OTHER BANDS: Mariah Carey, Tracy Chapman, Billy Cobham, Destiny's Child, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Elton John, Trey Lorenz, Patti LaBelle, Madonna, NSYNC, and many more.
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES: Of the four musicians hired to fill the shoes of Ross Valory and Steve Smith during the recording of Raised on Radio and the subsequent tour (1986), only Randy Jackson appeared both on the album itself and live with the band, thus making him the only one who came close to being considered a full-fledged member of the band. He had also previously appeared as an additional bassist on Frontiers (1983). His membership was, of course, temporary; the band cut the tour short due to Steve Perry's exhaustion and went on a hiatus which lasted ten years. During the hiatus, Randy maintained his friendship with Steve Perry, and helped him put together his band for the For the Love of Strange Medecine solo album (1994) and tour (1995). Following the hiatus, Smith and Valory returned to the band for Trial by Fire (1996), thus eliminating the possibility of a return to Journey for Randy Jackson.
Randy's bio from the American Idol Website reads as follows: "Randy Jackson is a twenty-year music industry veteran. For eight years, he was the V.P. of A&R at Columbia Records followed by four years as Senior V.P. of A&R at MCA Records.
"Randy has recorded, toured and performed with the likes of: *NSYNC, Madonna, Elton John, Destiny's Child and many more.
"Randy has worked on over one thousand gold and multi-platinum albums. With his amazing talent, immense studio knowledge, performing, touring and record company experience, Randy has become one of today's most highly sought-after music industry experts."
In July, 2003, Randy undewent the Minimally Invasive Fobi-Pouch Gastric Bypass Surgery in July 2004 at Tri City Regional Medical Center in Hawaiian Gardens, California. The hospital is the home of the Center for Surgical Treatment of Obesity under the medical direction of Dr. Mathias A.L. Fobi, M.D. F.A.C.S. Gastric bypass surgery involves the separation of the stomach into a smaller functional stomach and is usually performed to help the chronically obese. The Fobi technique inserts a ring around the new, smaller stomach to prevent it from enlarging. It is extremely dangerous (1 in 200 chance of death during the procedure) and extremely uncomfortable afterwards. Randy is recovering fine and has lost a lot of weight.
Additional information courtesy Ngwebifor/Milarus/Scott Gardner. Please note that there are apparently at least three Randy Jacksons in the music industry: as well as Journey/American Idol's Randy Jackson, there is the lead vocalist/guitarist of the heavy metal band Zebra, as well as the youngest sibling of Michael Jackson's family. Journey/American Idol's Randy Jackson is no relation to either of them.
More pictures of Randy Jackson can be viewed HERE.
