Happy 50th Birthday To Smooth Jazz Top 20 Force Paul Jackson Jr.
Today (December 30th), guitarist Paul Jackson Jr. – who has performed on more than 1,000 records – will be celebrating his 50th birthday. Paul was born in Los Angeles, where he continues to live today. By age 15, Paul knew he wanted to become a professional musician and later majored in music at the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California.
Paul has been in the American Idol band since its inception, and will once again take the stage this season, which begins January 12. He has also performed in the band for the TV shows Don’t Forget the Lyrics, America’s Got Talent and Grease: You’re the One That I Want.
Paul debuted as solo artist in 1988 with the CD I Came To Play. His sixth CD, Still Small Voice, included the smooth jazz singles “Walkin” and “It’s a Shame.” His latest CD, Lay It Back, featured the hit single “Easy Like Sunday Morning,” which has been a force on the Smooth Jazz Top 20 chart for quite some time.
Paul says that, if not for his mother, he could very well have played a different instrument. “I wanted to be a drummer. So my mom took me to Gardena Valley Music, and in the window was a blue, metal-flaked drum set for $369. And we’re talking 1969. So it was a lot of money. And she’s like, well, I don’t think that’s going to happen today. Do you see anything else in here that you like? And there was a $20 guitar on the wall. You know, I tell people it was divine providence that I played guitar because my mom had enough sense not to spend the money on the drum set.”