Joe Jackson (musician)
English musician (born 1954)
Joe Jackson (born David Ian Jackson; 11 August 1954) is a British musician, singer and songwriter. Having spent years studying music and playing clubs, he found success as part of the late 1970s new wave scene with hit singles "Is She Really Going Out with Him?" from his first album Look Sharp! (1979) and "It's Different for Girls" from second album I'm the Man (1979). In the 1980s, he moved to a more jazz-pop style, and achieved further hits including "Steppin' Out" from the album Night and Day (1982) and "You Can't Get What You Want (Till You Know What You Want)" from the album Body and Soul (1984). During this period, Jackson became associated with the 1980s Second British Invasion of the US.
He has also composed classical music and has received five Grammy Award nominations.
Early life, family and education
Born David Ian Jackson in Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England, he spent his first year in nearby Swadlincote, Derbyshire. He was raised in the Paulsgrove area of Portsmouth, where he attended Portsmouth Technical High School. At age 11, he began learning to play the violin, but after a couple of years he switched to the piano, and convinced his father to purchase one for their Paulsgrove council house. Jackson and his parents moved to nearby Gosport when he was a teenager. Jackson began playing piano in bars when he was 16.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Joe Jackson (musician)” as english musician (born 1954). Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the people & ideas register because the source frames it as english musician (born 1954). Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Chronology provides the most reliable spine for this subject; interpretation should follow only after identities and dates are secure. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 21, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q962103. VIAF identifies the subject as 32183568. The Library of Congress control number is n85072688. 4 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1954, 1979, 1982 and 1984.
A concise life account rarely captures disputed attribution, private networks or the changing language used to describe a career. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.
- Establishing names and roles
- Building a first chronology
- Locating cited institutions
Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Joe Jackson (musician)”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Joe Jackson (musician) primary sources, Joe Jackson (musician) archive and Jackson research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “Joe Jackson (musician)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.