Radie Salias Jackson was born in Craig County, Virginia on August 28, 1909, the fifth child of Silias Edward and Edward and Mary D. Jackson. Radie married in July 30, 1930 to Naniebell Willias. They had three daughters named Runea, Royce, and Rencie, and one son named Radie Jr.. Radie dropped out of school in sixth grade.

Jackson began his career in September of 1926 at the Greenbrier Hotel as a dishwasher, which job paid $30.00/month. He was transferred to the pastry shop, which paid $50.00/month. On April 1, 1927, he was sent to work at Kate's Mountain Club, where he worked between 1927 and 1929. After his father's death in 1928, he began working at Nick's Restaurant during the stock market crash. He then worked as a cook and housekeeper for Jack Davison (Director of Spalding Golf Association) at 1681 West Avenue Miami Beach, Florida, from November 1936 to April 1937. He returned to Kate's Mountain Club during the summer.

Radie opened his first restaurant in November 1, 1941 at 1021 Northwest 2nd Avenue. He closed the restaurant down and returned to Virginia. He bought a lot on Saw Mill Lane in July of 1943. In 1944 he arranged for the house to be built. The house was finished in July or August of 1944. The family moved into the house in July 1945, and in July of 1946 Jackson returned to work.

In August 1946, Jackson applied for a divorce, which was granted on August 7, 1946. He sold his restaurant in August 1949. In early 1950, he built a rooming house at 141 Northwest 9th Street in Miami. The rooming house had twenty rooms, plus two apartments with two bedrooms in each of them, and a large store on the ground floor. He made the purchase using bank and private financing in the amount of $50,000.00. He completed the building and moved in December of 1950. After three years at 141 Northwest 9th  Street, he put the rooming house up for sale and built a house on three lots he purchased in Opa-Locka. He sold the rooming house ten years later.

He married his second wife in 1957 and had a daughter named Malibu Rose, and two sons named Gato Buzotta and Nathan Albert Rudolph. In late Summer of 1966, he began work on property at 2165 Washington Avenue. He was hospitalized January 1967 and released in March. In August 1971, he began working at  17935 Northwest 18th Avenue in North Miami, and finished on February 22, 1972. He built another house on 18015 Northwest 18th Avenue, in November 1983 and finished on August 1, 1984. He sold that house in July 1989.