*If you’re an old, old-school head, unfortunately, we come bearing bad, sad news. The man who placed dozens of singles on the Billboard charts in the 60s, Chuck Jackson, is dead at the age of 85. He passed away on February 16.
The soulful singer was born July 22, 1937, in Winston-Salem, N.C., spent his boyhood in Latta, S.C., then settled in Pittsburgh, Pa., at age 13.
Jackson, of course, is best known for his huge 1962 hit “Any Day Now (My Wild Beautiful Bird),” which reached #2 on the trade magazine’s R&B chart and #23 on the Hot 100
As of this posting the cause nor place of His death has not been revealed. However, Jackson’s granddaughter, Krystina, did say via Facebook that Jackson’s passing came in Georgia.
For those that don’t know or forgot, “Any Day Now” was co-written by Burt Bacharach (who also died recently on Feb. 8, 2023) and Bob Hilliard.
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Chuck Jackson, according to Soul Tracks, “began his musical journey singing in church before – in his own words – ‘running away to Pittsburgh!’ He returned to South Carolina to attend college after which he joined the Raymond Raspberry Gospel Singers, getting his first taste of touring on the nation’s gospel circuit. In 1957, Chuck was offered the chance to join the popular interracial singing group, The Dell-Vikings. While he was not on the group’s major hit singles, he did experience life on the road: a conversation with the late Jackie Wilson led Chuck to strike out on his own. He recorded singles for a number of labels without any success but hooking up with Wilson proved fortuitous: performing as a part of the hugely popular singer’s revue gave Jackson a chance to be seen and heard by audiences at such theaters as The Regal in Chicago, the Uptown in Philadelphia, the Howard in Washington DC and of course, The Apollo in New York.”
After leaving the Dell-Vikings, Jackson signed as a solo artist to Wand Records, a subsidiary of Scepter Records. “I Don’t Want to Cry,” co-written by Jackson with songwriter-producer Luther Dixon, became the first of a solid string of singles to chart late in the decade.
Jackson’s records have remained popular as part of the “Northern Soul” scene (American soul records that are particularly popular in the U.K.). In 1998, Jackson recorded a duet with former Scepter labelmate Dionne Warwick, “If I Let Myself Go,” which saw some radio airplay but did not become successful. He also released more than 20 albums, none of which charted on Billboard, according to BestClassicBands.com.
Below, watch Jackson perform “Any Day Now,” with the late Burt Bacharach on the organ at the beginning
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