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Millie Jackson | |
|---|---|
 Jackson performing at theHoward Theatre in 2012 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Mildred Virginia Jackson[1] (1944-07-15)July 15, 1944 (age 81)[2][3] Thomson, Georgia, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 1964–present |
| Labels | |
| Website | weirdwreckuds aj-productions |
Mildred Virginia Jackson (born July 15, 1944)[4][2] is an AmericanR&B andsoul recording artist. Beginning her career in the early 1960s, three of Jackson's albums have been certifiedgold by theRIAA for over 500,000 copies sold. Jackson's songs often include long spoken sections, sometimes humorous, sometimes sexually explicit. According to the cataloguing siteWhoSampled.com, her songs have appeared in 189 samples, 51 covers, and six remixes.[5]
Since she always enjoyed writing poems, in the early '70s Jackson began crafting such proto-rap R&B singles as the outspoken "A Child of God (It's Hard to Believe)".[6]
Born inThomson, Georgia, Jackson is the daughter of asharecropper, Jubilee Jackson.[7] Her mother died when she was a child and subsequently, she and her father moved to theNew York City area and settled inNewark, New Jersey. By the time Jackson was in her mid-teens, she had moved into New York City to live with an aunt who resided inBrooklyn. She found an occasional modeling gig for magazines likeJIVE andSepia.
In 1964, Jackson performed at a club in New York City.[8] She subsequently appeared in a "string of one nighters" after this.[6] Her performance was mostly talk and spoken words, but her onstage banter would become a focal point in her stage act. This banter stemmed from her being unsure of what to do in front of the crowd.
"I just talked to the audience because I was nervous," Jackson said. "Then my label (Spring) wanted to record it like I was doing it live. It was longer than a three-minute single, but not quite a whole album side so I said, 'We need to keep this story going.'"
Jackson's recording career reportedly began on a dare to enter a 1964 talent contest atHarlem nightclubSmalls Paradise, which she won.[9] Although she first recorded forMGM Records in 1970, she soon left and began a long association with New York-basedSpring Records. Working with the label's in-house producer, Raeford Gerald, her first single to chart was 1971's "A Child of God (It's Hard to Believe)," which reached number 22 on the R&B chart. In 1972, Jackson had her first R&B top ten single with the follow-up, "Ask Me What You Want",[10] which also reached the pop top 30, then "My Man, A Sweet Man" reached No. 7 R&B[10] and No. 50 on theUK Singles Chart;[11] all three songs were co-written by Jackson."My Man, A Sweet Man" was anorthern soul[12] hit record in the UK as was her 1976 recording "A House for Sale".[13] The following year brought her third US R&B top ten hit, "It Hurts So Good," which made No. 3 on the R&B chart[10] and No. 24 on the USBillboard Hot 100 pop chart. The single was featured on the album of the same name and in theblaxploitation filmCleopatra Jones.[10]
In 1974, she released thealbumCaught Up, which introduced her innovative style of raunchy spoken words.[10] The featured release was her version of Luther Ingram's million-seller, "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right",[10] for which she received aGrammy nomination. By now, she had switched producers to work only withBrad Shapiro, who had been involved with "It Hurts So Good" and "Love Doctor". Working at Muscle Shoals Studio in Alabama with the renownedMuscle Shoals Rhythm Section, she continued to record most of her material for Spring there, including the follow-up album,Still Caught Up.[10] Over the next ten years, Jackson had a string of successful albums and numerous R&B chart entries, the biggest being her 1977 version ofMerle Haggard's country hit "If We're Not Back in Love By Monday". That single was followed by many more, including her version of theBoney M. song, thedisco single, "Never Change Lovers in the Middle of The Night." This single peaked at No. 33 on the Billboard R&B chart in 1979.
Jackson recorded an album in 1979 with Isaac Hayes calledRoyal Rappin's and the same year saw her release a double album,Live and Uncensored, recorded in concert at Los Angeles venue, The Roxy andLive and Outrageous at Atlanta's Mr. V's Figure8. Jackson also formed and produced the groupFacts of Life. They had a major hit in 1976 with "Sometimes" (No. 3 R&B, No. 31 Pop). Jackson found herself without a label when Spring closed down in 1984, but in 1986, she signed with Jive Records in a deal that produced four albums and resulted in further R&B top ten hits with "Hot! Wild! Unrestricted! Crazy Love" and "Love Is a Dangerous Game". She appeared on an Elton John track in 1985, "Act of War", which was a top 40 hit in the UK, but failed to chart in the US.[10] In 1991, she wrote, produced and starred in the successful touring playYoung Man, Older Woman, based on her album of the same title for Jive. On November 24, 1994, Jackson appeared in theThanksgiving episode "Feast or Famine" ofMartin as Florine. In 2000, her voice featured in "Am I Wrong" byEtienne de Crécy, sampled from her performance in "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right".
Jackson has frequently appeared on "worst ever" lists for her album covers.E.S.P. (Extra Sexual Persuasion) features Jackson peering into a crystal ball that accentuates her cleavage;Back to the S**t! depicts Jackson sitting on a toilet where it is implied she isdefecating.[14]
Jackson now runs her own record label, Weird Wreckuds. After a lengthy hiatus from recording, she released her 2001 album,Not for Church Folk, which marked a return to her style with anUrban contemporary sound. The album features the singles "Butt-A-Cize" and "Leave Me Alone". The album also features a collaboration with rapperDa Brat on the song "In My Life". Jackson had her ownradio show inDallas, Texas for 13 years. Broadcasting via remote from her home inAtlanta, Georgia, Jackson worked in afternoon drive-time from 3–6 pm onKKDA 730 AM, until January 6, 2012.
In 2006, five of Jackson's best-selling albums –Millie Jackson (1972),It Hurts So Good (1973),Caught Up (1974),Still Caught Up (1975), andFeelin' Bitchy (1977) – were digitally remastered and released on CD with bonus tracks. All of Jackson's Spring Records-era albums are available fromAce Records in the UK.An Imitation of Love was re-issued on CD in 2013 by the Funkytowngrooves label in a remastered, expanded edition. Other albums released on theJive andIchiban labels remain out of print, though some of those songs appear on compilation CDs. On February 6, 2012, the documentary,Unsung – The Story of Mildred 'Millie' Jackson aired on the TV One network. Jackson performed at Washington, D.C.'s historicHoward Theatre on August 3, 2012, and atB.B. King's Blues Club in New York on August 4, 2012. On June 6, 2015, Jackson was inducted into the Official Rhythm & Blues Music Hall of Fame in Clarksdale, Mississippi.
Jackson has two children: singerKeisha Jackson,[15] and a son.[16] Jackson was married for a period of eight months to Victor Davis.[16]
| Year | Album | Chart positions | Certification | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [17] | US R&B [17] | AUS [18] | UK [11][19] | |||
| 1972 | Millie Jackson | 166 | — | — | — | |
| 1973 | It Hurts So Good | 175 | 13 | — | — | |
| 1974 | I Got to Try It One Time | — | — | — | — | |
| Caught Up | 21 | 4 | — | — |
| |
| 1975 | Still Caught Up | 112 | 27 | 96 | — | |
| 1976 | Free and in Love | — | 17 | — | — | |
| 1977 | Feelin' Bitchy | 34 | 4 | — | — |
|
| Lovingly Yours | 175 | 44 | — | — | ||
| 1978 | Get It Out'cha System | 55 | 14 | — | — |
|
| 1979 | A Moment's Pleasure | 144 | 47 | — | — | |
| Royal Rappin's(withIsaac Hayes) | 80 | 17 | — | — | ||
| Live & Uncensored | 94 | 22 | — | 81 | ||
| 1980 | For Men Only | 100 | 23 | — | — | |
| I Had to Say It | 137 | 25 | — | — | ||
| 1981 | Just a Lil' Bit Country | 201 | 43 | — | — | |
| 1982 | Hard Times | 201 | 29 | — | — | |
| Live and Outrageous | 113 | 11 | — | — | ||
| 1983 | E.S.P. (Extra Sexual Persuasion) | — | 40 | — | 59 | |
| 1986 | An Imitation of Love | 119 | 16 | — | — | |
| 1988 | The Tide Is Turning | — | — | — | — | |
| 1989 | Back to the S**t! | — | 79 | — | — | |
| 1991 | Young Man, Older Woman | — | — | — | — | |
| 1993 | Young Man, Older Woman: Cast Album | — | — | — | — | |
| 1994 | Rock N' Soul | — | — | — | — | |
| 1995 | It's Over | — | — | — | — | |
| 1997 | The Sequel, It Ain't Over | — | — | — | — | |
| 2001 | Not for Church Folk! | — | — | — | — | |
| 2014 | On the Soul Country Side | — | — | — | — | |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||
| Year | Single | Chart positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [20] | US R&B [20] | UK [11][19] | ||||
| 1971 | "A Child of God" | 102 | 22 | — | ||
| 1972 | "Ask Me What You Want" | 27 | 4 | — | ||
| "My Man, a Sweet Man" | 42 | 7 | 50 | |||
| "I Miss You Baby" | 95 | 22 | — | |||
| 1973 | "Breakaway" | 110 | 16 | — | ||
| "It Hurts So Good" | 24 | 3 | — | |||
| 1974 | "I Got to Try It One Time" | — | 21 | — | ||
| "How Do You Feel the Morning After" | 77 | 11 | — | |||
| 1975 | "The Rap" | — | 42 | — | ||
| "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right" | 42 | (flip) | — | |||
| "I'm Through Trying to Prove My Love to You" | — | 58 | — | |||
| "Leftovers" | 87 | 17 | — | |||
| "Loving Arms" | — | 45 | — | |||
| 1976 | "Bad Risk" | — | 24 | — | ||
| "There You Are" | — | (flip) | — | |||
| "Feel Like Making Love" | — | 71 | — | |||
| 1977 | "I Can't Say Goodbye" | — | 40 | — | ||
| "A Love of Your Own" | — | 87 | — | |||
| "If You're Not Back in Love By Monday" | 43 | 5 | — | |||
| 1978 | "All the Way Lover" | 102 | 12 | — | ||
| "Sweet Music Man" | — | 33 | — | |||
| "Keep the Home Fires Burnin'" | — | 83 | — | |||
| 1979 | "Never Change Lovers in the Middle of the Night" | — | 33 | — | ||
| "A Moment's Pleasure" | — | 70 | — | |||
| "We Got to Hit It Off" | — | 56 | — | |||
| "Do You Wanna Make Love"(with Isaac Hayes) | — | 30 | — | |||
| 1980 | "Didn't I Blow Your Mind" | — | 49 | — | ||
| "You Never Cross My Mind"(with Isaac Hayes) | — | 78 | — | |||
| "Despair" | — | 61 | — | |||
| "This Is It (Part One)" | — | 88 | — | |||
| 1981 | "I Can't Stop Loving You" | — | 62 | — | ||
| 1982 | "Special Occasion" | — | 51 | — | ||
| 1983 | "I Feel Like Walking in the Rain" | — | 58 | 55 | ||
| 1985 | "Act of War"(with Elton John) | — | — | 32 | ||
| 1986 | "Hot Wild Unrestricted Crazy Love" | — | 9 | 99 | ||
| 1987 | "Love Is a Dangerous Game" | — | 6 | 81 | ||
| "An Imitation of Love" | — | 58 | — | |||
| "It's a Thang" | — | 79 | — | |||
| "Be Yourself"(with Whodini) | — | 20 | — | |||
| 1988 | "Something You Can Feel" | — | 45 | — | ||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||
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