Career
Born in New York City, Jackson began at the age of seventeen as a clarinetist, but quickly changed to bass. Jackson performed and/or recorded with Louis Armstrong, Raymond Scott, January Savitt, Henry Busse, Charlie Barnet, Oscar Pettiford, Charlie Ventura, Lionel Hampton, Bill Harris, Woody Herman, Gerry Mulligan, Lennie Tristano and others He is perhaps best known for his spirited work both with the Herman bands, and as a leader of his own bands, big and small.
In the 1950s, Jackson worked as a studio musician, freelanced, and hosted some local children"s television shows: Chubby Jackson"s Little Rascals, which was seen weekday mornings on WABC television Church
7 in New York City from Monday March 23, 1959, to Friday July 14, 1961, and The Chubby Jackson Show, Saturday afternoons on WABC television Ch.7 from July 22, 1961, to August 5, 1961. Jackson hosted his last two children"s television shows for WOR television Ch.9 in New York City Space Station Nine, which was seen weekday evenings from Monday January 1, 1962, to Friday January 26, 1962, and he briefly served as the fourth and last emcee of WOR television"s Looney Tunes Show/The Chubby Jackson Show weekday afternoons.
The last series was seen from Monday January 12, 1962, to Friday June 14, 1962. (Information can be found on Jackson"s local New York City kids television shows in The New York City Kids Shows Round Up section of "television PartyCom")
In 2000, Jackson was inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame.
He died in Rancho Bernardo, California (in the Poway area), at the age of 84.