Randy Jackson Biography

Randy Jackson is a bassist and former record company executive who joined Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul in 2002 on the panel of judges for the television talent contest American Idol.

Jackson is a music industry insider who has been in the business since the early 1980s, as a performer, producer and businessman. As a session musician, he’s worked with dozens of artists over the years, including Arethra Franklin, Whitney Houston, Keith Richards and Billy Joel.

Jackson was a fill-in bass player for Journey in 1983 and 1986, and he spent many years as an executive with Columbia Records and MCA Records.

Jackson became a familiar face thanks to American Idol, where he peppered his pronouncements with the slang term “dawg” and earned a reputation for constructive criticism.

He left the show in 2013 and focused on producing for the MTV show America’s Best Dance Crew until 2015.

In 2003 he had gastric bypass surgery, and by the beginning of the show’s 2004 season he had lost more than 100 pounds.