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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!
 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.
May not be reprinted, copied or distributed.
Interview copyright Dorrie Williams-Wheeler, imissthe80s.com
2005
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