|
I just interviewed Meli'sa Morgan on Monday and I
asked her the flip side of this first question that I
am going to ask you. Can you describe your working relationship
with Meli'sa Morgan?
Freddie Jackson-It's
very sexy. I find working with Meli'sa…she's very adorable,
sensitive, as well as a lot of fun. She is a consummate
performer. She knows what she wants. She is very direct.
We have a good time working together; hanging out together.
We have good friends in this industry and I can say Meli'sa
Morgan would be my best friend.
 |
I know you have a new album coming out but your name
constantly stays out there in the industry. Do you write
songs for other artists?
Freddie Jackson- Well
I have. I think two years ago when Whitney Houston came
out with her first Christmas album myself and Gordon Chambers
and Barry Eastman wrote the theme song for her album which
is titled "One Wish." I've written for Melba Moore,
I've wrote a lot of songs for myself about five of them
which have gone number one; although I've had 11 number
ones out of the 11 five I co-wrote. I have some stuff
in the can. I have a song I wrote for Miss Anita Baker
that didn't make this album but maybe it will make the
next one. I'm constantly writing because it's a wonderful
thing to have publishing. I try to educate a lot of these
New Jacks that come out to not only be performers and
singers but learn how to write because if the bottom falls
out at least you've got that publishing to depend on.
I love to write just in case that bottom falls out I can
go to the mailbox ya know?
How many shows do you do a year? Are you still performing?
Freddie Jackson-I'm
performing this weekend--myself, Jeffrey Osbourne, Regina
Bell and Howard Hewitt. We are performing in Atlanta and
in LA. I'm constantly on the road. I spend a lot of time
on the road during the year. A lot of people may not hear
new albums from me but thank God the stuff I put in the
can still works so promoters are calling me to work. Sometimes
you don't always have something new but God knows I'm
glad to have something new to come out November 1st that
I'm really happy about. I'm loving this new album.
Can you tell me all about the new album?
Freddie Jackson-Yes.
It's a wonderful piece of project and I'm proud of the
product. I think it's something that's going to live for
a long time and go in my archives. I had a chance to step
out and do something and sign with a record label that
kind of saw my dream and felt my dream. I'm doing some
songs; some timeless records. Artemis Records, who I am
now signed to, an my management Orpheus
Entertainment, we all got together and we said, "Yeah
we can sign you and record an album and come out with
another new album with songs people don't know or we can
come out and we can do some songs that the world loves
and let you put your personal touch on them. That's when
we got the idea for "Personal Reflections." So I went
into my jukebox, my old box in the closet with the exception
of "I Don't Know Why," by Miss Norah Jones, which I think
came out beautifully. I picked songs like, "I Go Crazy,"
and "Love Ballad" by Jeffrey Osbourne. I have to tell
him this weekend that I put his song on my album. I don't
know if he is going to weather that storm, maybe we can
do it together on stage. Of course, "Back Together Again"
with Meli'sa Morgan and "I Want To Get Next To You," which
is going to be my first single. "Saved The Best For Last,"
"I'll Be Around," "I Want To Know Your Name," "Do That
To Me One More Time," "One In A Million," songs that I
know that people have connections to and all I have to
do is put my personal touch on it. I have to admit when
I sit back and listen to it myself I want to kiss myself.
It sounds kinda of good and I'm very happy.
It sounds exciting. Out of all the songs on the album
which one is especially special to you.
Freddie Jackson- That's
a real hard one because I love all of these songs; I've
got to be honest with you. I don't know. "I Don't
Know Why," (laughter). It might be "I Want To Get
Next To You." I just love the groove on that song I think
its so caring and it's so non offensive and I think it's
a song everybody can sit down and hold somebody with and
just feel good about being with that person. I think it
would be "I Want To Get Next To You." It's just a happy
kinda sexy song. I just want to get next to you! Squeeze
and hold you all night long. You can take it wherever
you want to take it.
Out of all of your classic hits which are your favorite
to perform live?
Freddie Jackson- My
favorite would be "Have You Ever Loved Somebody." I love
performing that song. It was written by Mr. Barry Eastman.
That's one song that I have actually experienced.
"Have you ever loved somebody?
Can you learn to love somebody the way somebody loves
you?"
I went through that and that was a question I asked someone.
Can you love me back the way I want to be loved? That
song, when I sing that song in my live shows I think of
the relationship that I was in during that time. "Have
You Ever Loved Somebody" is a great song to perform as
well as "You Are My Lady," which is a title which went
down in the history of love songs. I can't leave the stage
without singing my signature song "Rock Me Tonight (For
Old Time's Sake)" because I think everybody is still rocking.
Have you ever performed at a wedding?
Freddie Jackson- Yes.
"You Are My Lady" is one of those great wedding songs
like "One In A Million" which is on my album. "One in
A Million" kind of kicked off that whole wedding song
tradition. Luther Vandross made "Here and Now" which was
huge at weddings and "You Are My Lady" has a following
as well. So I get a lot of reqests from people who want
me to sing at weddings and you would be amazed at how
much people want to pay me to sing at their weddings.
"You Are My Lady," I'm glad I recorded that record!
Can you share some of your fond memories from the 80s.
Freddie Jackson- My
fondest memory from the 80's was in 1984 when I first
recorded "Rock Me Tonight (For Old Time's Sake)"
I remember being out on tour. My manager Tom Hutton Management
sent me to Europe to do some press and the record was
just taking off and I'm in Europe and I get this telephone
call and my manager is like, "Freddie! We did it! We did
it," and I'm like, "What?" "You hit number #1! "Rock
Me Tonight" hit number one." My expression was, "That's
nice," and he was like, "Are you crazy! You have
a number #1 record!" It wasn't until later that I
realized what it meant and it changed my entire life.
That #1 record and then I kept having more #1 records
so the 80's to me were the #1 time in my life and they
were very good to Freddie Jackson and I will never forget
the 80's. I do believe that the best is yet to come. But
the 80s I was writing a lot and doing a lot of work but
the "Rock Me Tonight" has got to be the fondest
memory and I recorded that album on my birthday
Freddie went on to add..
Freddie Jackson-I'm
back with old management, we have joined forces again,
Meli'sa and I both have new albums coming out and I will
record another album with Artemis and we are going to
knock your socks off!
Freddie Jackson interview copyright Dorrie
Williams-Wheeler, and Thabiz.com 2005
Dorrie Williams-Wheeler is the author of Be
My Sorority Sister Under Pressure and the Unplanned
Pregnancy Book for Teens and College Students. She is
the founder of Thabiz.com
and Imissthe80s.com
and writes for the Rap,
Teen, and 1980s
section at Bellaonline.com. She is an ASCAP member as a
writer and a publisher. Please contact Dorrie for advertising
inquiries, lyric writing inquiries, reprint rights,
paying
entertainment jobs, or general comments.
Visit Dorrie on the web at www.sparkledoll.com
or e-mail her at webmaster@thabiz.com.
Freddie Jackson interview may not be reprinted, copied
or distributed. You may link to this interview.
Interview copyright Dorrie Williams-Wheeler, thabiz.com
October 2005.
|
|
