Information AboutRandy Jackson |
EARLY YEARS Jackson grew up in Baton Rouge but was not into music until Sixth Grade . His first big break in the industry came when he played with fellow Baton Rouge act John Fred & His Playboy Band when he was 17 years old. He subsequently attended Southern University , where he graduated with a double major in Music and Psychology . MUSIC CAREER
Jackson also manages current artists Van Hunt & Nikka Costa. He does very select session work, usually just for close friends, but continues to maintain his ability to play very diverse styles of bass. He played bass onstage on the 2006 Grammies with Mariah Carey as well as The Sly & The Family Stone tribute. AMERICAN IDOL Jackson has been a judge with ''American Idol'' since its inception in 2002 . On the show he is known for taking a middle road of Criticism between the supportiveness of Paula Abdul and the nastiness of Simon Cowell . He has popularized "pitchy" as the way to describe off-key singing. He is also renowned for his heavy use of slang terms and gestures in African American Vernacular English , most notably the words "dude", "dawg", and "dope". Jackson sometimes also refers to the group of male semifinalists as "the dawg pound." When Randy says "you can blow" or "we've got a hot one tonight," it means "you can sing well." Widely well regarded in the music industry, Jackson's commentary is generally that of constructive criticism. He tells the contestants what a record company label executive would be thinking, but not actually tell them. PERSONAL LIFE He was married to Elizabeth Jackson (with whom he has 1 child) until 1990 when they divorced. Since 1995 , he has been married to Erika Riker, with whom he has 2 children. In 2003 Jackson had well-publicized Gastric Bypass Surgery and has subsequently lost over a hundred pounds, which explains his drastic change in appearance from season three of ''American Idol'' onwards. Contrary to a widely circulated story, Randy Jackson is not related to actor 2005 REFERENCES BIBLIOGRAPHY
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