Twitterer Of The Day: Randy Jackson - The Cultute of Pop, DVD, Movie, TV, Pop Culture Review

Twitterer Of The Day: Randy Jackson

Posted: Tue, 1 Mar 2011 23:58:47 PST

It's American Idol Week on The Culture Of Pop as we salute members of the show's family both past and present who grace Twitter....and today, we're feelin' a man who always works it out, who's always hot, gets it together, and is always 'da bomb!

Randy Jackson-While recently waxing nostalgic for the early days of American Idol, I got to thinking about what the participants represented to fans like me. Ryan Seacrest played ringleader, Simon Cowell without question was the brain, Paula Abdul most certainly was the heart, and Randy Jackson was definitely...and still is...the soul.

With his regular guy on the street demeanor, easily understandable critiques and firm but polite version of tough love, Randy is often cited as the most sensible, spot on, and beloved of all Idol judges. Yet there's more to this 54 year old Southern native that even the most stalwart fans of the FOX television mainstay know.

Born in Baton Rogue, LA on June 23^rd, 1956, Randall Darius Jackson's music career didn't mirror that of a typical musical child protogee. In fact, it wasn't until his teenage years that he first picked up what would become his golden ticket out of Louisiana: The old trusty four string rhythm section must for any band known as the bass.

After paying his dues with musical legends Carlos Santana, The Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia, and violinist Jean-Luc Ponty, Randy's big break came in the mid 1980's when he was tapped to be the new bassist for one of the hottest American rock bands at the time: San Francisco's Journey. Replacing long time member Ross Vallory, not only did Jackson play on the group's Raised On Radio album, he was also invited to tour with the band as well.

Randy's schedule became one of the busiest in the music industry from the late 1980's onward, playing on sessions with Bruce Springsteen, The Divnyls, Tracy Chapman, Maze, Stevie Nicks, Billy Joel, Bob Dylan, and most notably Mariah Carey, both in and out of the studio, often times serving as musical director of her stage band. Jackson's stage experiences also include appearances at Live 8, and Nashville's famed Grand Ole Opry, where he sat in with The Charlie Daniels Band.

But Randy's name was mainly known to music geeks who scour album and CD covers for credits (that would include me) until the producers of a summer replacement series for FOX came calling in 2001...and the rest, as they say, is history.

When not judging Idol, Jackson's schedule/work load rivals that of his good buddy Ryan Seacrest: Randy Jackson's Hit List radio program, VH-1's America's Best Dance Crew, manager for the band Paper Tongues and singer Van Hunt, and is currently working on Boys II Men's forthcoming album.

With all that activity, it's not surprising that Randy doesn't have much time to tweet...but when he does, it's like getting a text from a friend you just don't hear from enough, with words that reflect his ever positive aura of “dawg”.... 

Follow Randy Jackson on Twitter

-J.R.

-Jeffrey Rosado is a writer, performer, pop culture historian and all around nice guy, unless you ignore the Do Not Disturb sign at the entrance to his Idol lair, at which point you will be locked in a steam room with the surviving members of The Village People.

Follow Jeff on Twitter: marquee_man