At home with Freddie Jackson; singer divides his time between country cottage and high-tech city apartment

Ebony, Feb, 1989 by Renee D. Turner

NESTLED in tree-shrouded solitude nearly 150 miles west of New York City is the two-story English Tudor cottage singer Freddie jackson calls home. While the popular tenor also maintains a posh midtown Manhattan apartment, his 17-acre Poconos Mountain retreat is where he is most likely to unwind after a whirlwind concert tour. That's because its serenity, says the singer of Nice N' Slow, counters the frenzy of city and road life. The cottage also has a family-style warmth that is somewhat unexpected in the home of a man who woos his mostly female audience with romantic ballads and gritty upbeat dance hits.

The 31-year-old bachelor says he often prefers the quiet coziness of thE Poconos to the hustle and bustle of the city because of his increasing fame. He topped his 1985 debut Rock Me Tonight album's platinum performance with the multi-platinum success of his second effort, just Like The First Time. Cuts from his latest album, Don't Let Love Slip Away, also dominate the Black Singles record chart.

It was the warmth and airiness of the stone and hand-split cedar shingled cottage, and its expansive surroundings that attracted Freddie to the spot near the Delaware Water Gap. "I wanted an atmosphere such that when people come into my home, whatever problems they have in their lives, they will leave them outside because the forces inside are greater," he says.

With dark cedar paneling, a hearth fireplace and grand picture windows, the manor room is Freddie's favorite. Its casual country French elegance, he says, is conducive to reflective moods, relaxation and creative inspiration. But, the estate offers other options. When not entertaining close friends at his 50-foot swimming pool, he can relax in the eight-person indoor jacuzzi or sauna. A riding ring is across the road from the four-bedroom cottage for exercising his geldings, Dannon and Yogurt, and rolling hills and a babbling brook are nearby for them to trot over.

His Manhattan apartment greatly contrasts with the cottage, which he bought furnished. Unlike the cottage, the two-bedroom apartment - which he jokingly calls the playpen" - reflects more of his personal taste. Freddie worked with New York designer jack Bangs to give the apartment where he does much of his logistical planning a high-teck look. With a stunning view of Manhattan, the living room of the forty-third floor flat has floor to ceiling mirrors, tucked gray silk wall covering, a black Z-shaped floor lamp, and a deco console table.

Both the apartment and Tudor cottage are worlds apart from Freddie's modest beginnings as the third of five children growing up in a Harlem "shotgun" flat. Then, too, his career has skyrocketed since he was the childhood soloist designated to "make the old ladies cry" during services at Mt. Nebo Baptist Church. The former word processor credits God, his mother, juanta jackson, and the good fortune of being discovered by singer Melba Moore for the success that has allowed him to be the first in his family to own a house.