CHUCK JACKSON

Chuck Jackson was one of the first artists to record songs written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David.

He was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on July 22, 1937, and grew up in Pittsburgh. In 1957, Jackson joined the Del Vikings, who had recently made the national top ten with the doo-wop rockers “Come Go With Me” and “Whispering Bells.” He left the group in 1959.

When Jackson performed at New York’s Apollo Theater as an opening act for Jackie Wilson, he came to the attention of producer Luther Dixon, who signed Jackson to Wand Records (a division of Scepter, home of the Shirelles and later Dionne Warwick). In November 1960, Jackson recorded “I Don’t Want to Cry,” which he co-wrote with Dixon. It made both the Rhythm & Blues and pop charts in 1961. The following year produced Chuck Jackson’s biggest hit, Bacharach/David’s “Any Day Now,” with which Country star Ronnie Milsap also did well in 1982. Another of Jackson’s 1962 recordings, “I Keep Forgettin’,” also became a hit twenty years later, this time for Michael McDonald.

By 1968, Chuck Jackson was on Motown, but his tenure with the Detroit powerhouse was not exactly lucrative. His biggest Motown single, a remake of Freddie Scott’s “Are You Lonely For Me Baby,” reached #27 on the R&B chart and missed the Billboard Hot 100 completely. By 1973, Jackson was on ABC, hitting the R&B top forty with “I Only Get This Feeling.” Over the next twenty-five years, he turned up on such labels as All Platinum, Bulldog, EMI America, Platinum Pop, Kent (UK), Sequel, and Shanachie.

In 1992, Chuck Jackson received the Rhythm & Blues Foundation’s prestigious Pioneer Award. In 2009, he received the Joe Pope Pioneer Award from the Carolina Beach Music Hall of Fame. In 2015, Jackson was inducted into the Official Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame. And four years later, his 1964 recording of “Hand It Over” turned up in the video game, Far Cry New Dawn.

Jackson was a good friend of the notorious political strategist Lee Atwater and appeared in the 2008 documentary film, Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story.

Though his chart career lasted longer than most unsung heroes of soul, Chuck Jackson’s level of success was never more than moderate. Still, he managed to earn a living in the music business for sixty-plus years.

Chuck Jackson, 85, died in Atlanta, GA, on February 16, 2023.

Rock critic Dave Marsh included Jackson's "I Don't Want to Cry," "Any Day Now," and "Beg Me" in his 1989 book, The Heart of Rock and Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made.

Charted singles:

“I’m Yours” (1960) Pop #91
“I Don’t Want to Cry” (1961) R&B #5, Pop #36
“(It Never Happens) In Real Life” (1961) R&B #22, Pop #46
“Mr. Pride” (1961) Pop #91
“I Wake Up Crying” (1961) R&B #13, Pop #59
“Any Day Now” (1962) R&B #2, Pop #23
“I Keep Forgettin’” (1962) Pop #55
“Who’s Gonna Pick Up the Pieces” (1962) Pop #119
“Getting Ready for the Heartbreak” (1962) Pop #88
“Tell Him I’m Not Home” (1963) R&B #12, Pop #42
“Tears of Joy” (1963) Pop #85
“I Will Never Turn My Back on You” (1963) R&B #29, Pop #110
“Any Other Way” (1963) R&B #47, Pop #81
“Hand It Over” (1964) R&B #13, Pop #92
“Beg Me” (1964) R&B #5, Pop #45
“Somebody New” (1964) Pop #93
“Since I Don’t Have You” (1964) R&B #18, Pop #47
“I Need You” (1965) R&B #22, Pop #75
“Something You Got” (duet with Maxine Brown, 1965) R&B #10, Pop #55
“If I Didn’t Love You” (1965) R&B #18, Pop #46
“Can’t Let You Out of My Sight” (duet with Maxine Brown, 1965) Pop #91
“I Need You So” (duet with Maxine Brown, 1965) Pop #98
“Good Things Come to Those Who Wait” (duet with Maxine Brown, 1965) Pop #105
“I’m Satisfied” (duet with Maxine Brown, 1966) Pop #112
“Hold On! I’m Coming” (duet with Maxine Brown, 1967) R&B #20, Pop #91
“Daddy’s Home” (duet with Maxine Brown, 1967) R&B #46, Pop #91
“Shame on Me” (1967) R&B #40, Pop #76
“(You Can’t Let the Boy Overpower) The Man in You” (1968) Pop #94
“Are You Lonely for Me Baby” (1968) R&B #27, Pop #107
“Honey Come Back” (1969) R&B #43
“I Only Get This Feeling” (1973) R&B #35, Pop #117
“I Can’t Break Away” (1973) R&B #62
“I’m Needing You, Wanting You” (1975) R&B #30
“I Wanna Give You Some Love” (1980) R&B #90