QLS Classic: Millie & Keisha Jackson Pt. 2

Quest Love Supreme is a production of iHeartRadio. Happy Black History Month. From Quest Love Supreme, we have an incredible two part QLs classic episode with the legendary Million Jackson and her equally legendary daughter, Keisha Jackson. This mother daughter tandem was wonderful when QLs got them in Atlanta back in September twenty twenty three, Million in particular, kicked down many of the work about what you can say on record and what you can't say on record.

She said everything and she's not one of the min's words. All right, here's part two. Enjoy. What is it like being a teenager in our household? Like? You couldn't be rebellious, could you?

She?

Yes, she was.

I was on the road.

Oh oh okay, okay, so yes, Rebellion was the middle name.

The maid.

Oh you had a maid.

We had a housekeeper. She loved me. She she didn't snitch on everything.

She told some things because she had to be found out otherwise. So but she she was my covering, like she was such a blessing to me because she loved me like I was hers, you know what I mean.

Her name was Vonnie.

So there were instances and I don't know if she ever knew this, But here comes report cards would come.

Baby, I had mastered turning an.

F into then.

They wrote it, so I would I would find a pen if it was a black or if it was a blue, I would find a damn pen to match the color, and like I would test it on one paper, and then I would change it.

I would change and we had ease as well. But ain't no good either.

That.

I was like, well, I can't, so I just the ones that I could change. I did, so I may have two or three fs.

But then her sign it.

But depend upon how they wrote it, how quickly they wrote it, you might be able to She'd be all right, okay, I'm just okay.

She wanted you know, you want to you could And I.

Was able to do this because like so in school.

Wait, I mean you should tell the story now, because the way she's start.

You know what I mean.

So she would be overseas, you know, back then obviously no cell phones, and so she might be gone for a month, and we knew when she was coming.

Look at she barling over.

She knew that I'm traumatized.

Listen, Yeah, we knew that.

You know, there was a certain day of the week she was gonna call. That's when I had to be at the house by the phone, be inside. Your mother's calling at three o'clock, that kind of a thing. But I also knew, like there were things going on in school, like so if there was a dance, if there was something else going on, I wanted to go. But I knew the damn report card was in the mail pile, and I knew that when she came home, she don't know none of.

This come on, She's just the envelope there.

Because so the mail would come and the new mail boom on top, on top. So I knew exactly where the report card was, so before she came, I would take the ship and slide it to the bottom. Because she only dealt with a couple of pieces of mail at a time when she came home.

I'm sorry if.

Y'all can see her right way and I can't fire it an incredible story to tell you, but that's how I used to kind of hustle, Like, Okay, she gets home on a Monday, the dances on Friday, I don't know how many.

So she would deal with a couple of pieces of mail at a time, and then I'm paying.

Attention to her. Oh she went through that. Let me move it down a little bit further. Let me move it down.

Listen.

I'm going to this damn dance. But there was one time when the damn I didn't. I couldn't go to the dance because she beat me to the to the you know, the mailpile, beat me to the to the to the date. So I had and I recently reminded her of this, and she was like, I do not remember this. I right, she went to So I had a dance on a Friday and asked if I could go.

She said no, flat out. There was a tomboy me.

So there was a window in my room second level across the hall from her. There was a tree that had a trunk just so perfect that I could step out. Never did this before this, but I'm going. I'm going to this dance. She told me I couldn't go. I snuck out of the house, had my girlfriend meet me at the corn corner. We got there, changing the car, the whole thing, changing the car the whole like.

Ferrist beauty, like that right.

Changing the car, came back dance over. I'm thinking, Okay, I made it. Let me out at the corner. The baby is coming, Let me out at the corner.

I give it.

I stuffed my bed like you were because I went to camp and I learned all that kind of shipping camp until they touch you, but until they touch you. But you know, you, you know, you're looking in the in the dark, like if she sleep, all the baby sleep.

Yeah.

So I come back in the window. Now you know, this was a task climb back up the tree.

It was. It was a short you know, get up the tree, come back in the window.

One thing. If you're climbing and you go into a dance.

No, it wasn't. It wasn't you know.

It was just regularly.

Yeah, I remember, tell us what I had on.

But I worked it out. Slide back in the window. I'm tipping, tipping. Let me hang on my ship in the closset. When slide the closset door closed, I won. I pulled back them goddamn covers and she was under the door.

I'm like, I mean, I'm quiet, I'm like.

Oh, ship, I did it.

I couldn't believe it.

I got and slide it back and she standing there like.

I mean, I mean, so, what did your mom I'm curious after that what happened?

I was, I screamed, uh huh. The housekeeper Vnnie was knew about it. She outside the door, like wait, she waiting for the sounds and shed outside the door.

She already know. I pulled back the covers and she just said.

I screamed at the top of my voice, and then I got my ass.

I mean, you only child, It was just you.

Well by this time, no my brother, but he's eleven.

Years just out of curiosity. Is many does she pick up something?

Is she a hand?

Is she a switch?

She's not a hand, She's a switch and a belt.

Yeah, And I have to go get it.

And I had to pick the belt back out to that tree and get me a switch.

The belt drawer was right next to the wig draw.

So you bet not touch me, you know.

I'd be around the house playing like you know, and then go up, says and get get a belt.

You know where it is because you got that wig, so you know what the belt.

I would hide the belt after whipping the next day.

I want to an entire draw.

There was no hiding, and and if I didn't pick the right one, it was gonna last a little bit.

Long where I had so many belts that it's it's bad enough when your parents ask you to help them, like go outside. I remember once my dad was like, wait, wait, hold this for me, and then he had get like a vacuum that wasn't working, so like picked up the chord and he could like it was a moment when we just had a three minute like wait wait wait, how many into see like we're like, I'm like, why am I aiding in my own abuse? Like what.

Too long? If I it was just it was hell wow.

So when when did you realize that you two had a voice and that you wanted to pursue this?

She always called me on stage like when did you first start?

I mean from it's as long as I can remember.

Honestly, I would come to shows and she would say, ke should come here. I'm always sitting on the side most of the time and she would say come here. But it would be on the most random ship. So if loving you is wrong, here you go, ad lib.

I don't.

I don't know nothing about this.

So I would do oohs and od's and those kinds of things, and she was always like, you know, so she always encouraged me until I wanted to do it, like this is gonna be my living because she said, you're going to college, You're going to be a lawyer.

Because I was, I went to It didn't matter Bridgeport, Connecticut. They wasn't about shit. So I was just going to college just to say I went to college.

That's it.

But she was, you're going to go to college and you are going to be a lawyer, because she was like, you argue back better than anybody I know.

So that's what it was gonna be.

And so that's how when I when I decided that, I was singing like national anthems and doing all that kind of stuff on campus, and she was like, you are wasting my money because I just that's what I wanted to do.

When did your mind change?

Milly?

Still she's supposed to be a lawyer. She she still go back and be a lawyer.

Still, she's still thinking about the report.

She's still thinking about the report card.

Were you were your high school friends aware of who your mom was, because also, I mean epigenetics, you look just like her.

No, they weren't aware because a couple of the report card episodes and the sneaking out of the house and in climbing trees and ship she decided, you're going to boarding school?

Oh wow, okay, so I didn't go to team.

At high school.

I went to elementary and uh junior high school as it was called. And then when it came time for me to go to to to high school.

She sent me to boarding school.

And that's why in South Jersey listen.

But it was also because it was also because radio was was all like everything was played on the same station.

But yeah, that's that probably was my introduction.

To what is now called you what is boarding school? Like?

It was? It was awful. It wasn't like.

Not not overseas in Switzerland.

No, no, it wasn't like Marstown.

Okay, like Men of New Jersey right outside of Marstown, Jersey. There that was like there was okay, there was sixty students in the entire school and the school went from from seven to twelve.

So there was some classes you'd have by yourself.

There's and a lot of eyes on you.

Yeah.

I hated it though, but so I once again another confession that she don't know about.

I would great.

I would just mess up and do shit that I knew.

She didn't want me to do so she could take me out.

Okay, okay, okay, because I felt like she's paying all of this money for me to go to the school.

Then, you know, the uniform is supposed to be below the knee.

I would hear my pleating skirt higher up in the middle of the thigh.

And there was always kind of.

Stuff your sister understand that I.

Was doing, but it didn't It didn't make a difference.

So they were called and I was always very good friends with it.

It was run by a convent, so the sisters.

The sisters were always they love They loved me though, so when I wanted to be on the cheerleading squad, she told me, no extracurriculars.

You better get this damn school work done. Da da da. But the sisters was like, oh, I'm gonna call your mother.

So when when sister Barbara Jean, we call mommy to say always had two names, Susanne, Elizabeth, Laura Catherine. They all had to real stack was very real. Then she would they would call her on my behalf to say, you know, she's really great. You know, we think that she would be a great cheerleading captain, you know, And they got a taste the hut.

She didn't give a damn if it was God damn money up bring her don't So, yeah, they didn't catch.

They And I feel like that's that's an animated Millie Jackson cussing out a nun like, oh my god, take that to adults.

But this even goes further because now your daughter is performing with you, Yes, so are you?

Is?

First of all this is is she aware?

Knows how old is she always has been? She's thirty three?

Now, wow, black does not crack right here?

Yeah, that's crazy black.

Don may put it, package it up, sell it.

Yeah, okay, say trick Daddy's I'm a thug? Was that like the introduction, like you know this grandmom's song right there that he's sampling d or whatever? Like how what was the entry point? Yeah?

For my daughter, Yes, she's always known, like I've always she's always been I've always been very clear about who your grandmother is and who you know. Just the legacy has always been very very important to me. So she's always she's always known that.

Okay, why didn't you want her to sing?

She was a sweetie pie? She still is a sweet pie. She's a sweety pie. It's skipted. It's very much like my mother. They probably best.

She don't do all the cussing and stuff like that, but she plays no games. She's very and then just the whole they're prissier, they're more women like this ship is. I'm you know, tomboy sneakers, so I'll be closer to a big girl.

She she wants to wear. She wants to be like that. I know, so she's.

Wow, why do you want to be a lawyer? Supposed to being a singer?

I was black and being a lawyer was a good job to have for a black person. So I wanted her to be a good one and be able to give me advice on my career and stuff because she know what attorneys do and the attorneys that I knew, I knew more about the law than they did.

Yeah, and she always said that, like, go to school and be a lawyer so you can take care of the family, like in terms of.

Legal But between you and me, was there ever a moment where you were at a show and she was singing and you went, that's my baby all the time?

Okay?

Was there a first show where you went okay, no, okay.

She had it on as Mama and daddy.

Oh, daddy was singing, yeah as well.

Okay, what about your parents were they musically did they sing play at all?

My mother died when I was two, oh man, so that was just me and my father and his other six wives.

Wow.

Before he passed, he died nine times. I mean he before he passed, he married nine times. The last time was like.

Because he didn't want to get rid of me a couple of years before.

He he was one termine that I was going to stay with him, so he had to do what he had to do, so have a woman and and some of most of them on the last couple of years.

But because he was competitive, like you know, so you Daddy's girl, yes, wow, But they wanted they wanted, like what's going on?

So it became not only was Daddy's girl. I was the waitress and you know I served the liquor on Friday and Saturday because my daddy made Cone liquor.

Yeah.

Yeah, all right.

So, as a fan of your work, there's a question I always wanted to ask, And you know, I don't know Marlena Shaw, I don't know Linda Clifford, the the women who are strong willed. The women of soul who

Oh, well, actually it didn't happen, you know, so you would turn it off stage. My husband was my bass player.

Oh okay, I was determined that we would not have an anniversary.

So they were married six months.

Yeah, I'm doing the math in my head. Wow, six months.

Yeah, we got married. We were together for two years, but when we got married it was over because, you know, he went to I got a phone call from Spring and they were very upset. And I couldn't figure out why they were so upset. And they say, because your husband came and he gave us a list of things he wanted and did not want, and blah blah blah blah blah, and we're just hoping that you'll stay with us. And I said, excuse me, could you get off the phone?

And that was the end of him, the end of the marriage.

Wow, I seek I gave.

I gave him his part of the money that I had put into the bank account.

Every week I would say it was his.

This is yours, you know, allow, this is your money to throw away.

I don't care what you do with it. God, this is in the bank.

And when when we broke up, he had eight thousand dollars in the bank and I gave it to.

The real one because I know women now are professional sing alimony.

And I gave him his eight thousand dollars.

Anybody approached you about this movie or has there? Did I miss a movie that was made? Because I know.

I started to write Millie, Okay, that's the title, Just Millie.

That's all it needs to be.

And I'm fifteen, what you mean that's.

All she's got. Wow, you're gonna need some help with that.

I'm saying.

I got some help, and I got the person to come and we sat down and went through all of this like we're doing now. And they came back with the whole script two weeks later, and I read about half of it before I told them to get the fuck out.

It wasn't good.

It wasn't bad.

It just wasn't me.

They was It wasn't.

They decided that they was gonna this is more interesting and we're gonna change it to this.

You don't you know?

So I gave them thank you for the paper, and goodbye.

Nes them. Okay, I'm talking to you. You have roots here in Atlanta especially, and or could you talk about your history with the Organized Noise family and how you got involved in that session work because I guess I first met you when you were singing with Outcasts when we were touring, and you've been with them for the longest. Yeah, so how did like, can you just explain that the circle and that legacy? Okay?

All them?

Right?

So, So the way that came about was I signed my deal with Epic. We started off CBS associated yes, which turned into Epic bought by Sony. That was a awful, terrible deal. Awful, I mean I just signed what do you want to me? What you want over here to sign it?

What this too?

So this is you signed as a solo artist?

Yeah, this is me signed as a solo artist. And so we were. It was just at an age where we were just knocking hands and at one point.

What year is this? This was eighty eighty eight was first record?

Eighty nine it came out.

Yeah, eighty eight.

Is when we hour the week.

Really the second one was in ninety one. How did you get were you fans of the Tough Crew? Like, how did you get lak?

You don't know how that shit went came down?

So that was a very random I'm from Philly, so okay, he's a guy that I said. I'm like, Okay, that's weird.

Yeah, so it was I got signed, I signed a deal. There was a group in Atlanta called the Voltage Brothers, and I was doing session work for them. Like they called me randomly and said like studio in the house in the closet with stocking panty holes on it, and it was like literally one of them, so about how holy you At this time this was that I.

Had just moved down from college.

So this was eighty maybe eight eighties, late eighty seven.

Okay, they asked me to can you come and demo this?

Yeah, they came asked me to demo this song for them because they were trying to submit it to Diana Ross.

Oh wow.

It was called Hot Little Love Affair.

So they submitted the song, but they the label said, well, who's the girl singing it? And so they decided, well, this is not going to be for Diana. If the girl wants a deal, she's got a deal. And then once they's like this is Millie Jackson's daughter, they were like, oh, this is easy.

This is easy.

They didn't have to put Hella stuff into promotions and stuff like that. It ain't nothing but a hot Little Love affair, which kind of went with them. Oh that kind of thing, right, So that happened. I signed the deal. Everybody took everything from me, and I was like okay. So I asked Hank Calwell was the head of the black music department there, and I asked, can I just get out of this deal? So I did the second the second album, and.

They pushed the producers out the way because they were they were trashed. And then that's where all those other connections came.

And basically Vivian Scott right, she's the one. She was my product manager and she she did all that stuff. So half of it was done on the East coast, half was done on the West coast.

He also worked with Jay Swift before he produced I did.

Yeah, so we did that. God he let me off. The he let me because Michael Jackson. First of all, that was the year that Babyfaces whipp A Peel, the first Freshman album solo album came out. Michael Jackson was on the label. I still wasn't getting no love even though I didn't have these these producers. So it was like I was like, can I.

Please just go?

So I had to wait out the production, the publishing. I waited it out. I was already in Atlanta and randomly randomly got a call one day from La Red from Charlotte's who used to be his assistant, saying can you come and La Reed would like you to do to come to the studio tonight to do a background session. Now, I had never done background for anybody but myself on those two records that didn't do nothing. They went paper. You know what I'm saying, not go the paper like

Okay, well what's the song? Seven whole days?

So that was my first studio session ever really ever, right, background vocal session, and so we did that.

Then that was good. I kept getting calls from them.

Our cast wasn't signed yet, so I kind of vaguely knew about ourcasts. But I still had a whole lot of North in me, so I really wasn't really hip to it, not really even like welcoming it, you know what I mean, like, you know, that's kind of how yeah, and Atlanta just felt slow. It was just slower moving everything. You go to McDonald's, take why is you taking so long?

On New York?

It's all the time, you know what I'm saying. Yeah, one minute to get the food out.

So Joy, me and Joy had kind of I forgot how we met, but I started singing with her. One day she called me and said, I have to work on my record cast. And I didn't know who she was done one the time, because I didn't know cast was outcast. She was like, cast is going on the road. This was at the end of a t Alians at Alians Equimini. It was right in there, and so she was like, cast is going on the road on a tour next week, the promo tour starting in Paris.

Can you go?

And I was like when she was like in six days, So I was like, well yeah, because for me I needed work. I didn't have no record deal, I don't have nothing. So I was like yeah, but now I got to figure out do you have.

A passport at this timeport?

I had a passport but did not know song the first so she said rehearsal. You gotta go to rehearsals. Rehearsal is I said, when she said tonight, God, so I am trying my damns.

You know, I literally went to like Turtles, Oh.

I gotta find a record exactly stream it ain't no streaming.

I had to find the record.

So I went to Turtles to find as much as I could on them, just so I could be half ass prepared for for rehearsal.

That night.

Came in and that's when I met everyone, like for the first time, walked in the room. It was rehearsal.

It was go.

It was you know, and and nobody's telling me shit because really they didn't. Joy did all the backgrounds, yeah, her and Peaches, Yeah you got her and Peacher.

Stacked all the background.

Peaches was there, right, but I was still the new kid on the block, so I was still like nobody.

Gave a shit and was this the same Peach as this wild Peace?

And so I didn't know. I you know, I'm just and I have a good ear, so I just listened.

They played through once second time I'm in you know so and we rehearsed for five days and then we we went on the road.

Wow.

And it was the very first show was a hotel conference room at the Louver Hotel in Paris, and it was just a bunch of it was that and I was like, we done did all of this for this, Like you know, you felt like there was thirty people in the room and nobody really clapped and nobody really gave a shit, and it was like, oh, this is whack, like I and I didn't realize because I didn't have that for my project. So that was you know, I was like, oh, I don't know if I want to work with our cats.

But that was for BMG.

Yeah, I was about to say it was for distribution, so.

I mean, you know, I didn't know it was just show. We got to show Okay, show me what time, tell me what time to be at the airport. So that was kind of it.

When we went back home and came back a month later, PANDEMONI like like just seeing white kids lined up in sneaping bags around the corner or curving, we were like holy shit, like and we were all big dre everybody. We were just looking out the window like, oh, like we just did not know it was Beatles level Pandemoni, and we just had no idea. And so that's kind of when that when that really just kind of kicked off. But I was on the line live shows from then on,

Room, binyl Room that was me, and he was like, I just want you. So I did most of the backgrounds.

And you on Choked Out Saturday Night.

I want choked Out Me, Me and Joy actually on Choked Out, but you can tell like there's a difference, and so that's what he wanted. He wanted the the contrast and voices and stuff like that. So that's kind of when that started, you know, you know, but I never did like goodie. It was all family, but like I was just always kind of locked into cast.

Were you on society or so, or you on that.

I wasn't on society.

So I actually went to audition for Society. So prior to the meeting, and Deborah Killings called me and said, baby, baby Deva, honey. Deborah Killings called and said, you know they're doing these auditions out of or not, but I think they got somebody and it was a girl named Ronnie. So I was like, well, ain't no sense of me going on? She was like, I think you should still go. I was like, no, I'm not going about to be

Know, I see, all right, we do have to wrap up, but you gotta please tell me how your yacht rock project started? In what's was the whole genesis? No no, no, no, no, no, no cameras out there. Can you tell me about the yacht Rock Review project.

So there was a guy named Graham Marsh.

We had done some studio stuff together and there was he was doing some corporate stuff for like home Depot, and Home Depot had this contest that year where they were their employees could audition and sing whatever and they get to go to Vegas for like a week and do this talent show for their corporate annual meeting. Kind of a thing, but it was the entertainment. So yacht Rock Review was the band that Graham had brought in and then he brought me in to sing background. So

Yeah, are we doing the annual?

I was waiting for the annually. I brought my daughter out. We was hanging out and you know, but anyway, yacht Rock Review was the band. I was a singer, and after that first thing, they said, you know, would you be interested in singing with us? Because they just wanted to make the harmonies more full and everybody plays.

And da da dah. So that's kind of how that started.

And then after about a year they were like, we want to bring in another singer, do you know anybody?

And I was like, my daughter, you know, but she and she and we're a good.

Contrast because she's like that has a high, clean, mini ripperting kind of thing going on.

And so that's what that's been doing.

So but because of boarding school, I knew all the music anyway, you know, Hall and Oaks, Doobie Brothers.

I knew all of it anyway.

And then I found out soon after that they were the ones who actually trademark branded it, you know, like so they were I don't know if they were the first people to actually do it, but.

Got rock review.

Uh huh wow yeah.

And so I've been working with them now for seven years.

Wow yeah.

And did the album? Did one album? Which I have a piece of vinyl for you, Yes, yeah, I will take it.

And I was trying to give it to you at Fallon, but my luggage got lost, and so I'm running around. We're big the last time we did it, and I'm running around New York trying to find all black because my bags never made it.

So the album never made it, but it's here.

Thank you, yes, thank you. Uh ladies. I have to say, you know, I'm still thinking about the whole climbing in the tree and she still think, imagine my dad, Oh yeah that was the report.

Oh my god, pulling the sheet back and seeing Oh my god, I mean I might have to be a movie.

Yeah, that's a black version of my mind.

She said, it's me bitch with the.

End with the with the end of your house party. No for real, you know, seriousness. Uh you know, we first of all, thank you guys for doing our first episode in almost three years in person.

Uh p s a mirror when we said we was doing this job with the first was like, we gotta call Keisha and get her and her mommy.

Yeah, absolutely right, such you know, immense fan of yours. This is this is one talented fucking family. Yeah with pH thank you on behalf of and Millie and Fan Ticcolo and Laya and Sugar Steve. Shout out to cousin Jake and unpaid Bill somewhere on Sesame Street. This quest love and we'll see you later.

No, no, no, I have to give you the name of my latest album. And you think I came up here for nothing, just not get nothing?

Forgot, Yes, let's face the bills. What do you what are we working?

Nellie Jackson on the soul countryside that's right, yes, wow.

And the guy she's going to cover with was a boyfriend and I didn't like him.

That was.

So long ago I forgot.

Yes, I know that record cover very well.

But being born, you know, right down the road, the only thing you could get was country. So I grew up with country music except well after midnight. If you put your hand on the radio and use it as an antenna, you could picture Nashville, which which was the R and B side of Nashville.

You know, yes, But.

When I'm know when I'm in my car, which once or twice a week, for half an hour, I'm listening to country.

Music, don't touch her radio in the car.

It's country I would I understand that. Who are some of your favorite artists? Well?

Uh, I put it to you like this.

When I went to Carnegie Hall to see Kenny Rogers, he said, if he had known I was in the audience, he would not singing sweet music.

She redid some music man, and he presented her with like a million dollar gold check. Go play the check on a gift box.

Don't yes. But I was riding to the supermarket one day and I heard.

This song, I'm gonna drive like hell through your neighborhood, pulled my silver rodder up on your lawn.

Crank up a little hank, sit on the hood and drink. I'm about to get my pist off phone.

Who is that?

I said, Wait a minute, what I could.

Get my pist off?

One pist off on right?

I want to get my pist off phone, and I'm listening, gonna shine my headlights up into your window, throw empty beer cans at both of your shadows. I didn't come here to start a fight, but I'm up for anything tonight.

You've gone and broke the wrong hard baby.

Left me.

Read that crazy, I said, kiss my ass right when I got to that lyric. I can't sing no reddeck crazy, but I like getting my pistol phone.

I went on to the store, came back home, went online, look up again, called the band and say We're going to the studio tomorrow and.

I'm gonna shine my head lights up into your window.

I'm gonna throw empty beer canes at both of your shadows with r and beats. All right, I didn't come here to start a fight, but I'm up for enything tonight. You've gone and broke the wrong hardbae bead left me black bitch, crazy, Ladies.

And gentlemen, that is question like Supreme. We thank you very much.

You'll see you next time.

Thank you.

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