David Ian "Joe" Jackson (born 11 August 1954) is an English musician, singer and songwriter. Having spent years studying music and playing clubs, he scored a hit with his first release, "

Is She Really Going Out with Him? "Is She Really Going Out with Him?" is a song written and performed by British musician Joe Jackson. It was released in October 1978 as his debut single and was later included on Jackson's debut album, '' Look Sharp!'' The track was one of the ...

", in 1979. It was followed by a number of new wave singles, before he moved to more jazz-inflected pop music and had a top 10 hit in 1982 with " Steppin' Out". Jackson is associated with the 1980s

Second British Invasion The Second British Invasion consisted of music acts from the United Kingdom that became popular in the U.S. during the early-to-mid 1980s primarily due to the cable music channel MTV. The term derives from the similar British Invasion of the U. ...

of the US. He has also composed classical music. He has recorded 20 studio albums and received five

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

nominations.

Biography

Early years

Born in

Burton upon Trent Burton upon Trent, also known as Burton-on-Trent or simply Burton, is a market town in the borough of East Staffordshire in the county of Staffordshire, England, close to the border with Derbyshire. In United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011, it had a ...

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...

, England, David Jackson spent his first year in nearby

Swadlincote Swadlincote is a former mining town in the district of South Derbyshire, England, lying within The National Forest area. It borders the counties of Leicestershire and Staffordshire, south-east of Burton upon Trent and north-west of Ashby-de ...

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

. He grew up in the

Paulsgrove Paulsgrove is an area of northern Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. Initially a small independent hamlet for many centuries, it was admitted to the city limits in 1920 and grew rapidly after the end of the Second World War. History Paulsgrove exi ...

area of

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

, where he attended the Portsmouth Technical High School. Jackson's parents moved to nearby

Gosport Gosport ( ) is a town and non-metropolitan borough on the south coast of Hampshire, South East England. At the 2011 Census, its population was 82,662. Gosport is situated on a peninsula on the western side of Portsmouth Harbour, opposite t ...

when he was a teenager. He learned to play the violin but soon switched to piano, and prevailed on his father to install one in the hall of their Paulsgrove

council house A council house is a form of British public housing built by local authorities. A council estate is a building complex containing a number of council houses and other amenities like schools and shops. Construction took place mainly from 1919 ...

. Jackson began playing piano in bars at the age of 16, and also won a scholarship to study

musical composition Musical composition can refer to an original piece or work of music, either vocal or instrumental, the structure of a musical piece or to the process of creating or writing a new piece of music. People who create new compositions are called ...

at London's

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the first Duke of ...

. Jackson's first band, formed in Gosport, was called Edward Bear, later renamed Arms and Legs. The band broke up in 1976 after two unsuccessful singles. He was still known as David Jackson when he joined Arms and Legs, but he picked up the nickname "Joe", based on his perceived resemblance to the British television puppet character

Joe 90 ''Joe 90'' is a 1968–1969 British Science fiction on television, science-fiction television series created by Gerry Anderson, Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company, AP Films#Century 21, Century 21, for ITC Enterta ...

, a genius child spy. Jackson legally changed his name to Joe at age 20. Jackson then spent some time performing on the

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or d ...

circuit to make money to record a demo.

Joe Jackson Band

In 1978, a record producer heard Jackson's demo tape and signed him to

A&M Records A&M Records was an American record label founded as an independent company by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss in 1962. Due to the success of the discography A&M released, the label garnered interest and was acquired by PolyGram in 1989 and began distr ...

. The next year the newly formed Joe Jackson Band released their debut album '' Look Sharp!''. A mix of rock, melodic jazz, and new wave, it mined a vein similar to contemporaries

Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus Order of the British Empire, OBE (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer-songwriter and record producer. He has won multiple awards in his career, including a Grammy Award in ...

and

Graham Parker Graham Thomas Parker (born 18 November 1950) is an English singer-songwriter, who is best known as the lead singer of the British band Graham Parker & the Rumour. Life and career Early career (1960s–1976) Parker was born in Hackney, East L ...

. The album enjoyed wide critical success: in 2013, ''Rolling Stone'' magazine named ''Look Sharp!'' number 98 in a list of the 100 best debut albums of all time. Some commercial success also followed, as the debut single "

" reached the top 40 in five countries, and No. 9 in Canada. The Joe Jackson Band released '' I'm the Man'' in 1979. The album followed a similar musical pattern, and received good, though not as strong, reviews. It did produce the single "

It's Different for Girls "It’s Different for Girls" is a song by Joe Jackson appearing on his 1979 album, '' I'm the Man''. The song has since become one of his most successful singles, notably being the highest charting Joe Jackson single in the UK. Covers have be ...

", which became Jackson's highest charting UK single, peaking at no. 5. ''

Beat Crazy ''Beat Crazy'' is the third album by Joe Jackson, released in October 1980 and credited to the Joe Jackson Band. It was a relative disappointment commercially, peaking outside the Top 40 in both the UK and the United States, with its singles ...

'' followed in 1980. Jackson also collaborated with

Lincoln Thompson Prince Lincoln Thompson, known as Sax (10 July 1949
''

...

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

crossover. Joe Jackson2

In 1981, Jackson produced an album for the British

power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and ch ...

group the Keys. ''The Keys Album'' was the group's only LP. The Joe Jackson Band toured extensively until it broke up. Jackson subsequently recorded an album of old-style swing and

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

tunes, '' Jumpin' Jive'', with songs by

Cab Calloway Cabell Calloway III (December 25, 1907 – November 18, 1994) was an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, conductor and dancer. He was associated with the Cotton Club in Harlem, where he was a regular performer and became a popular vocalist ...

Lester Young Lester Willis Young (August 27, 1909 – March 15, 1959), nicknamed "Pres" or "Prez", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and occasional clarinetist. Coming to prominence while a member of Count Basie's orchestra, Young was one of the most i ...

Glenn Miller Alton Glen Miller (March 1, 1904 – December 15, 1944) was an American big band founder, owner, conductor, composer, arranger, trombone player and recording artist before and during World War II, when he was an officer in the United States Arm ...

, and

Louis Jordan Louis Thomas Jordan (July 8, 1908 – February 4, 1975) was an American saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and bandleader who was popular from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. Known as " the King of the Jukebox", he earned his high ...

. The album, and associated single release, was credited to the band "Joe Jackson's Jumpin' Jive". Jackson's 1982 album, '' Night and Day'', was his only studio album to chart in the UK and US Top 10, peaking at No. 3 (UK) and at No. 4 (US). Two singles released from the album, " Steppin' Out" and "

Breaking Us in Two "Breaking Us in Two" is a song by British musician Joe Jackson. It was the third of three charting singles from his 1982 LP, '' Night and Day''. The single was released in the UK on 13 August 1982, backed with a song called "El Blanco", which w ...

", were US top 20 hits. The tracks " Real Men" and "

A Slow Song "A Slow Song" is a song by British singer-songwriter and musician Joe Jackson, which was released in 1982 as the closing track on his fifth studio album '' Night and Day''. The song was written by Jackson, and produced by Jackson and David Kershen ...

" referred obliquely to New York City's early 1980s gay culture, critiquing its exclusiveness and asking for a slow song in the disco respectively. "Real Men" also became a top 10 hit in Australia. By 1984, New York had become Jackson's home base, and he recorded '' Body and Soul'' there, an album he later said was "from the point of view of a relative newcomer". Heavily influenced by pop and jazz standards and

salsa Salsa most often refers to: * Salsa (Mexican cuisine), a variety of sauces used as condiments * Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music * Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music Salsa or SALSA may also refer to: ...

, it had the US No. 15 hit single "

You Can't Get What You Want (Till You Know What You Want) "You Can't Get What You Want (Till You Know What You Want)" is a single from Joe Jackson's 1984 album '' Body and Soul''. In addition to the 7” single, it was also released as a 12” single, remixed by John "Jellybean" Benitez. Background ...

". N.B. Peaks for albums released prior to "Big World" are not listed. In 1985, Jackson played piano on

Joan Armatrading Joan Anita Barbara Armatrading, (, born 9 December 1950) is a Kittitian-English singer-songwriter and guitarist. A three-time Grammy Award nominee, Armatrading has also been nominated twice for BRIT Awards as Best Female Artist. She received ...

's album ''

Secret Secrets ''Secret Secrets'' is the ninth studio album by British singer-songwriter Joan Armatrading, released on 4 February 1985 by A&M (AMA 5040). The album was recorded and mixed at Battery Studios (previously known as Morgan Studios), in Willesden, ...

'', and in 1986 he collaborated with

Suzanne Vega Suzanne Nadine Vega ( Peck; born July 11, 1959) is an American singer-songwriter best known for her folk-inspired music. Vega's music career spans almost 40 years. She came to prominence in the mid-1980s, releasing four singles that entered the ...

on the single " Left of Center" from ''

Pretty in Pink ''Pretty in Pink'' is a 1986 American teen romantic comedy-drama film about love and social cliques in American high schools in the 1980s. A cult classic, it is commonly identified as a "Brat Pack" film. It was directed by Howard Deutch, produc ...

''s

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...

. Jackson's next album was ''

Big World ''Big World'' is a 1986 live album of original songs by Joe Jackson. The album was recorded in front of an invited audience at the Roundabout Theatre, East 17th Street in New York City on 23, 24 and 25 January 1986 (except "Man in the Stree ...

'', with all-new songs recorded live in front of an audience instructed to remain silent while music was playing. Released in 1986, it was a three-sided double record; the fourth side consisted of a single centering groove and a label stating "there is no music on this side". The instrumental album ''

Will Power William "Will" Steven Power (born 1 March 1981) is an Australian motorsports driver who currently competes in the IndyCar Series, driving for Team Penske. He is the 2014 and 2022 IndyCar Series champion and the 2018 Indianapolis 500 champion. ...

'' (1987), with heavy classical and jazz influences, set the stage for things to come later, but before he left pop behind, he put out two more albums, '' Blaze of Glory'' (which he performed in its entirety during the subsequent tour) and '' Laughter & Lust''. In 1995, Jackson contributed his version of "Statue of Liberty" on a tribute album for the English band

XTC XTC were an English rock band formed in Swindon in 1972. Fronted by songwriters Andy Partridge (guitars, vocals) and Colin Moulding (bass, vocals), the band gained popularity during the rise of punk and new wave in the 1970s, later playing in ...

called '' A Testimonial Dinner: The Songs of XTC''.

Post-pop

In the late 1990s, Jackson expanded into classical music; he signed with

Sony Classical Sony Classical is an American record label founded in 1924 as Columbia Masterworks Records, a subsidiary of Columbia Records. In 1980, the Columbia Masterworks label was renamed as CBS Masterworks Records. The CBS Records Group was acquired by S ...

in 1997 and released '' Symphony No. 1'' in 1999, for which he received a Grammy for

Best Pop Instrumental Album The Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album (previously: Best Pop Instrumental Album) is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording arti ...

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

. In 2000, he released a follow-up album, ''Night and Day II''. In 2003, he reunited his original

quartet In music, a quartet or quartette (, , , , ) is an ensemble of four singers or instrumental performers; or a musical composition for four voices and instruments. Classical String quartet In classical music, one of the most common combinations o ...

for the album '' Volume 4'', and a lengthy tour. In 2004, he contributed a cover of

Pulp Pulp may refer to: * Pulp (fruit), the inner flesh of fruit Engineering * Dissolving pulp, highly purified cellulose used in fibre and film manufacture * Pulp (paper), the fibrous material used to make paper * Molded pulp, a packaging material ...

's "

Common People A commoner, also known as the ''common man'', ''commoners'', the ''common people'' or the ''masses'', was in earlier use an ordinary person in a community or nation who did not have any significant social status, especially a member of neither ...

" with

William Shatner William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1965 debut as the captain of the starship USS Enterpri ...

for Shatner's album ''

Has Been ''Has Been'' (2004) is William Shatner's second musical album after 1968's ''The Transformed Man''. The album was produced and arranged by Ben Folds and most of the songs are co-written by Folds and Shatner, with Folds creating arrangements fo ...

''. In 2005, he teamed up with

Todd Rundgren Todd Harry Rundgren (born June 22, 1948) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, multimedia artist, sound engineer and record producer who has performed a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of the band Ut ...

and the string quartet

ETHEL Ethel (also '' æthel'') is an Old English word meaning "noble", today often used as a feminine given name. Etymology and historic usage The word means ''æthel'' "noble". It is frequently attested as the first element in Anglo-Saxon names, b ...

for a tour of the US and Europe. A dedicated smoker, he gave up his New York apartment in 2006 partly in protest over the ascendancy of

smoking ban Smoking bans, or smoke-free laws, are public policies, including criminal laws and occupational safety and health regulations, that prohibit tobacco smoking in certain spaces. The spaces most commonly affected by smoking bans are indoor work ...

s, and made the

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

neighbourhood

Kreuzberg Kreuzberg () is a district of Berlin, Germany. It is part of the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg borough located south of Mitte. During the Cold War era, it was one of the poorest areas of West Berlin, but since German reunification in 1990 it ha ...

his new home. It was there that he recorded, with longtime collaborators

Graham Maby Graham Maby (born 1 September 1952), is an English bass guitar player. He has recorded and toured with Joe Jackson since his first album, appearing on most of Jackson's albums and tours. He has continued to record and tour with Jackson even w ...

and Dave Houghton, his eighteenth studio album, ''

Rain Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water f ...

'' (

Rykodisc Rykodisc is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, operating as a unit of WMG's Independent Label Group and is distributed through Alternative Distribution Alliance. History Claiming to be the first Compact Disc, CD-only independ ...

, January 2008); the album was followed by a five-month tour. In 2015, Jackson announced the completion of his follow-up to 2012's ''The Duke'' via his official website. The album's title, ''

Fast Forward To fast-forward is to move forwards through a recording at a speed faster than that at which it would usually be played, for example two times or two point five times. The recordings are usually audio, video or computer data. It is colloquially ...

'', and track list were confirmed in addition to North American tour dates. The titular first single was released for streaming via his official SoundCloud page. The entire record was briefly posted before being taken down a day later. On 18 January 2019, Jackson released the album ''

Fool Fool, The Fool, or Fools may refer to: *A jester, also called a ''fool'', a type of historical entertainer known for their witty jokes *An insult referring to someone of low intelligence or easy gullibility Arts, entertainment and media Fictio ...

'', preceded by the songs "Fabulously Absolute", "Strange Land" and "Friend Better". Jackson said about the album on his website: "One of my inspirations for this album was the band I've been touring with on and off for the last 3 years. I've had many different line-ups but this one is special." Jackson and the band performed "Fabulously Absolute" on Jimmy Fallon's ''Tonight Show'' on 21 January 2019. ''Fool'' debuted in the top 20 album charts in Holland, Belgium, Germany and Switzerland. In the US, it debuted at No. 25 on ''Billboards Top Album Sales Chart. In the UK, it entered the Indie Albums Chart at No. 13.

Personal life

Jackson spent a number of years living in New York City, which served as an inspiration for his 1982 song "Steppin' Out". In a 2018 interview, Jackson said "I don't like New York much these days. It's as if the city and I had a hot love affair and now we're just friends, but we still have to see each other to remain friends. Today I live in Berlin. The New York I knew in late '81 and '82 is gone." Jackson currently resides in Berlin, but also owns homes in New York and Portsmouth. Jackson was married to his wife, Ruth, for two years, but the marriage ended in divorce and was later called a "disaster" by Jackson. In a 2001 interview with the ''

Irish Independent The ''Irish Independent'' is an Irish daily newspaper and online publication which is owned by Independent News & Media (INM), a subsidiary of Mediahuis. The newspaper version often includes glossy magazines. Traditionally a broadsheet new ...

'', Jackson stated that he was in a relationship with a male partner.Jackson, Joe (24 June 2001)
"Is Joe Jackson really going out with him?"
''

''. Retrieved 30 December 2014. Author is not to be confused with the subject of the article. Jackson had previously discussed his

bisexuality Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whic ...

in his autobiography ''A Cure for Gravity''. His questioning of potential homosexuality and same-sex attraction is explored in the 1982 single " Real Men".

Other activities

Jackson has actively campaigned against

s in both the United States and the United Kingdom, publishing a 2005 pamphlet (''The Smoking Issue'') and a 2007 essay (''Smoke, Lies and the Nanny State''), and recording a satirical song (" In 20-0-3") on the subject. Jackson wrote an autobiography titled ''A Cure for Gravity'', published in 1999, which he described as a "book about music, thinly disguised as a memoir". It traces his working-class upbringing in Portsmouth and charts his musical life from childhood until his 24th birthday. Life as a pop star, he said, was hardly worth writing about.''A Cure for Gravity'', 1999,

Material loss

Jackson was among hundreds of artists whose material was destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.

Discography

* '' Look Sharp!'' (1979) * '' I'm the Man'' (1979) * ''

'' (1980) * ''

Joe Jackson's Jumpin' Jive ''Joe Jackson's Jumpin' Jive'' is the fourth studio album by Joe Jackson. Released in 1981, it is a collection of covers of classic 1940s swing and jump blues songs originally performed by musicians such as Louis Jordan and Cab Calloway, ...

'' (1981) * '' Night and Day'' (1982) * ''

Mike's Murder ''Mike's Murder'' is a 1984 American neo-noir mystery film written and directed by James Bridges and starring Debra Winger, Mark Keyloun and Paul Winfield. Plot In Los Angeles, bank teller Betty Parrish (Debra Winger) has a one-night stand with ...

'' (1983) * '' Body and Soul'' (1984) * ''

'' (1986, live) * ''

'' (1987) * ''

Tucker Tucker may refer to: Places United States * Tucker, Arkansas * Tucker, Georgia * Tucker, Mississippi * Tucker, Missouri * Tucker, Utah, ghost town * Tucker County, West Virginia Outer space * Tucker (crater), a small lunar impact crater in the s ...

'' (1988) * '' Blaze of Glory'' (1989) * '' Laughter & Lust'' (1991) * '' Night Music'' (1994) * '' Heaven & Hell'' (1997) * '' Symphony No. 1'' (1999) * '' Night and Day II'' (2000) * '' Volume 4'' (2003) * ''

'' (2008) * '' The Duke'' (2012) * ''

'' (2015) * ''

'' (2019)

Bibliography

*''A Cure for Gravity'', 1999, autobiography

Notes

References

External links

* *
Joe Jackson archive by Andreas WostrackJoe Jackson's career on A&M Records with gallery, international discography
* Joe Jackson biographyat

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

website
Video-interview with Joe Jackson on revu.nl, 31 January 2008
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Joe 1954 births Living people Alumni of the Royal Academy of Music A&M Records artists English expatriates in Germany Bisexual men Bisexual musicians English new wave musicians English male singer-songwriters English record producers MNRK Music Group artists Grammy Award winners Male new wave singers LGBT singers from the United Kingdom LGBT songwriters Musicians from Hampshire Musicians from Staffordshire People from Burton upon Trent People from Paulsgrove Rykodisc artists Second British Invasion artists Sony Classical Records artists Virgin Records artists 20th-century LGBT people 21st-century LGBT people