Jackson family
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| The Jackson Family | |
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| Origin | Gary, Indiana (United States) |
| Genre(s) | Rhythm and blues, soul, pop, disco, dance pop, pop rock, blues |
| Years active | 1967 - present |
The Jackson family is an American family of musicians who originated from Gary, Indiana and later relocated to Encino, California. The Jacksons are most prominent for featuring several members of the family who influenced and shaped the sound of popular music. With the groundbreaking success of The Jackson 5, the eldest sons of Joseph Walter and Katherine Esther Jackson: Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael set the family on a path of musical success that spread among younger siblings including La Toya Jackson, Randy and, especially, Janet. Eldest sister Rebbie also had a brief successful music career. Set off from the success of Michael's Off the Wall and Thriller albums and Janet's Control and Rhythm Nation 1814 albums, the media branded them "the first royal family of popular music" especially after Michael was crowned as the "King of Pop". Janet has been called "the queen of pop" in some circles.
Members of the Jackson family have been the subject of heavily publicized controversies and legal imbroglios, most notably allegations of child abuse against Michael in 1993, his criminal trial in 2005, and Janet's controversial Super Bowl halftime performance in 2004. Some Jackson siblings have, at various times, publicly criticized one another and alleged abuse at the hands of their father.[1][2] In spite of these circumstances and other troubles, the Jacksons have continued to be praised for shaping the world of entertainment with some of the siblings' own children taking the spotlight in various careers. In recent years, certain members of the family have been honored for their work: in 1997 The Jackson 5 were inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Michael would follow the group to the hall in 2001. In 2002, Joseph was acknowledged as "the best musical manager of all time" by the Hall in Cleveland. The Jacksons, Michael and Janet all received stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1979, 1984 and 1990 respectively.
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The family patriarch was Samuel Jackson, a farmer from Arkansas. He had four sons with his wife Crystal Lee.
Samuel and Crystal's eldest son, Joseph Walter, was born on July 26, 1929 in Fountain Hill, Arkansas. When Joe was twelve, his parents split up and Joe and his father moved to Oakland, where Joe helped his father take care of the house. After graduating from high school, Joe left California, where he had a short career as a boxer, and moved to East Chicago, Indiana to take care of his mother. It was there that he met Katherine Scruse (born May 4, 1930), an Alabama native who was raised in East Chicago from age four. The couple married on November 5, 1949 and moved into a two-room house in Gary, Indiana for $800. During his early years in Gary, Joe formed a rhythm and blues band called The Falcons. His music career lasted a brief two years. Before managing his sons' careers, Joe took up work as a crane operator for the U.S. Steel Company.
Together Joseph and Katherine had nine children:
- Maureen Reilette "Rebbie" Jackson (born May 29, 1950):
Rebbie's show business career started when she agreed to join her siblings on their Las Vegas showcase starting in 1973. Within five years, she became a session singer for acts such as Lou Rawls and Chaka Khan before releasing her first solo album in 1984. With the help of her brother Michael, she released the hit, "Centipede". After three subsequent follow-up albums, Rebbie retired from music in 1998 to focus on her family.
- Sigmund Esco "Jackie" Jackson (born May 4, 1951):
The high-tenor vocalist of the Jackson 5, Jackie's solo career paired to his younger brothers, releasing only two albums that only performed modestly well. Jackie married once and has two children, one of which is rapper DealZ.
- Tariano Adaryll "Tito" Jackson (born October 15, 1953):
A talented guitar player at a young age, Tito later became the target of jokes comparing him to his successful brother, Michael, which state that "for every Michael Jackson, there's always a Tito lying around somewhere." Chris Tucker quipped to Jackie Chan during a scene in the original Rush Hour film that he was Michael and that Jackie's character was Tito. In 2003, Tito released his first solo EP, Are You Ready, and went on the road as a blues performer, ironically performing the same music his father performed during Tito's childhood. Also like his father, Tito managed his three sons into a successful singing group of their own.
- Jermaine La Juane Jackson (born December 11, 1954):
Most famous for sharing notable leads in many of the Jackson 5 hits with his brother Michael, Jermaine was also notable for playing bass guitar and gained substantial fame as a solo artist during the first fifteen years of that career. His biggest solo hits included "Let's Get Serious" (1980) and "Dynamite" (1984). Jermaine gained more fame in the UK by starring on a British version of Celebrity Big Brother, in 2007, where he finished in second place.
- La Toya Yvonne Jackson (born May 29, 1956)
Described by her siblings in the early years as "the quiet one", La Toya exploded unexpectedly in 1988 when she landed her first nude layout on Playboy magazine. She would later say that decision, including writing a scathing tell-all in 1991, and other decisions including speaking out against her brother Michael during the 1993 child molestation scandal, were PR stunts by her ex-manager and ex-husband Jack Gordon. Having released a total of ten albums since 1980, her biggest hit is 1984's "Heart Don't Lie", which peaked below the top 50. On January 2, 2009 she appeared on Celebrity Big Brother just like her elder brother Jermaine did two years previous.
- Marlon David Jackson and Brandon Jackson (born March 12, 1957)
Twins Marlon and Brandon were delivered via an emergency c-section. Brandon succumbed to birth difficulties dying as a stillborn while Marlon came out prematurely and survived. Though he isn't as known outside of his work with The Jackson 5, Marlon has worked as a songwriter and producer, primarily for his own sisters La Toya and Janet producing their mid-eighties work. Retired from show business since 1987, Marlon has since successfully invested in real estate and took part in forming The Black Family Channel in 1999.
- Michael Joseph Jackson (born August 29, 1958)
One of the only two Jackson family members to have a consistently successful music career, Michael was the focal point of The Jackson 5 after Jermaine, and started his solo career in 1971. His 1982 LP, Thriller, spawned seven top ten hits and sold between 47 and 104 million records since its release becoming the biggest-selling album of all time. With sales reaching 750 million units, Jackson has been called "the most successful entertainer of all time", thanks to the Guinness World Records.
A multi-talented musician, Randy's career began in 1972 as the congo player for his brothers' live touring band. In 1976, when the group left for CBS Records and changed their name to The Jacksons, Randy replaced the departing Jermaine in the group. In 1990, he released his own side project, Randy Jackson and the Gypsys to almost no success.
- Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966)
Unlike her eight siblings, Janet first gained fame as an actor on television shows such as Good Times ,Diff'rent Strokes, and Fame. After releasing her first album in 1982, Janet slowly emerged from teen pop star to a serious rhythm and blues performer after the release of her groundbreaking Control album. Janet is the only other Jackson family member whose musical career has been a consistent success. Six of Janet's ten albums have all debuted at number-one on the Billboard 200. She is currently ranked by Billboard as the second most successful female vocalist of all time and the ninth most successful recording artist ever in rock history.
- Rebbie Jackson and Nathaniel Brown have three children:
- Stacee Brown (b. 1971) - Stacee is a singer-songwriter who often records with her younger sister; her son London Blue was born in 2005.
- Yashi Brown (b. 1977) - Yashi is a singer-songwriter who often records with her older sister.
- Austin "Auggie" Brown (b. 1985) - Auggie is a singer-songwriter and musician.
- Jackie Jackson and Enid Spann had two children
- Sigmund Esco "Siggy" Jackson, Jr. (b. 1977) - "Siggy", or DealZ, is a rapper and avid motorcyclist.
- Brandi Jackson (b. 1982) - An adopted child, Brandi is also a singer.
- Tito Jackson and Delores "Dee Dee" Martez had three children
- Tariano Adaryll Jackson, Jr. (b. 1973) - member of the successful pop group 3T
- Taryll "Taryll" Adren Jackson (b. 1975) - member of the successful pop group 3T
- Tito Joe "TJ" Jackson (b. 1978) - member of the successful pop group 3T; the first of the members to become a father, his son Royalty was born in 2000.
- Jermaine Jackson and Hazel Gordy had three children:
- Jermaine Lu Juane Jackson, Jr. (b. 1977)
- Autumn Joy Jackson (b. 1978)
- Jaimy Jackson (b. 1987)
- Jermaine Jackson and Margaret Maldonado never legally married but had two children:
- Jeremy Jackson (b. 1986)
- Jourdynn Jackson (b. 1989)
- Jermaine and Alejandra Oaziaza had two children:
- Jaffar Jackson (b. 1996)
- Jermajesty Jackson (b. 2000)
- La Toya Jackson and Jack Gordon had no children.
- Marlon Jackson and Carol Parker have three children:
- Valencia Jackson (b. 1977) - has a son, Noah, born in 2006
- Brittany Jackson (b. 1978)
- Marlon David Jackson, Jr. (b. 1985) - Marlon, Jr. currently is a member of a hip-hop duo.
- Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley had no children.
- Michael Jackson and Deborah Jeanne Rowe had two children:
- "Prince" Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr. (b. 1997)
- Paris Katherine Michael Jackson (b. 1998)
- Michael Jackson and a surrogate had one child:
- "Prince" Michael Joseph Jackson II (a/k/a "Blanket") (b. 2002)
- Randy Jackson and Eliza Shaffel had one child:
- Steveanna Jackson (b. 1990)
- Randy Jackson and Alejandra Oaziaza had three children:
- Genevieve Jackson (b. 1989)
- Donte Jackson (b. 1991)
- Steven Randall Jackson, Jr. (b. 1991)
- Janet Jackson and James DeBarge had no children.
- Janet Jackson and Rene Elizondo, Jr. had no children.
- Janet Jackson and Jermaine Dupri had yet no children.
- ^ Taraborrelli, J. Randy (2004). The Magic and the Madness. Terra Alta, WV: Headline. p. 20-22. ISBN 0-330-42005-4.
- ^ Jackson, La Toya; Patricia Romanowski (1991). La Toya: Growing up in the Jackson Family. Dutton Publishing. pp. 18–20. ISBN 0-451-17415-1.
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