Darlene Jackson(II)
- Actress
Darlene Jackson, aka DJ Lady D, is hailed as "Chicago's House Music Queen" by Chicago Magazine. She has toured North America, Europe, Asia, and Russia as an international DJ, producer, and remixer, and in 2004, she became a music publisher when she launched her independent record label and marketing brand, D'lectable. Well known for her charismatic sets of house, techno, and disco, her appearances at ARC, SXSW, Lollapalooza, Burning Man, and Chosen Few, and for fan-filled, influencer, charity, and celebrity events such as for Dave Chapelle, Queen Latifah and more, have solidified her trailblazing career. A member of the Screen Actors Guild and a Chicago Chapter Governor for the Recording Academy (The Grammy's), Jackson first acted professionally in "The Marva Collins Story" (with Cicely Tyson and Morgan Freeman) and as a renowned DJ has been a featured subject in numerous print, television, and film media including the music documentaries, The War on Disco, Girl, The Godfather of Disco, and Slipcue. The books Do You Remember House by Micah Salkind, How To DJ Right by Frank Broughton, and Disco Demolition: The Night Disco Died by Dave Hoekstra have captured her dynamic story. As a host, producer, writer, and researcher, Jackson has worked with various media outlets, including the Chicago Tribune, URB, Discoid, Chicago Public Media, Vocalo, NPR, WBEZ, and BBC radio. Amazingly, she has been featured in Forbes, Mixmag, Billboard, and an exhaustive list of other magazines since she began her career. You can hear Jackson on the radio on the fourth Friday of every month on Vocalo. 91.1 FM-Chicago. With a Master's Degree from Northwestern University (2016), Jackson has advised and provided instruction to students in Communication (Voice Over, Radio, Social Media), Business & Entrepreneurship, Music/Music Business, and Fashion, on branding and portfolio development, and designs and curates diversity and career/industry programs for The Career Center at Columbia College Chicago since 2018.