What is Millie Jackson's Net Worth?
Millie Jackson is an American R&B and soul singer and comedienne, who has a net worth of $6 million. Her singing career began as a dare. She was dared to perform at a contest at a Harlem Night Club in the mid-60s. She won the contest, and went on to record tracks with MGM Records in the early 70s. However, she chose to leave MGM, and recorded the majority of her early hits with Spring Records. She released multiple Top Ten R&B tracks in the 70s and 80s, including, "Ask Me What You Want", "My Man, A Sweet Man", and "It Hurts So Good". She has released tracks that have charted on the R&B and Pop charts in the United States and abroad, including a Top 40 hit in the UK with Elton John. Due to the long, often raunchy spoken-word sections in many of her songs, Jackson has been dubbed the "mother of hip-hop." In addition to her recording career, she also hosted a radio show for thirteen years, and enjoyed a successful tour of a play she wrote and performed.
Early Life
Millie Jackson was born on July 15, 1944 in Thomson, Georgia. When she was a child, her mother passed away; she subsequently moved to the greater New York City area with her sharecropper father Jubilee. There, the two settled in Newark, New Jersey. As a teenager, Jackson moved into New York City proper to live with her aunt in Brooklyn.
Career Beginnings
In New York City, Jackson did the occasional modeling gig for magazines, such as Sepia and JIVE. She also performed at a club in the city, where she established her reputation for irreverent onstage banter.
Recording Career in the 70s
After briefly recording for MGM Records in 1970, Jackson moved to Spring Records and released her self-titled debut album in 1972. The album featured her first charting single, "A Child of God (It's Hard to Believe)," as well as her first two R&B top-ten singles, "Ask Me What You Want" and "My Man, A Sweet Man." Jackson had her third R&B top-ten hit in 1973 with "It Hurts So Good," included on her album of the same name. Her version of the song was featured in the blaxploitation film "Cleopatra Jones." In 1974, Jackson had her mainstream commercial breakthrough with her album "Caught Up," which introduced her signature style of bawdy spoken-word performance. The album also featured her hit version of the song "(If Loving You is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right," for which she earned two Grammy Award nominations. Jackson released a sequel album, "Still Caught Up," in 1975. The following year, she released "Free and in Love."
Jackson had her next major hit album with 1977's "Feelin' Bitchy," featuring two of her most popular recordings: "If You're Not Back in Love by Monday" and "All the Way Lover." The latter song showcases one of Jackson's trademark extended raps. Her other albums in the late 70s include "Lovingly Yours," "Get it Out'cha System," "A Moment's Pleasure," and the double album "Live & Uncensored," which was recorded in concert at Los Angeles's Roxy Theatre. Jackson also released "Royal Rappin's," a collaboration with Isaac Hayes. Elsewhere during the decade, she formed and performed with the soul group Facts of Life; the group's biggest hit song was a cover of Bill Anderson's "Sometimes."
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Further Recording Career
Jackson continued to record prolifically in the 80s. Early in the decade, she released such albums as "For Men Only"; "I Had to Say It"; "Just a Lil' Bit Country"; "Hard Times"; "Live and Outrageous"; and "E.S.P. (Extra Sexual Persuasion)." In 1984, Jackson was left without a label when Spring Records closed down. She subsequently signed to Jive Records, through which she released the album "An Imitation of Love" in 1986. The album launched two R&B top-ten hit singles: "Hot! Wild! Unrestricted! Crazy Love" and "Love is a Dangerous Game." Jackson concluded the decade with the albums "The Tide is Turning" and "Back to the S**t!," the latter of which gained a degree of infamy for its cover of Jackson sitting on a toilet while appearing to defecate.
Jackson's albums in the 90s were relatively less successful than many of her previous works. Titles included "Young Man, Older Woman," "Rock N' Soul," "It's Over!??," and "The Sequel (It Ain't Over)." After a four-year hiatus from recording, she returned in 2001 with the album "Not for Church Folk!," which featured a more contemporary urban sound compared to the majority of her more recent recordings. Jackson took a 13-year break from recording after that, returning in 2014 with "On the Soul Country Side." In the meantime, she launched her own record label, Weird Wreckuds.
Other Work
In 1991, Jackson ventured into the world of theater when she wrote, produced, and starred in the touring play "Young Man, Older Woman," based on her eponymous album. A few years later, she appeared in a Thanksgiving episode of the television sitcom "Martin."
Among her other ventures, Jackson had her own radio show in Dallas, Texas from 1999 until 2012. The program aired on KKDA 730 AM during afternoon drive-time. Jackson broadcast remotely from her home in Atlanta, Georgia.
Personal Life
Previously, Jackson was married to Victor Davis. She has two children, Jerroll and R&B singer Keisha.
