Joe Jackson Biography

Musician Joe Jackson was born in 1954 in Burton-on-Trent, England. As a young child, he originally had aspirations to be a writer, but found music far more interesting.  He began studying music theory and music history, and then began piano lessons with the intention of pursuing composition. By the age of sixteen, he was writing songs that brought him into the pop and performance world, sometimes playing piano at local pubs around the neighborhood. A scholarship to London’s Royal Academy of Music opened the door to more formal study, and by the time his studies ended, he had established Arms and Legs, a band which released a few singles and lasted until the mid 1970’s.

Following the band’s breakup, Joe Jackson served as musical director and pianist for the Portsmouth Playboy Club, which earned him enough money to create an solid demo and form his own band, alongside musicians Graham Maby, Dave Houghton, and Gary Sanford. An American music producer saw the potential in the demo, and Joe Jackson found himself with a record contract. Look Sharp, his debut, was released in 1979. I’m the Man came next in 1980, followed by Beat Crazy, and then Night and Day.

Around the same time, Joe Jackson took his composition skills and write the score for Mike’s Murder. In addition to film scoring, the coming years saw a number of albums from Joe Jackson, including: Body and Soul (1984), Big World (1986), Blaze of Glory (1989), Laughter and Lust (1991), Night Music (1994), Heaven and Hell (1997), and Night and Day II (2000.) Notable singles from Joe Jackson include “Is She Really Going Out With Him?” (1978), “Fools in Love” (1979), “The Harder They Come” (1980), “Jumpin’ Jive” (1981), “Steppin’ Out” (1982), “Memphis,” (1983), “Happy Ending” (1984), “Right and Wrong,” (1986), “Nineteen Forever” (1989), and “Stranger than You” (2001.) Jackson’s first Grammy came in the dawn of the new millennium, for Best Pop Instrumental Album, for Symphony No. 1, and then in 2003 he re-formed his original band to create Volume 4. The albums Afterlife (2004), Rain (2008) and The Duke (2012) came next.

Joe Jackson continues to perform and record. His latest album, Fast Forward, launched an extensive North American tour upon its release in 2015. In the following year, a number of Jackson’s earlier albums were re-mastered and then re-released.