True Vibe Records

Internet record label True Vibe Records, based in Oakland, California, was founded by owner Bill Jackson aka “BJ”, who has had a burning passion to offer a new genre of music to the listening public.  This music, called Socially-Conscious Multi-Genre (SCMG) music aka Jazz Funk Hip HoPoetry, consists of R&B with jazz funk, Latin, hip hop, and spoken word influences.  According to Jackson, this music is a potpourri of musical genres that entertains, enlightens, and inspires people.

The collective, True Vibe Records Affiliated Artists, is an outgrowth of his background as a musician, educator for more than 20 years as well as other life experiences.  Jackson’s first musical training started at the early age of 7 when he took piano lessons, after which he played trumpet in public school concert and jazz bands.  He later learned how to play bass guitar and played with a number of R & B and funk bands during his teen and early adult years in the San Francisco Bay Area in the same shows with groups such as Sly and the Family Stone, T-Bone Walker, and more.

His experience playing guitar bass in church and coordinating programs for assemblies as a public-school teacher led to a profound interest in bringing this new music to a larger audience of people.  Jackson had long been yearning to create this hybrid of music to uplift people--especially in the African-American community, and to help raise the level of consciousness among all people to affect positive social change.

Along with the variety of his life experiences, he also credits his educational background for shaping his approach to music.   Bill Jackson holds a B.A. Degree in Journalism and Sociology from California State University, Los Angeles, an M.A. Degree in Education from the University of San Francisco, and a California teaching credential in English and Social Science.  Upon graduating from college at CSU-LA, he worked at a staff writer for weekly newspapers in Compton and South-Central Los Angeles over a two-year period.