Randy Jackson

Birth Name:

Randall Darius Jackson

Birth Place:

Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States

Profession

Actor, Soundtrack, Music department, Producer

Gladys Knight's "At Last," which he co-produced, won a Grammy for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Album in 2001
Started playing bass when he was 13, taking lessons from Sammy Thornton, one of the bass players who used to practice with his band on a front porch in Jackson's neighborhood
Quote: "Producing, writing and playing are all about the same thing-the song․"
Many recognize him as a Judge for the "American Idol" singing competition, a role he filled for 12 seasons, a longer tenure than any of the other original judges
Transitioned from playing bass for artists like Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin and Blue Oyster Cult to producing and working as a music industry executive with Columbia Records and MCA in the early 1990s
Helps design bass accessories such as amplifiers and strings
Met blues musicians Buddy Guy and Junior Wells when he was 14 and didn't realize they were famous at the time

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