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Quick Facts
- NAME: Randy Jackson
- OCCUPATION: Bassist, Music Producer, Singer, Television Personality
- BIRTH DATE: June 23, 1956 (Age: 56)
- EDUCATION: Southern University
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- ZODIAC SIGN: Cancer
Best Known For
Record producer and musician Randy Jackson is notable mostly as a judge on the talent-search TV show American Idol
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Randy Jackson discusses Carrie Underwood's success on American Idol.
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Play NowRandy Jackson. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 03:28, May 21, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/randy-jackson-168880.
Randy Jackson. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/randy-jackson-168880 [Accessed 21 May 2013].
"Randy Jackson." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 21 2013, 03:28 http://www.biography.com/people/randy-jackson-168880.
"Randy Jackson," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/randy-jackson-168880 [accessed May 21, 2013].
"Randy Jackson," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/randy-jackson-168880 (accessed May 21, 2013).
Randy Jackson [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 21] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/randy-jackson-168880.
Randy Jackson, http://www.biography.com/people/randy-jackson-168880 (last visited May 21, 2013).
Randy Jackson. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/randy-jackson-168880. Accessed May 21, 2013.
Synopsis
Born on June 23, 1956, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Randy Jackson is a music industry veteran who emerged from behind the scenes to become a famous television personality as a judge on the popular singing competition show American Idol. Jackson spent years as a record producer and an executive with Columbia Records and MCA Records before landing his spot as an American Idol judge.
An Early Start in Music
Born Randall Matthew Jackson on June 23, 1956, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, music industry veteran Randy Jackson has become a famous television personality from his work as a judge on the popular singing competition American Idol. He first started playing bass guitar at the age of 13. The youngest of three children, Jackson used to slip out of his family's home at night to play at local clubs.
Jackson went to nearby Southern University to study music. Graduating in 1979, he pursued his dream of being a professional musician, playing with everyone from Herbie Hancock to Bob Dylan. He was even a temporary member of the 80s rock band Journey in 1983 and 1986. Jackson also recorded and toured with such well-known artists as Jerry Garcia, Mariah Carey, Bruce Springsteen and Madonna. Working behind the scenes, Jackson spent years as as a record producer and an executive with Columbia Records and MCA Records.
American Idol'
Jackson became one of the judges on the hit FOX talent search series American Idol in 2002, along with Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul. Highly regarded within the music industry, Jackson quickly became respected among contestants and fans for his constructive criticism. Sharing his secrets of success, Jackson wrote the 2004 book What's Up Dawg? How to Become a Superstar in the Music Business.
For MTV, Jackson helped develop and produce America's Best Dance Crew, which premiered in February 2008. "It's very much more street than whatever you've seen ... It's really kind of raw and has a lot of great imagery," he explained to People magazine. The following month, Jackson released a compilation album, which featured performances from his American Idol cohort Paula Abdul, as well as musicians Joss Stone, Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi, and Mariah Carey among others. "It's kind of a Quincy Jones record with all sorts-country, pop, hip-hop, R&B and jazz songs," Jackson told Entertainment Weekly.
In March 2012, Jackson launched a syndicated radio program, Randy Jackson's Hit List, for Westwood One. Around this same time, he branched out into eyewear. Known for his distinctive glasses, Jackson has his own line of frames through Zyloware eyewear.
In May 2013, Jackson—by this time the last original judge on American Idol—announced that he was leaving the popular singing-competition show after season 12. Jackson addressed his decision to leave the program in a statement, saying, "Yo! Yo! Yo! To put all of the speculation to the rest, after 12 years of judging on American Idol, I have decided to leave after this season."
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