Born in
Freeport, New York, Jackson was the son of jazz double-bassist and band leader
Chubby Jackson. He played drums as a young child, making appearances with
Count Basie,
Duke Ellington,
Woody Herman, and
Buddy Rich before he finished high school. In 1971 he relocated to Los Angeles, where he played with
Monty Alexander,
Ray Brown,
Herb Ellis,
Lena Horne,
Milt Jackson, and
Barney Kessel. Following a tour of Japan with
Benny Carter, he appeared on television for two years with
Sammy Davis Jr. (1974–1976). Later in the 1970s he played with
Grover Mitchell and did a tour of Europe with the
Count Basie Orchestra. Jackson appeared on the
CBS television program,
I've Got a Secret, on the September 7, 1960 episode. He was seven years-old at the time. His secret was, “I formed my own jazz band”. In the 1980s, Jackson worked with
Lionel Hampton,
Al Jarreau,
James Moody, and
Sonny Stitt, and in 1985 re-joined the Basie orchestra while
Thad Jones was its leader. Following this he worked with
Illinois Jacquet and
Artie Shaw, then re-joined the Basie Orchestra under
Frank Foster. In the 1990s, he relocated to
Fort Lauderdale, where he played with
Harry Allen,
Billy Ross, and
the Manhattan Transfer; Jackson moved to
Nashville, TN in the late 2000s and started to front his own big band. He died aged 67 in
Nashville, Tennessee, on March 3, 2021. ==Discography==