[4] He contributed to the soundtrack for the 1989 film, All Dogs Go to Heaven with the Michael Lloyd-produced duet "Love Survives" alongside Irene Cara.

[5] During the late 1970s, Jackson moved to the West Coast and sang lead with the band Mystic Merlin (with which he released three studio albums, 1980–1982), but soon returned to New York to work with Laurence at Hush Productions.

[5] Jackson sang on demo recordings of Laurence's compositions, and also served as a backing singer for Melba Moore after she saw his nightclub act in 1981.

[5] The Laurence-penned title track stormed the R&B chart,[5] spending six weeks at number one, and made Jackson an instant hit on urban contemporary radio.

[5] Jackson appeared as a lounge singer on the 1989 The Golden Girls episode "Two Rode Together" and sang the Disney song "It's a Small World" to Sophia.

After returning to the charts with It's Your Move in February 2004 (Martland Entertainment), Jackson released his tenth studio album, Transitions, in September 2006 on the record label Orpheus Music.

[8] The single received some positive reviews and airplay, and allowed Jackson to reintroduce himself as he toured internationally in support of the release, as well as appear with artists Jeffrey Osborne, Peabo Bryson, Melba Moore, and Stephanie Mills at various performances and festivals.

[10] A fiction piece in the November 25, 2019, issue of The New Yorker, by John Edgar Wideman, titled "Arizona", is written as a letter to Jackson.