Joe Jackson

Born in Staffordshire David Jackson as he was then known grew up in Portsmouth in the Paulsgrove area and he attended the City of Portsmouth Boys School His parents later moved to Gosport when he was a teenager He initially learned to play the violin but soon switched to piano and prevailed on his dad to install one in the hall of their Paulsgrove council house From the age of 16 he played in bars and won a scholarship to study musical composition at Londons Royal Academy of Music Jacksons first band in Gosport was Edward Bear not to be confused with the 1970s Canadian band fronted by Larry Evoy The band was later renamed Edwin Bear and later Arms and Legs but dissolved in 1976 after two unsuccessful singles  Although he was still known as David Jackson while in Arms amp Legs it was around this time that Jackson picked up the nickname Joe based on his perceived resemblance to the puppet character Joe 90  He then spent some time in the cabaret circuit to make money to record his own demos  However whilst at school he had been known as Joe to his schoolmates and teachers from 1972 onwards In 1978 a record producer heard his tape and got him signed to AampM Records  The album Look Sharp was recorded straight away and was released in 1979 quickly followed by Im the Man also 1979 and Beat Crazy in 1980 He also collaborated with Lincoln Thompson in reggae crossover In 1981 Jackson produced an album for the British power pop group The Keys The Keys Album was the groups only LP The Joe Jackson Band toured extensively After the breakup of the band Jackson took a break and recorded an album of oldstyle swing and blues tunes Jumpin Jive featuring songs of Cab Calloway Lester Young Glenn Miller and most prominently Louis Jordan The album and associated single release was credited to Joe Jacksons Jumpin Jive Jacksons 1982 album Night and Day paid tribute to the wit and style of Cole Porter and indirectly to New York City  Night and Day was Jacksons only studio album to reach either the United States or UK Top 10 peaking at 4 US and at 3 UK and the cuts Steppin Out and Breaking Us In Two were chart hits The tracks Real Men and A Slow Song have pointed obliquely to the citys early 1980s gay culture Jackson lived in New York for the next 20 years incorporating the sound of the city into his music throughout the 1980s and beyond Almost two years later Jackson recorded the UK 14 album Body and Soul also heavily influenced by pop and jazz standards and salsa showcasing the US 15 hit single You Cant Get What You Want Till You Know What You Want In 1986 he collaborated with Suzanne Vega on the single Left of Center from Pretty in Pinks soundtrack with Vega singing and Jackson playing piano Jackson followed with the live album Big World a threesided double record the fourth side consisted of a single centring groove and a label stating there is no music on this side The instrumental Will Power set the stage for things to come later but before he left pop behind he put out two more albums Blaze of Glory and Laughter amp Lust For some years he drifted away from the pop style going on to be signed by Sony Classical in 1997  They released his Symphony No 1 in 1999 for which he received a Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Album in 2001 In 1995 Joe Jackson contributed his version of Statue of Liberty on a tribute album to the English band XTC called Testimonial Dinner released 1998 In 2003 he reunited his original quartet2 for the album Volume 4 and a lengthy tour As before the quartet consisted of Jackson Graham Maby Dave Houghton and Gary Sanford In 2004 Jackson performed a cover of Pulps Common People with William Shatner for Shatners album Has Been Jackson toured 45 US and European cities in 2005 with Todd Rundgren and the string quartet Ethel  appearing on Late Night with Conan OBrien performing their collaborative cover version of While My Guitar Gently Weeps Thereafter he embarked on a short tour in a pianobassdrums trio format He toured Europe in Spring 2007 again in a trio format  Jacksons album Rain was released by Rykodisc on 28 January 2008 in the UK and one day later in the US6 The album included a CD and a bonus DVD containing over 40 minutes of material including concert and behindthescenes footage and interviews Jackson performed two UK shows in spring 2008 followed by a full UK tour