He was one of MTV's five original VJs (along with Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, and Martha Quinn).
Jackson first gained prominence while working at WBCN in Boston in the late 1960s, then at KLOS in Los Angeles for ten years.
In 1976, he was featured in a voice-only performance as a DJ of the fictional KGYS radio in the movie Car Wash.
He later returned to KLOS, and hosted the afternoon shift at smooth jazz station KTWV ("The Wave") for one year.
On March 17, 2004, Jackson, 62, suffered a heart attack and died while driving home after dining with a friend in Los Angeles.