JACKIE ROSS

Jaculyn Bless Ross was born in St. Louis, MO, on January 30, 1946. As her parents were both preachers, she began singing gospel on their radio show at age three. The Ross family became close friends with Sam Cooke, then-lead singer of the Soul Stirrers. When Jackie’s father died in 1954, the family relocated to Chicago at Cooke’s urging.

When Ross was fifteen, Cooke signed her to his SAR label. “Hold Me” (written by Cooke) / “Hard Times” (written by Ross) came out in 1962 under the name “Jacki Ross,” who showed a flair for lyrics with couplets like, “Last time I had a new pair of shoes / Nat Cole was still singing the blues.” The single did not sell, likely because Jackie’s mother refused to let her go out on tour to promote it.

Despite her association with Cooke, Ross’ big break came when she won a singing contest at the Trianon Ballroom in Woodlawn, IL, where Syl Johnson’s band was playing. This led to a regular gig with the Chicago R&B legend, which in turn brought Ross to the attention of Bill “Doc” Lee, a gospel DJ at WVON. The station was owned in part by record executive Leonard Chess, to whom Lee brought Ross. Chess signed the 18-year-old to his label.

Her Chess debut, “Selfish One,” reached #4 on the Rhythm & Blues chart and #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop survey in 1964. It also hit #5 in Canada. Her second Chess release, “I’ve Got the Skill,” stalled at #89 while the dance number “Jerk and Twine” sputtered at #85. “Haste Makes Waste” did even worse, scraping Billboard’s “Bubbling Under the Hot 100” chart at #126. Chess also released an LP on Ross, Full Bloom.

The label continued to put out material on Ross, including the first-rate “Dynamite Lovin’” and “Take Me for a Little While,” but neither charted. To Ross’ irritation, the latter song produced a white cover version by Evie Sands (which also didn’t chart). To this day, Sands insists that her label gave her the song to record and that she was unaware at the time of Ross’ original.

In 1967, Ross moved on to another Chicago label, Brunswick, where she worked with songwriter-producer Carl Davis. Despite fine efforts like “Mr. Sunshine (Where Is My Shadow)” and “Keep Your Chin Up,” none of Ross’ Brunswick material was commercially unsuccessful.

By 1969, she was on Jerry Butler’s Fountain label, which released the singles “Showcase” and “Don’t Change Your Mind.” The year 1971 saw a single Mercury release on Ross, “Glory Be.” That same year, she put out the vaguely psychedelic “Doctor Slap’s Man Is Born” for USA Records.

Jackie Ross remained prolific in the recording studio throughout the 1970s, releasing numerous singles on labels like GSF, Sedgrick, and Capitol. In 1979, she signed with Golden Ear Records, a partnership that would last through 1988. At this writing, Ross’ 1980 LP for Golden Ear, A New Beginning, was selling on Discogs for $475.

Jackie Ross also became popular on the British “Northern Soul” scene. Northern Soul is defined as “a music and dance movement that emerged in Northern England and the English Midlands in the late 1960s from the British mod scene, based on a particular style of Black American soul music, especially from the mid-1960s, with a heavy beat and fast tempo (100 BPM and above), or American soul music from northern cities such as Detroit, Chicago, and others. The northern soul movement generally eschews music that has had significant mainstream success. The recordings most prized by enthusiasts of the genre are usually by lesser-known artists, released only in limited numbers.” Along with those fast dance records, the UK scene also loves violin-laden mid-tempo grooves, of which Ross had recorded plenty.

In 1999, she was interviewed for the documentary, The Strange World of Northern Soul. She also performed two of her songs in the film.

Ross later returned to her gospel roots in the churches of Chicago, but did not fully eschew secular music. She has also designed and crafted dresses under the brand name, “Sew What? By Jackie,” and has worked as a nutritionist.

Charted singles:

“Selfish One” (1964) R&B #4, Pop #11
“I’ve Got the Skill” (1964) R&B #46, Pop #89
“Haste Makes Waste” (1964) Pop #126
"Jerk and Twine” (1965) R&B #38, Pop #85