Before he became known for "Keepin' it real" on the TV show "American Idol", Randy Jackson played bass guitar for which rock band?

Before bass guitar, Randy Jackson, was on the Fox Network (2002–2016) reality TV show "American Idol" (from 1986 to 1987), he was a session musician for the rock group Journey. Jackson played on Journey's very successful 1986 album 'Raised on Radio'.

In 1985 before Journey recorded the album 'Raised on Radio', bass player Ross Valory and drummer Steve Smith were fired from the band for musical and professional differences. Bassist Randy Jackson, bassist Bob Glaub, and established drummer Larrie Londin were then hired to handle the two vacant slots. They worked greatly on the very popular 1986 album which went multi-platinum, selling over two million copies. It also produced four top 20 singles, "Be Good to Yourself" (#9), "I'll Be Alright Without You" (#14), "Girl Can't Help It" and "Suzanne", both of which reached No. 17 on thee Billboard Hot Music chart.

A subsequent tour was featured with Jackson on bass guitar and Mike Baird on drums; it was in part videotaped by MTV and made into a documentary, which included interviews with the band members, including Jackson and Baird.