Randy Jackson Biography
Randy Jackson is an American musician, record executive, and television host, best known for his time as a judge on American Idol from 2002 to 2013. Jackson started his career as a session musician in the 1980s, playing bass guitar for a variety of jazz, pop, rock, and R&B artists.
Randy Jackson Age
Jackson was born Randall Darius Jackson on 23 June 1956 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States of America. He is 66 years old as of June 2022.
Randy Jackson Education
He received his bachelor’s degree in music from Southern University in 1979.
Randy Jackson Height
He stands at a height of 5’8″ (173 cm), tall.
Randy Jackson Family- Siblings
Jackson was born to Julian and Herman Jackson on June 23, 1956, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. His father worked as a plant foreman, and his mother was a stay-at-home mom.
Randy Jackson’s Wife- Children
He was married to Elizabeth Jackson, and later the marriage ended in divorce in 1990; the couple had one daughter, Taylor. Jackson then married Erika Riker in 1995, and they have two children, a daughter named Zoe and a son named Jordan. Riker filed for divorce in 2014, citing irreconcilable differences; the divorce was finalized in 2019.
Randy Jackson’s American Idol
Jackson joined Paula Abdul (2002-2009), Simon Cowell (2002-2010), Kara DioGuardi (2009-2010), Ellen DeGeneres (2010), Jennifer Lopez (2011-2012), Steven Tyler (2011-2012), Nicki Minaj (2013), Mariah Carey (2013), and Keith Urban as panel judges on the Fox Network reality television series American Idol beginning in 2002. (2013). Because of Cowell’s departure, Jackson was the only original judge on American Idol. His role was originally intended to be reduced to that of a mentor, with all new judges for the 2013 season[9], but it was later decided that he would remain as a judge for season 12. [10] On May 9, 2013, Jackson announced his departure from American Idol after twelve seasons.
Randy Jackson Career
Jackson was in bands with Carlos Santana and Jerry Garcia, among others. Jackson landed a bigger break by playing on three albums for Jean-Luc Ponty and with the rock band, ‘Taxxi’. In the 1980s, Jackson took advantage of an opportunity to travel to Italy and temporarily relocated there. He made friends with the Italian pop star Zucchero here. ‘Zucchero and the Randy Jackson Band’ was produced by Corrado Rustici, who had previously worked with Jackson on several albums. Jackson collaborated with the rock band ‘Journey’ in 1986, appearing on their album ‘Raised on Radio’. He stayed with the band as a session musician for another year. The following year, Jackson appeared in the music video for the album ‘Aretha,’ alongside Aretha Franklin and Keith Richards.
After working on guitarist Steve Lukather’s first solo album, he worked on five songs on Maze’s album ‘Silky Soul’ in 1989. During this time, he also worked on ‘Kenny G’ albums. Jackson was the bass guitarist for Divinyl’s self-titled album in 1991. The following year, he appeared on several tracks from the album ‘Matters of the Heart,’ including “Bang Bang Bang” and “Open Arms.” He also contributed bass to Bruce Springsteen’s “Human Touch.” In 2002, Jackson grabbed the spotlight when he became one of the judges of Fox Network’s reality television series, ‘American Idol’. Jackson stayed on the show and collaborated with many other judges, including Paula Abdul, Jennifer Lopez, and Nicki Minaj.
He released the album ‘Randy Jackson’s Music Club, Vol. 1’ in 2008. He produced the entire album himself. ‘American Best Dance Crew,’ a reality television show, was produced by Jackson. The show aired on MTV but was canceled in 2010 due to low ratings. In 2009, he worked on the production of Kimberley Locke’s fourth album, a finalist on American Idol. ‘Strobe Light,’ the lead single, was released. For eight years, he was the vice president of artists and repertoire (A&R) at Columbia Records, and for four years, he was the A&R director at MCA Records. Jackson is now the manager of the Charlotte-based band “Paper Tongues.” Jackson left ‘American Idol’ in November 2014 to focus on his other business ventures.
Randy Jackson’s Net Worth
Randy has an estimated net worth of 50 million dollars as of 2022.