Freddie Jackson, the US singer whose smooth and romantic take on R&B found a huge audience in the 1980s, has died aged 70.
A statement from his family on social media reads: “Freddie was more than a legendary voice. He was a kind, generous soul who loved his fans, his family, his friends and his music with everything he had. For decades he gave us the songs that became the soundtrack to our love stories, our celebrations and our most treasured memories. That gift will live on for ever.” No cause of death was given.
Blessed with a dextrous and technically brilliant voice that could flip from playful flirtation to earnest entreaties to crushed lamentations across the space of a single album, Jackson became a mainstay in the US R&B scene, earning 10 No 1 singles and four back to back No 1 albums on the country’s R&B charts. He also twice hit the main pop chart Top 20, with 1985’s Rock Me Tonight (For Old Times Sake) and You Are My Lady. The latter song also earned him two Grammy nominations.
Born in 1956, Jackson was raised in Harlem by a single mother, “eating collard greens and fried chicken”, he later said. “That’s not learned soul, it’s not acquired in some singing school or from copying what you hear on records. I live soul.”
He was first grounded in gospel music, performing at a local Baptist church, before expanding his musical remit outwards, establishing himself in New York’s music scene before moving to Los Angeles where he became the vocalist of dancefloor-focused soul group Mystic Merlin, recording their third album, Full Moon, with them.
After a spell as a backing singer for Melba Moore, eventually he was signed as a solo artist, modelling himself on “Black singers who were able to cross over to the pop market without selling out – Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke, Al Green”. He released debut album Rock Me Tonight in 1985, which, containing the aforementioned hit singles, became a platinum seller and reached the US Top 10. Follow-up Just Like the First Time was also certified platinum, and four of its tracks – including a duet with Moore, A Little Bit More – hit R&B No 1.
His unabashed sensuality meant he was marketed with a “lover man” image, but he was careful not to let it define him. “I’m fortunate that a lot of ladies have liked the record and gone out and bought it,” he said. “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.”
Jackson was still topping at the R&B chart as late as 1991, but as the genre modernised and hip-hop emerged, Jackson’s style became less fashionable and his chart success waned. He nevertheless remained a familiar voice on R&B radio and continued to release new music, eventually putting out 15 studio albums.
In 2024, he announced he was living with kidney disease. “This journey has had its challenges but I’ve decided to face it with openness and resilience,” he said.
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