Wayback Wednesday: Chuck Jackson

July 22^nd is the 83^rd birthday of the great R&B singer Chuck Jackson. Born in 1937 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Chuck grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was a member of the Del-Vikings from 1957 through 1959. He then went solo, and was “discovered” by Luther Dixon when Chuck was opening for Jackie Wilson. Chuck Jackson became one of the earliest singers to successfully record songs by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. His 1^st hit, “ I Don’t Want To Cry” though, was co-written by Chuck himself. Then in 1962, he scored his biggest hit, “Any Day Now”, which became his signature song. It was written by Bacharach and Bob Hilliard. Here’s a black and white video of Chuck performing it on TV, and yes, that’s Burt Bacharach himself accompanying his song on organ. Happy Birthday Chuck Jackson!