Millie Jackson | Artist
Mildred Virginia Jackson is an American Soul and R&B artist born 1944 in Thomson, Georgia. Beginning her career in the early 1960s, three of Jackson's albums have been certified gold with over 500,000 copies sold each. Jackson's songs often include long spoken sections, sometimes humorous, often sexually explicit. According to the cataloguing site WhoSampled.com, her songs have appeared in 189 samples, 51 covers, and six remixes. Jackson grew up influenced by the sounds of Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, and later, the O'Jays. Her recording career reportedly began on a dare to enter a 1964 talent contest at Harlem nightclub Smalls Paradise, which she won. Although she first recorded for MGM Records in 1970, she soon left and began a long association with New York-based Spring Records, working with the label's in-house producer, Raeford Gerald. Her first single to chart was 1971's "A Child of God (It's Hard to Believe)," which many thought was a gospel track. Due to its heated lyrical content, the single was canceled, but still managed to peak at number 22 on the R&B charts. In the spring of 1972, Jackson had her first R&B Top Ten single with "Ask Me What You Want." She kept busy performing in nightclubs and enjoyed her second consecutive Top Ten single with "My Man, A Sweet Man" in August of 1972; it peaked at number seven. A year later, Jackson, whose vocal texture is similar to one of her idols, Gladys Knight, had her third Top Ten single with "Hurts So Good," which peaked at number three on the R&B charts and made the pop Top 40. The single bore the title of her album and was also featured on the movie soundtrack for Cleopatra Jones. As a recording artist, Jackson has released a total of 24 studio albums, up to the latest , 2001's Not For Church Folk!. Her first five albums: Millie Jackson (1972), It Hurts So Good (1973), I Got to Try it One Time (1974), Caught Up (1974), and Still Caught Up (1975), are clear standouts. Feelin' Bitchy (1977) and the 1979 live album Live & Uncensored can also be recommended. Jackson, who now runs her own record label, Weird Wreckuds, has frequently appeared on "worst ever" lists for her album covers. E.S.P. (Extra Sexual Persuasion) features Jackson peering into a crystal ball that accentuates her cleavage, and Back to the S**t! depicts Jackson sitting on a toilet where it is implied she is defecating. On June 6, 2015, Jackson was inducted into the Official Rhythm & Blues Music Hall of Fame in Clarksdale, Mississippi.
Artist Website: wikipedia/Millie_Jackson
Featured Albums: Millie Jackson
Related Artists: The Facts of Life, Keisha Jackson
