After growing up around Portsmouth, Jackson won a scholarship to study musical composition at the Royal Academy of Music in London. He emerged onto the punk/new wave scenr in 1979 with his album, Look Sharp! and the memorable Is She Really Going Out With Him? but branched out into jump blues (Jumpin' Jive, hep hep!), reggae, jazz and classical forms. Definitely a subject for further investigation, but until that happens Acceptable seems to fit the bill.
File under: New Wave Polymaths
Discography: Studio albums 1976-91 1994-Present Live albums
In the music library: At the BBC Night and Day
Links: Wikipedia Official web site Twitter Facebook AllMusic NPR