Freddie Jackson
Freddie Jackson is an American soul and R&B singer born Frederick Anthony Jackson on October 2, 1956, in Harlem, New York. He rose to fame in the 1980s with smooth ballads and chart-topping hits.
Jackson grew up in Harlem and began singing in church, a common path for many Black artists. He started his professional career in the early 1980s as the lead singer for the funk band Mystic Merlin on their 1982 album Full Moon. Later, he worked as a backup singer for artists like Evelyn "Champagne" King and Melba Moore.
From 1985, Jackson scored over 30 R&B chart hits, including ten number ones, ranking him 11th among the decade's top R&B artists. Key singles like "Rock Me Tonight (For Old Times Sake)," "You Are My Lady," and "Jam Tonight" crossed into pop Top 40. His duets with Melba Moore, such as "A Little Bit More," were also major successes.
His debut Rock Me Tonight (1985) and follow-up Just Like the First Time (1986) both went platinum in the US, topping R&B charts. Later releases like Don't Let Love Slip Away (1988) and Do Me Again (1990) earned gold status. Hits tapered after 1992, but he continued with albums into the 2010s, including Love Signals in 2018.
Jackson appeared in the 1990 film Def by Temptation. He remains active with live performances and released studio albums as recently as 2018. Grammy-nominated, he's celebrated for his emotive style in soul and quiet storm genres.
Don't Let Love Slip Away
Written-By – B.J. Eastmond, J. Skinner
5:05
A2 Hey Lover
Written-By – S. Moore, K. Washington
5:02
A3 Don't Let Love Slip Away
Written-By – B.J. Eastmond, J. Skinner
4:30
A4 Crazy (For Me)
Written-By – B.J. Eastmond, J. Skinner
3:59
A5 One Heart Too Many
Written-By – B.J. Eastmond, J. Skinner
4:00
B1 If You Don't Know Me By Now
Written-By – Booth, McFadden, Vitali
4:16
B2 You And I Got A Thang
4:27
B3 Special Lady
Written-By – Moore, Jackson, Laurence
4:37
B4 Yes, I Need You
Written-By – Booth, McFadden, Vitali
4:20
B5 It's Gonna Take A Long, Long Time
Written-By – Booth, McFadden, Vitali
4:14
Label: Capitol Records – C1-48987
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1988
Genre: R&B Soul
Style: Eighties Soul
For You
Written-By – Barry Eastmond, Gary Brown
2 After All This Time
Written-By – Barry Eastmond, Billy Cliff, Freddie Jackson
3 A Dozen Roses
Written-By – Barry Eastmond, Gary Brown, Gary Brown, Mike Clark
4 Incognito
Written-By – Barry Eastmond, Jolyon Skinner
5 A Little Taste
Written-By – Barry Eastmond, Freddie Jackson
6 Say Yeah
Written-By – Barry Eastmond, Freddie Jackson, Gary Brown
7 For You I Will (Dollie's Song)
Written-By – Barry Eastmond
8 Rumors
Written-By – Barry Eastmond, Jolyon Skinner
9 Any Way You Want It
Written-By – Barry Eastmond, Gary Brown
10 Definition Of Love
Featuring, Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals – Sara Devine
Written-By – Barry Eastmond, Gordon Chambers
11 Slow Dance
Written-By – Barry Eastmond, Gordon Chambers
12 What's On Your Mind
Written-By – Barry Eastmond, Gary Brown
Label: eOne – EOM CD 2119
Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 2010
Genre: Soul, Funk
Style: Contemporary R&B, Soul
Greatest Hits
Written-By – Dash, Humphries, Laurence
2 Rock Me Tonight
Written-By – Laurence
3 I Don't Want To Lose Your Love
Written-By – McFadden, McKinney, Whitehead, Vitali
4 I Could Use A Little Love (Right Now)
Written-By – B. Eastmond, J. Skinner
5 Jamt Tonight
Written-By – F. Jackson, P. Laurence
6 Nice And Slow
Written-By – B. J. Eastmond, J. Skinner
7 You Are My Lady
Written-By – Barry Eastmond
8 Love Me Down
Written-By – B. Eastmond, J. Skinner
9 Have You Ever Loved Somebody (Edit)
Written-By – B. Eastmond, J. Skinner
10 Hey Lover
Written-By – S. Moore, K. Washington
11 Love Is Just A Touch Away
Written-By – B. Eastmond, F. Jackson
12 Tasty Love
Written-By – F. Jackson, P. Laurence
13 Christmas Forever
Written-By – McKinney, Dempsey, Lawrence
14 Rock Me Tonight (Remix)
Written-By – Ed Townsend, Marvin Gaye, Paul Laurence
Label: Capitol Records – CDP-527641
Format: CD, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 1993
Genre: R&B Funk, Soul
Style: Soul
Just Like The First Time
Written-By – F. Jackson, P. Laurence
4:19
A2 Have You Ever Loved Somebody
Written-By – B. Eastmond, J. Skinner
4:36
A3 Look Around
Written-By – J. Dempsey, M.D. Campbell, P. Laurence
5:03
A4 Jam Tonight
Written-By – F. Jackson, P. Laurence
4:31
A5 Just Like The First Time
Written-By – H. King
4:08
B1 I Can't Let You Go
Written-By – D. Quander, G, Glenn
4:49
B2 I Don't Want To Lose Your Love
Written-By – G. McFadden, J. McKinney, J. Whitehead, L. Vitali
4:10
B3 Janay
Written-By – G. McFadden, J. McKinney, L. Vitali
5:00
B4 Still Waiting
Written-By – V. Thomas, W. Warnecke
5:00
B5 You Are My Love
Written-By – S. Moore, P. Laurence
5:23
Label: Capitol Records – ST-12495
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1986
Genre: R&B Soul
Style: Eighties Soul, Contemporary R&B
Rock Me Tonight
Producer – Barry Eastmond
Written-By – B. Eastmond, K. Diamond
4:44
A2 Love Is Just A Touch Away
Producer – Barry Eastmond
Written-By – B. Eastmond, F. Jackson
5:15
A3 I Wanna Say I Love You
Producer – Barry Eastmond
Written-By – B. Eastmond, F. Jackson
4:38
A4 You Are My Lady
Producer, Written-By – Barry Eastmond
4:42
B1 Rock Me Tonight (For Old Times Sake)
Backing Vocals – Paul Laurence, Reggie King
Bass – Timmy Allen
Producer, Written-By, Drum Programming, Keyboards [& D X 7, Kurtzweil] – Paul Laurence
7:06
B2 Sing A Song Of Love
Producer, Written-By – Barry Eastmond
5:05
B3 Calling
Producer – Barry Eastmond
Written-By – B. Eastmond, K. Diamond
5:30
B4 Good Morning Heartache
Producer – Robert Aries
Soloist, Saxophone – Stanley Turrentine
Written-By – Fisher, Drake, Higginbotham
4:26
Label: Capitol Records – ST-12404
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1985
Genre: R&B Soul
Style: Eighties Soul, Contemporary R&B
Released in 1985, Freddie Jackson’s Rock Me Tonight is a definitive 1980s quiet storm masterpiece, featuring a platinum-selling blend of romantic, synth-heavy ballads and uptempo funk, highlighted by hits like the title track and "You Are My Lady". The album established Jackson as a premiere R&B balladeer, earning a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist.
The album captures the essence of mid-80s R&B, combining lush, sentimental balladry with, in some tracks, an aggressive, dance-oriented funk sound.
Rock Me Tonight was a massive success, spending 63 weeks on the U.S. R&B chart, with four top-10 hits, including the 6-week number-one title track.
Jackson is recognized for his smooth tenor, utilizing signature vibrato to deliver romantic, heartfelt performances.
Key Tracks:
"Rock Me Tonight (For Old Times Sake)": A slow, rhythmic ballad with nostalgic lyrics.
"You Are My Lady": A signature, highly romantic ballad.
"He'll Never Love You (Like I Do)": A high-energy, danceable track.
"Good Morning Heartache": A jazz standard cover showcasing his versatility, featuring a saxophone solo by Stanley Turrentine.
With backing from top industry talents, the album solidified Jackson as a 1980s heartthrob, competing directly with contemporaries like Luther Vandross.
The album is highly regarded by critics and fans, often cited for its "all killer, no filler" quality within the R&B genre.It remains his most celebrated work, with fans on Discogs giving it high average ratings (approx. 4.3 to 4.5 out of 5).
Time For Love
Written by Barry Eastmond, Jolyon Skinner
5:33
2 Time For Love Tonight
Writtn by Barry Eastmond, Jolyon Skinner
5:02
3 Chivalry
Written by Joshua P. Thompson
4:30
4 Trouble
Written by Joshua P. Thompson
5:02
5 Can I Touch You
Written by Kiyamma Griffin, Vincent Herbert
4:17
6 All I'll Ever Ask
Featuring [Duet] – Najee
Written by Joshua Kadison
4:39
7 Will You Be There
Written by Barry Eastmond, Jolyon Skinner
5:21
8 Come With Me Tonight
Written by Barry Eastmond, Jolyon Skinner
4:48
9 Can We Try
Written by Barry Eastmond, Jolyon Skinner
4:55
10 Me & Mrs. Jones
Written by Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff, Cary Gilbert
5:23
11 Live My Life Without You
Featuring [Duet] – D'Atra Hicks
Written by Richard Marx, Kathy Wakefield
4:53
Transitions
Written-By – Marc Nelson, Wirlie Morris
2 Transitions
Written-By – Anthony Davis
3 Hold On Me
Written-By – Brandon Nuby, Catherine Powlett, Jason Farmer, Maureen Singleton, Roderick Chambers
4 How Can I
Written-By – Anthony Davis
5 Can't Get My Flow
Written-By – Paul Laurence, Tyrone Holmes
6 Stay And Talk To Me
Written-By – Christian Salyer, Marc Nelson
7 More Than Friends
Written-By – Marc Nelson, Wirlie Morris
8 Superman
Written-By – Ladette
9 Tell Me About It
Written-By – Anthony Davis
10 Heaven
Written-By – Asaph Womack, Gil Small, Gus Lloyd
11 What Cha'll Waiting For
Written-By – Eugene Wood, Sean Bryant, Whitney Adams
12a Superstar
Written-By – Bonnie Bramlett, Delaney Bramlett, Leon Russell
12b Wind Beneath My Wings
Written-By – Jeff Allen Silbar, Larry Henley
Label: Orpheus Music – 80246 90956 2 3
Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 2006
Genre: R&B Funk, Soul
Style: Soul