 1970s with the California funk band Mystic Merlin. Among his well-known R&B/soul hits are "Rock Me Tonight (For Old Times Sake)×Rock Me Tonight (For Old Times Sake)May 1985 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracksARock Me Tonight (For Old Times Sake)7:06B1Rock Me Tonight (For Old Times Sake)3:59B2Rock Me Tonight (For Old Times Sake) (Groove)5:00" (1985), "Have You Ever Loved Somebody" (1986), "Jam Tonight" (1986), "Do Me Again×Do Me Again1988 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Don't It Feel Good5:07A2Love Me DownA3Main CourseA4It Takes Two5:34A5I'll Be Waiting for You4:48B1Don't Say You Love Me5:08B2Do Me AgainB3Live for the Moment4:51B4Second Time for LoveB5I Can't Take It4:28" (1990), and "You Are My Lady" (1985). He contributed to the soundtrack for the 1989 film All Dogs Go to Heaven, with the Michael Lloyd-produced duet "Love Survives×Love Survives1989 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksALove Survives3:25BSoon You’ll Come Home2:38" alongside Irene Cara. He also appeared on Family Matters as himself, and in the movie King of New York.

Early life and education

Jackson was born in the Harlem section of New York City; his birth date is October 2, 1956. He was trained as a gospel singer from an early age, singing at the White Rock Baptist Church of Harlem. There he met Paul Laurence, who would later become his record producer and songwriting partner. After completing school, Jackson joined Laurence's group LJE (Laurence Jones Ensemble) and played the New York nightclub scene. During the late 1970s, Jackson moved to the West Coast and sang lead with the band Mystic Merlin (with which he released three studio albums, 1980–1982), but soon returned to New York to work with Laurence at Hush Productions.

1981–2013: Solo artist

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, Jackson landed a recording contract with Capitol Records, and released his debut album, Rock Me Tonight×Rock Me Tonight1985 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 8 tracks1He'll Never Love You (Like I Do)4:442Love Is Just a Touch Away5:193I Wanna Say I Love You4:404You Are My Lady4:445Rock Me Tonight (For Old Times Sake)7:126Sing a Song of Love5:037Calling5:308Good Morning Heartache4:31 in 1985. 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. 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 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). 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.
The pace of Jackson's success slowed with the 1988 release of Don't Let Love Slip Away, which nonetheless featured another two R&B chart-toppers in "Hey Lover" and "Nice 'N' Slow×Nice 'N' Slow1988 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Nice 'n' Slow (edit)4:222Nice 'n' Slow (LP version)5:163You Are My Love (LP version)5:26." The title track of 1990's Do Me Again and "Love Me Down" duplicated that feat, and "Main Course" just missed, topping out at No. 2. Even so, Jackson's earlier placings in the lower reaches of the Billboard Hot 100 had long since disappeared, and some critics charged that his albums were growing too similar to one another. Jackson 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. Also in 1989, Jackson sang the duet "Love Survives×Love Survives1989 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksALove Survives3:25BSoon You’ll Come Home2:38" with Irene Cara for the soundtrack to the film All Dogs Go to Heaven.
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, with diminished commercial returns. Following a Christmas album, Jackson split with RCA and recorded Private Party×Private Party28 February 1995 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Private Party5:172Rub Up Against You4:433Love You All Over4:064I Want to Thank You4:315Your Lovin' (Is a Good Thang)4:396I Tried My Best4:307No One Else5:268Lay Your Love on Me4:279Teach Me5:1310Once in a While3:23 for the smaller Street Life imprint of Scotti Brothers Records in 1995. Several years of silence ensued, until Orpheus issued Life After 30 in late 1999; the equally low-key release Live in Concert followed in 2000. After returning to the charts with It's Your Move in February 2004 (Martland Entertainment), Jackson released his tenth studio album, Transitions×Transitions26 September 2006 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Until the End of Time4:212Transitions4:063Hold on Me4:134How Can I5:335Can't Get My Flow4:406Stay and Talk to Me3:217More Than Friends4:308Superman4:069Tell Me About It4:3610Heaven3:5311What Cha'll Waiting For3:2312Superstar / Wind Beneath My Wings4:10, in September 2006 on the record label Orpheus Music. At the end of 2010, Jackson released a new album on the Entertainment One Music label, entitled For You×For You2010 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1I Don't Want To Go3:422After All This Time4:103A Dozen Roses3:564Incognito3:505A Little Taste3:576Say Yeah4:307For You I Will (Dollie's Song)4:008Rumors4:139Any Way You Want It3:5310Definition Of Love (featuring Sara Devine)3:4111Slow Dance4:0112What's On Your Mind4:17, and produced by hit songwriter Barry Eastmond. The album featured the single "I Don't Wanna Go".

2014–2026: Later years

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", and released by the entertainment company Climax Entertainment. 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. 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 and on May 1, 2017, the lead single "One Night" from his forthcoming album Love Signals×Love Signals4 June 2018 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Without You4:232Love Signals4:303All I Wanna Do4:254One Night3:585Just For You4:336Hold You Tonight4:317Rescued Me4:078Find My Way4:289Sunshine3:4610Save The Child4:15 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 U.S. and Europe. In January 2018, Jackson appeared on the cover of STS Entertainment and Fashion Magazine. He performed in Albany, Georgia 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", was written as a letter to Jackson.

Death

On October 6, 2026, Freddie Jackson's team announced on social media that he had died the previous evening.