Randy Jackson, born June 23, 1956, is an American record producer, musician, and judge on the talent show American Idol. Jackson grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana where, at the age of 17, played with John Fred & His Playboy Band. After graduating from high school, he attended Southern University, where he majored in music and psychology. Randy was a well known studio player in the 1980s, and served as a temporary bass player for Journey in 1983 and 1986, and he spent many years as an executive with Columbia Records and MCA Records.
From WikipediaJackson has been a judge with American Idol since its inception in 2002. On the show, he is known for taking a middle road of criticism between the supportiveness of Paula Abdul and the nastiness of Simon Cowell. He has popularized "pitchy" as the way to describe off-key singing. He is also renowned for his heavy use of slang terms, most notably the words "dude", "dawg", and "dope". Jackson sometimes also refers to the group of male semifinalists as "the dogg pound" (though during season five, the female contestants were also included). Widely well regarded in the music industry, Jackson's commentary is generally that of constructive criticism. He tells the contestants what a record company label executive would be thinking, but what the executive would not actually tell them. He also has a very large attraction to the words "All right, dude, now check this out" right before appraising a contestant's song.
Personal LifeRandy Jackson's marriage to Elizabeth Jackson ended in divorce in 1990. They have one child together. Since 1995, he has been married to Erika Riker, with whom he has two children.
In 2003, Jackson had well-publicized gastric bypass surgery and has subsequently lost over 100 lb (45 kg), which explains his drastic change in appearance since Season Three of American Idol.
Contrary to a widely circulated story, Randy Jackson is not related to actor Samuel L. Jackson, nor to pop star Michael Jackson. (Michael Jackson's brother is another Randy Jackson and was a member of The Jacksons.)
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