Our artist this week celebrated his birthday yesterday and it is only appropriate that the musician get recognition for over 30 years in the business. Many may know him as “that guy who wrote that song, ‘Is She Really Going Out With Him?’.” The name is Joe Jackson, and no, there’s no relation to Michael (or “Shoeless”).
Jackson, often considered a part of the New Wave movement that took root along with Elvis Costello and Graham Parker in the late 70’s, actually has enjoyed a more eclectic and diverse musical sound. Trained originally in violin and later piano, Jackson began playing in bars at the age of 16. He attended the Royal Academy of Music and composed contemporary classical music while playing in jazz and pop bands in the early to mid 70’s. Influenced by the punk movement happening at the time, Jackson took the lessons of those before and worked the themes into his own music.
In Jackson’s music you’ll often find tongue-in-cheek, self-deprecating,
intellectual lyrics about guys and gals and the struggles with relationships (or the lack thereof). Though themes may be the same, the style of music has never remained constant for long. Joe Jackson has recorded albums since ’79 with the varying styles of New Wave, jazz, blues, R&B, swing, and even contemporary classical, making him someone who can never be pigeonholed into one particular genre of music thus offering a little something to music-lovers of all kind.
Over the years Jackson has been recording, he has won a Grammy, made over 15 Billboard chartings, and put out numerous albums, but making good music isn’t the only thing he’s been up to. Jackson has done years of extensive research on smoking (not the wacky tobacky kind), has been a huge defender of lifting smoking bans, and has written essays on the exaggeration of statistics by anti-smoking campaigns. For all you smokers out there (myself included), there’s a few good reads for you if you’re on the fence about quitting (or starting).
Joe Jackson has provided good, solid music for over 30 years and continues with his efforts to make more. He has more than 18 studio albums to date and several live albums, the most recent being released two months ago from his 2010 European tour. Jackson’s scheme is always changing and improving with time. It’s good to see that a musician who has been around as long as he has is constantly finding new ways to keep his music fresh and intriguing. So this week we say happy 57th birthday, Joe! (Let’s try and forget that MTV used your song for a crappy TV show) Get your fix below:
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