Brian Jackson (musician) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Brian Jackson
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Jackson in 2005
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Brian Robert Jackson |
| Born | October 11, 1952 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz, soul |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Keyboards, flute, vocals |
| Years active | 1971–present |
| Associated acts | Gil Scott-Heron, Will Downing, Gwen Guthrie |
Brian Robert Jackson (born October 11, 1952) is an American musician. He plays the keyboard and flute. Brian is also a singer, composer, and music producer. He is famous for working with Gil Scott-Heron in the 1970s. Brian's electric piano and flute sounds were a big part of their songs. You can hear them on popular tracks like "The Bottle" and "Your Daddy Loves You." These songs were from their first album together, Winter in America.
Contents
Brian Jackson's Early Life
Brian Jackson was born in Brooklyn, New York, United States. His parents were Clarence and Elsie Jackson. His father was a parole officer, and his mother was a librarian. Brian lived in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn for his first two years.
Later, he shared a house in Flatbush, Brooklyn with his aunt, uncle, and cousin. This was until his parents separated when he was five years old. His mother, Elsie, then moved to a smaller apartment in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. She remarried in 1968.
Learning Music as a Child
Brian studied music in Fort Greene with his mother's childhood teacher, Hepzibah Ross. He called her 'Aunt Heppie'. Brian took lessons with her for seven years. When his mother could no longer pay for lessons, Aunt Heppie gave him a scholarship. She said Brian showed "great promise" in music.
In 1968, Brian's sister, Alison Lovell, was born. From 1965 to 1969, Brian went to Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn. There, he met other musicians and started forming bands. He also took part in school music programs.
Brian Jackson's Music Career
Brian Jackson met Gil Scott-Heron when they were both students at Lincoln University (Pennsylvania). They started a partnership that lasted for ten years. They wrote, produced, and recorded music together. Brian composed most of the music they performed.
Working with Gil Scott-Heron
In 1971, Brian and Gil released their first album together, Pieces of a Man. Ron Carter played bass on this album. Other important albums they made include Free Will (1972). Their 1974 album, Winter in America, was the first to list Brian as a co-artist. This album was called a "masterwork" by UNCUT magazine.
Their biggest hit song together was "The Bottle" in 1974. By 1979, Brian and Gil had recorded ten albums. They stopped working together in 1980.
Later Music Projects
Brian Jackson continued to make music in the 1980s and 1990s. He worked with famous artists like Earth, Wind & Fire, Stevie Wonder, Will Downing, and Gwen Guthrie. Brian's first solo album, Gotta Play, came out in October 2000. It featured guest artists like Roy Ayers and Gil Scott-Heron.
Brian has also worked with Kool and the Gang, Janis Siegel (from Manhattan Transfer), Pete Miser, Alabama 3, and Carl Hancock Rux. From 1983 to 2017, Brian also worked as a programmer and project manager for the City of New York.
More recently, Brian worked with Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Adrian Younge on a project called Jazz is Dead. This music was released in 2021. In 2022, Brian Jackson released his first solo album in over 20 years, called This Is Brian Jackson. It was produced by Daniel Collás and released by BBE Music.
Brian Jackson's Discography
This is a list of some of the music Brian Jackson has been a part of.
Albums with Gil Scott-Heron
- Pieces of a Man (1971)
- Free Will (1972)
Albums by Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson
- Winter in America (1974)
- The First Minute of a New Day (1975)
- From South Africa to South Carolina (1975)
- It's Your World (live) (1976)
- Bridges (1977)
- Secrets (1978)
- 1980 (1980)
Singles by Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson
- "Ain't No Such Thing as Superman" (1975)
- "(What's the Word) Johannesburg" (1975)
- "The Bottle" (1976)
- "Hello Sunday, Hello Road" (1977)
- "Under the Hammer" (1978)
- "Angel Dust" (1978)
- "Show Bizness" (1978)
- "Shut 'Um Down" (1980)
- "Willing" (1980)
- "The Bottle (drunken mix)" (1980)
Solo Albums by Brian Jackson
- Gotta Play (2000)
- Kentyah Presents: Evolutionary Minded featuring M1, Brian Jackson and the New Midnight Band (2013)
- This Is Brian Jackson (2022)
Albums with Other Artists
- With Kool & The Gang: Something Special (1981)
- With Will Downing: Will Downing (1988), Come Together as One (1989)
- With Roy Ayers: Drive (1988)
- With Gwen Guthrie: Hot Times (1990)
- With Alabama 3: M.O.R. (2007)
- With Les Nubians: Nü Revolution (2011)
- With Carl Hancock Rux: Homeostasis (2013)
- With Escort: City Life (2019)
- With Charnett Moffett: Bright New Day (2019)
- With Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Adrian Younge: Brian Jackson JID008 (2021)
Brian Jackson's Personal Life
Brian Jackson is married and has five children. He and his family moved to France in the summer of 2024.
