''For the former member of The Jacksons and brother of Michael Jackson, see Randy Jackson (musician)
'''Randall Matthew Jackson''' (born June 23, 1956) is an American musician and record producer, now best known to the general public for being a judge on the television show ''
American Idol''.
Biography
Early life
Randy Jackson was born and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He 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 seventeen years old. He subsequently attended Southern University, where he graduated with a double major in music and psychology.
Music career
left|thumb|Randy Jackson singing on tour with Journey
As a musician, Jackson plays the electric bass. One big break of his was that he played bass for violin virtuoso Jean-Luc Ponty as well as playing bass in the band Journey from 1985 to 1987. He was a highly regarded session musician in Los Angeles during the 1980s. His credits are far too many to note, but range from playing with Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, Billy Cobham, Blue Öyster Cult, Herbie Hancock, Richard Marx, Billy Joel, Journey, Bob Dylan to playing at the Grand Ole Opry with The Charlie Daniels Band. His production/songwriting work in the San Francisco Bay area with Narada Michael Walden and Walter Afanasieff led Randy to be quite in demand as a producer himself.
While in the Bay area, Randy played in bands with Carlos Santana and Jerry Garcia. He moved to Italy in the late 1980s and produced a record for Italian pop star Zucchero. The record ''Zucchero and the Randy Jackson Band'' produced one of Zucchero's biggest hits, "Donne". Jackson has also recorded, produced, or toured with many well-known artists and bands, ranging from Mariah Carey (whom he knew when she was still a teenager; he was in her band at Live 8 in London in 2005) to *NSYNC, Céline Dion, Wild Orchid, Bruce Springsteen, and Madonna. He has also worked as an executive with Columbia Records and MCA Records.
Jackson also manages current artists Van Hunt and 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 Grammy Awards with Mariah Carey as well as the Sly & The Family Stone tribute. Later in 2006 he will serve as the musical director for Carey's The Adventures of Mimi Tour.
