| PLEASE NOTE: I divided my uploads between multiple channels, Bookmark this link in your browser for instant access to an index with links to all of John1948's oldies classics. LINK: tinyurl.com Soul singer and songwriter Deon Jackson was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan on January 26, 1946. He studied clarinet and drums as a child, and while in high school he formed his own vocal group, concurrently performing in area talent shows as a solo act, and composing his own original material. While performing one of those songs at a high school concert, Jackson was discovered by producer Ollie McLaughlin, who'd previously launched the career of soul diva Barbara Lewis; McLaughlin soon produced Jackson's debut single, 1962's self-penned "You Said You Love Me." The record was a Detroit-area hit, as was its follow-up, "Come Back Home," but neither earned any national recognition. Jackson spent the next two years relentlessly touring the Southeast Michigan school dance and nightclub circuit, resurfacing on record in 1965 with the smooth soul classic "Love Makes the World Go Round" -- issued on McLaughlin's nascent Carla label; the single was popularized locally by CKLW personality Robin Seymour and became a nationwide smash, falling just shy of the pop Top Ten. An LP of the same name was issued on Atco in 1966, and that spring Jackson returned with the minor hit, 1966's "Love Takes a Long Time Growing." Two more Carla singles, "I Can't Do Without You" and "Hard-to-Get Thing Called Love ... |