Randy Jackson (born Steven Randall Jackson on June 23, 1956 Baton Rouge, Louisiana) is an American musician and record producer, now best known to the general public for being a judge on the television show American Idol.
As a musician Randy Jackson plays the electric bass. He was the bass player for the band Journey for a period in the 1980s. He 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, Bruce Springsteen and Madonna. He has also worked as an executive with Columbia Records and MCA Records.
Randy Jackson has been a judge with American Idol since its inception in 2002. On the show he is known for taking a middle road of criticism between the supportiveness of Paula Abdul and the nastiness of Simon Cowell. He has popularized "pitchy" as the way to describe off-key singing. He is also renowned for his heavy use of slang terms and gestures, most notably the word "dawg". When Randy says "you can blow," it means "you can sing well." Jackson sometimes wears outrageous outfits and supplies an endless inspirational resource for those looking for eye glasses.
He was married to Elizabeth Jackson until 1990 when he divorced her. Since 1995, he has been married to Erika Riker. In 2003 Jackson had well-publicized gastric bypass surgery and has subsequently lost over a hundred pounds, which explains his drastic change in appearance from season three of American Idol onwards.
Contrary to popular belief, Randy Jackson is not a cousin of the actor Samuel L. Jackson, nor is he related to any other famous Jackson.
As a musician Randy Jackson plays the electric bass. He was the bass player for the band Journey for a period in the 1980s. He 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, Bruce Springsteen and Madonna. He has also worked as an executive with Columbia Records and MCA Records.
Randy Jackson has been a judge with American Idol since its inception in 2002. On the show he is known for taking a middle road of criticism between the supportiveness of Paula Abdul and the nastiness of Simon Cowell. He has popularized "pitchy" as the way to describe off-key singing. He is also renowned for his heavy use of slang terms and gestures, most notably the word "dawg". When Randy says "you can blow," it means "you can sing well." Jackson sometimes wears outrageous outfits and supplies an endless inspirational resource for those looking for eye glasses.
He was married to Elizabeth Jackson until 1990 when he divorced her. Since 1995, he has been married to Erika Riker. In 2003 Jackson had well-publicized gastric bypass surgery and has subsequently lost over a hundred pounds, which explains his drastic change in appearance from season three of American Idol onwards.
Contrary to popular belief, Randy Jackson is not a cousin of the actor Samuel L. Jackson, nor is he related to any other famous Jackson.