Joe Jackson

Joe Jackson, born David Ian Jackson on 11 August 1954 in Burton upon Trent, came to new wave as a trained hand. He'd spent years studying it and paying his dues in clubs, and when he finally hit the charts in 1979, it was with the confidence of someone who knew exactly what he was doing.

Look Sharp! was his debut that year, a wiry, sardonic, bass-heavy new wave record with "Is She Really Going Out with Him?" as the calling card, a hit single that sounded both cocky and wounded. "Sunday Papers", "One More Time", "Happy Loving Couples", "Got the Time" and "Fools in Love" are just as sharp, jittery and funny. I'm the Man came out the same year, faster and angrier, with "It's Different for Girls" as the hit and "On Your Radio" as a punkish punch.

Then Jackson got restless, and his restlessness is the story. He played piano, keyboards, synthesizer, saxophone, trombone, melodica, vibraphone, accordion and organ, and he wasn't going to stay in one genre for long. Jumpin' Jive arrived in 1981, and Night and Day in 1982 went for sleek, urbane jazz-pop, with "Steppin' Out" gliding along, cool and sleek, and "Another World" close behind. Body and Soul in 1984 kept the style going with "You Can't Get What You Want (Till You Know What You Want)", and he found himself swept up in the Second British Invasion of America.

Later records took him even further afield, into Blaze of Glory in 1989, Laughter & Lust in 1991 and eventually Fast Forward in 2015, and into composing classical music. He won the Grammy for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album in 2001. He's been nominated for five Grammys over the years. It's a long, unpredictable career from someone who never let a hit tell him what to do next.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.