Charles Benjamin Jackson (July 22, 1937 – February 16, 2023) was an American R&B singer who was one of the first artists to record material by

Burt Bacharach Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; May 12, 1928 – February 8, 2023) was an American composer, songwriter, record producer, and pianist who is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential figures of 20th-century popular music. Start ...

and

Hal David Harold Lane David (May 25, 1921 – September 1, 2012) was an American lyricist. He was best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach and his association with Dionne Warwick. Early life David was born and raised in New ...

successfully. He performed with moderate success starting in 1961. His hits include " I Can't Break Away", " I Don't Want to Cry!", " Any Day Now", " I Keep Forgettin'", and "All Over the World".

Career

Jackson was born in

Winston-Salem, North Carolina Winston-Salem is a city in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the List of municipalities in North Carolina, fifth-most populous ...

, in 1937. He grew up in Latta, South Carolina, singing in a gospel group, and moved to

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

when he was 13. Between 1957 and 1959, he was a member of The Del-Vikings, singing lead on the 1957 release "Willette". After leaving the group, he was "discovered" by Luther Dixon when he opened for

Jackie Wilson Jack Leroy "Jackie" Wilson Jr. (June 9, 1934 – January 21, 1984) was an American singer who was a prominent figure in the transition of rhythm and blues into soul. Nicknamed "Mr. Excitement", he was considered a master showman and one of th ...

at the

Apollo Theater The Apollo Theater (formerly the Hurtig & Seamon's New Theatre; also Apollo Theatre or 125th Street Apollo Theatre) is a multi-use Theater (structure), theater at 253 125th Street (Manhattan), West 125th Street in the Harlem neighborhood of U ...

. He signed a recording contract with

Scepter Records Scepter Records was an American record company founded in 1959 by Florence Greenberg. History Florence Greenberg founded Scepter Records from the $4,000 she received after she sold Tiara Records and the Shirelles to Decca Records. When the S ...

subsidiary Wand Records. His first single, "I Don't Want to Cry", which he co-wrote (with Luther Dixon) and recorded in November 1960, was his first hit (released in January 1961). The song charted on both the R&B and pop charts. In 1962, Jackson's recording of the

Bob Hilliard Bob Hilliard (born Hilliard Goldsmith; January 28, 1918 – February 1, 1971) was an American lyricist. He wrote the words for the songs: "Alice in Wonderland", " In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning", " Any Day Now", " Dear Hearts and Gentl ...

song "Any Day Now" became a sizable hit and his signature song. His popularity in the 1960s prompted him to buy out the time on his contract from Scepter and move to

Motown Records Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

. He later commented the decision was "one of the worst mistakes I ever made in my life". He recorded a few successful singles including "Honey Come Back" for Motown. Then he recorded for All Platinum and other labels but with minimal success. After meeting producer/composer Charles Wallert at the Third Annual Beach Music Awards, the two collaborated to record "How Long Have You Been Loving Me" on Carolina Records. In 1998, Jackson teamed with longtime friend

Dionne Warwick Marie Dionne Warwick ( ; born Marie Dionne Warrick; December 12, 1940) is an American singer, actress, and television host. During her career, Warwick has won many awards, including six Grammy Awards. She has been inducted into the Hollywood Wa ...

and recorded "If I Let Myself Go"; it was arranged as a duet by Wallert for Wave Entertainment. The recording received critical acclaim charting at number 19 on the Gavin Adult Contemporary Charts. Jackson then released "What Goes Around, Comes Around", another Wallert production and composition; it reached No. 13 on the Gavin Charts.

Legacy

Several of Jackson's songs later became hits for other artists including

Ronnie Milsap Ronnie Lee Milsap (born Ronald Lee Millsaps; January 16, 1943) is an American country music singer and pianist. He was one of country music's most popular and influential performers of the 1970s and 1980s. Nearly completely blind from birth, h ...

, whose 1982 cover version of "Any Day Now" reached No. 1 on the Country and Adult Contemporary charts. Michael McDonald covered "I Keep Forgettin'" with much success. "I Keep Forgettin'" was also covered by

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

on his album ''

Tonight Tonight may refer to: Television * ''Tonight'' (1957 TV programme), a 1957–1965 British current events television programme hosted by Cliff Michelmore that was broadcast on BBC * ''Tonight'' (1975 TV programme), a 1975–1979 British current ...

'', as well as on a version produced by

Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (December 26, 1939 – January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter who is best known for pioneering recording practices in the 1960s, followed by his trials and conviction for murder in the 2000s. S ...

for the

Checkmates, Ltd. The Checkmates, Ltd. were an American R&B group from Fort Wayne, Indiana. The group, discovered by Nancy Wilson, was named such because the group included both black and white members, and their various skin tones evoked a chessboard; their on ...

Jackson was close friends with political strategist Lee Atwater. He appears in the documentary '' Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story''. Australian pop-rock band Big Pig recorded a cover of "I Can't Break Away", simply titled " Breakaway", which was used as the opening theme to the 1989 film ''

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure ''Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure'' is a 1989 American science fiction comedy film directed by Stephen Herek and written by Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon. The first installment of the ''Bill & Ted'' franchise, it stars Keanu Reeves, Alex Win ...

''. The song was covered in 2007 by

house music House is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 115–130 beats per minute. It was created by DJs and music producers from Chicago's underground ...

singer Inaya Day. On 4 October 2015, Chuck Jackson was inducted into the

Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame The National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame is an independent organization whose mission is to educate and to celebrate, preserve, promote, and present rhythm and blues music globally. History The National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame was founde ...

. His song "Hand it Over" was featured on the 2019

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

, '' Far Cry New Dawn''. In 2021, his song "Any Day Now" was used in a Volkswagen commercial. Jackson died on February 16, 2023, at the age of 85.

Awards

* 1992: Rhythm and Blues Foundation, Pioneer Award * 2009: Carolina Beach Music Hall of Fame, Joe Pope Pioneer Award * 2015: National Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame

Discography (selected)

Albums

* 1961: '' I Don't Want to Cry!'' (Wand WDM-650) * 1962: ''Any Day Now'' (Wand WDM-654) * 1963: ''Encore!'' (Wand WDM-655) * 1964: ''Chuck Jackson on Tour'' (Wand WDM-658) * 1965: ''Mr. Everything'' (Wand WDM-667) * 1965: ''Saying Something'', with Maxine Brown (Wand WDM-669) * 1966: ''A Tribute to Rhythm and Blues'' (Wand WDM-673) * 1966: ''A Tribute to Rhythm and Blues, Volume 2'' (Wand WDM-676) * 1966: ''Dedicated to the King'' (Wand WDM-680) * 1967: ''Greatest Hits'' (Wand WDM-683) * 1967: ''Hold On, We're Coming'', with Maxine Brown (Wand WDM-678) * 1967: ''The Early Show'', with Tammi Terrell (Wand WDM-682) * 1968: ''Chuck Jackson Arrives'' (Motown) * 1969: ''Goin' Back to Chuck Jackson'' (Motown) * 1970: ''Teardrops Keep Fallin' on My Heart'' (Motown) * 1974: ''Through All Times'' (ABC) * 1975: ''Needing You, Wanting You'' (All Platinum) * 1977: ''The Great Chuck Jackson'' (Bulldog) * 1980: ''After You'' (EMI America) * 1980: ''I Wanna Give You Some Love'' (EMI America) * 1992: '' I'll Take Care of You'', with Cissy Houston (Shanachie Entertainment) * 1994: ''Chuck Jackson'' (Platinum Pop) * 1994: ''Encore/Mr. Everything'' (Kent-UK) * 1998: ''Smooth, Smooth Jackson'' (Sequel Records)

Singles

Singles on Tamla Motown (UK)

* ''TMG651'' "Girls Girls Girls" / "(You Can't Let the Boy Overpower) The Man in You" – 7" * ''TMG729'' "Honey Come Back" / "What Am I Gonna Do Without You" – 7"

References

External links

Chuck Jackson – official websiteChuck Jackson speaks about Lee Atwater
in Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story
Chuck Jackson -Pittsburgh Music History
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Chuck 1937 births 2023 deaths American rhythm and blues musicians People from Latta, South Carolina Singers from Pittsburgh Northern soul musicians American soul singers All Platinum artists Motown artists Scepter Records artists Wand Records artists