The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5 (also spelled The Jackson 5ive, abbreviated as J5, and later known as The Jacksons) were an American popular music act, whose repertoire included R&B, soul, funk, and later disco. All but two members of the group (early members Johnny Jackson and Ronnie Rancifer) were the male children of Katherine and Joe Jackson (who served as the boys' manager): Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, Michael, and Randy, who replaced Jermaine in 1975. Originally signed to the Motown label before switching to Epic Records in 1975, the Jackson 5 were one of the most popular groups of the era, eventually selling over 100 million records worldwide and becoming the only performers to have their first four singles reach the top of the American charts.
Members
Though eight people were members of the Jackson 5 at one time or another, there were never more than five at any given time because members were replaced for various reasons. They are listed here along with their tenure in the band.
- Jackie Jackson (1962-1989): The eldest brother, Jackie was a singer and, prior to a musical career, a baseball player. He had a solo career, releasing three albums, and eventually married Enid Jackson, also later having an affair with singer Paula Abdul.
- Tito Jackson (1962-1989): Another original member, Tito has enjoyed a solo career as a blues musician.
- Jermaine Jackson (1962-1975; 1984-1989): A singer, Jermaine stayed with the group until the others switched from Motown to CBS Records. He stayed with Motown to pursue a solo career, achieving moderate success.
- Johnny Jackson (1962-1963): An original member and cousin to the other Jacksons, Johnny did not remain with the group for long.
- Ronnie Rancifer (1962-1963): An original member and cousin to the other Jacksons, Ronnie did not remain with the group for long.
- Marlon Jackson(1963-1989): Joing the year after the band was formed along with Michael, Marlon was sometimes beaten for his failure to live up to his brother's dancing skills. He eventually eloped with a fan, Carol, and, due to friction with his brothers, did not perform on the group's last album. He released one solo LP. Marlon then became a real estate broker and co-owner of Major Broadcasting Corporation.
- Michael Jackson (1963-1989): During his tenure with the Jackson 5, Michael was clearly the most popular member. He was the only one of the brothers to have a consistent solo career, and has become one of the most famous musicians in the world.
- Randy Jackson (1975-1989): Randy became a member of the group after Jermaine departed and the group switched to Epic.
Influences and followers
The Jackson 5's sound was influenced by many of the biggest stars of the 1960s, especially including family funk band Sly & the Family Stone, album-oriented soul pioneer Marvin Gaye, doo wop boy band Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers and soul shouters like Jackie Wilson, Joe Tex, Stevie Wonder and James Brown [1]. At the time of their early success, soul and funk stars, especially coming from Motown Records, were among the most popular musicians; Motown had launched the careers of dozens of the decade's biggest stars. Coming after the label's most famous acts, the Jacksons were "the last big stars to come rolling off (the Motown) assembly line" (Berry Gordy, founder of Motown Records). Their influence on later performers has been profound, inspiring a number of performers from diverse fields, including indie rock band Dashboard Confessional [2], New Jack Swing group New Edition [3] and boy band Hanson [4]. The Jackson 5 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997, and have two songs ("ABC" and "I Want You Back") that are among the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.
History
Early career
The Jacksons were a working-class family from Gary, Indiana. Katherine raised the children as Jehovah's Witnesses, and they therefore were not allowed to have many leisure activities. Joe, a steel mill employee who often performed in an R&B band called "The Falcons" with his brother Luther, was a strict disciplinarian; many of the Jackson children recall being severely beaten by Joe for misbehaving. The children found an outlet in music, with elder brothers Jackie (born 1951), Tito (b. 1953), and Jermaine (b. 1954) borrowing their father's guitar without his pernmission and playing along to the radio. Younger brothers Marlon (b. 1957) and Michael (b. 1958) would be allowed to watch, as long as they didn't tell. Joe eventually discovered that the older three boys were playing his guitar when one of the strings broke [5]; although he was furious at first, he realized the boys had talent, and began making plans to create a musical act for them.
In 1962, Jackie, Tito, and Jermaine began performing around the Gary area with two cousins, Johnny Jackson and Ronnie Rancifer, in a group called The Ripples and Waves. Joe Jackson served as the manager, at first only part-time, and then eventually quitting his job at the steel mill. Jermaine sang lead and played bass, and Tito played guitar. Johnny and Ronnie were replaced the next year by Marlon and Michael, who was only 5 years old. Already showing talent as a singer and dancer, Michael eventually replaced Jermaine as lead vocalist, and the band was renamed The Ripples and Waves Plus Michael. Joe would later rename the group The Jackson Brothers before finally settling on The Jackson 5.
During this period, the boys toured Indiana extensively, and after winning a major local talent show in 1966 (with a rendition of The Temptations' "My Girl", led by Michael), they began playing professional gigs. In 1967, the Jackson 5 won the Amateur Night competition at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, impressing Motown Records artist Gladys Knight. Knight recommended the group to Motown chief Berry Gordy, but Gordy was hesitant to take on a child act because of the child labor laws and other problems involved. That same year, the Jackson 5 made their first recordings for the Steeltown label in 1967; one of them, "Big Boy," became a regional hit.
Joining Motown
For one of their performances in 1968, the Jackson 5 opened for Motown group Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers at Chicago's Regal Theater. Taylor was also very impressed with the boys, and arranged for them to audition for Berry Gordy in person that summer. Gordy's initial reluctance disappeared when he finally saw the boys perform, and he signed them to Motown on the spot.
The Jackson 5's first recordings for Motown were covers of both contemporary hits and Motown-standards, including their famous rendition of Smokey Robinson & the Miracles' "Who's Lovin' You." In 1969, Gordy moved the Jackson family to California, and began the process of grooming them as the label's next big act. Diana Ross formally introduced the Jackson 5 to the public on August 11, 1969, at a Beverly Hills, California club called The Daisy, and the group's first single, "I Want You Back," was released on October 7. The group's first album, Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5, was released that December.
Popularization
Most of the early Jackson 5 singles were written and produced by a collective of Motown songwriters and producers, including Gordy, Alphonso Mizell, Deke Richards, and Freddie Perren, who were collectively known as The Corporation. They crafted for the Jackson 5 a sound they termed "bubblegum soul", a combination of the famous "Motown Sound" and bubblegum pop. The Jackson 5 became a sensation of their own, with "I Want You Back" and its 1970 follow-ups "ABC", "The Love You Save", and "I'll Be There" all going to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. Other early Top 5 hits included "Mama's Pearl" and "Never Can Say Goodbye." "Jacksonmania" swept the nation, with thousands of young girls falling in love with the Jackson brothers, especially Jermaine and little Michael. Motown licensed dozens of Jackson 5-related products, and Rankin-Bass produced The Jackson 5ive, a Saturday morning cartoon that debuted in 1971 and ran for two seasons on ABC.
In 1971, Motown also began a spin-off solo career for Michael, whose first single, "Got to Be There", was a Top 5 hit . Michael also sung the title track for the 1972 motion picture Ben. His other successful solo singles included "Rockin' Robin" (1972) and "I Wanna Be Where You Are" (1973).
Jermaine started a solo career of his own in 1972, and had a Top Ten hit with his single "Daddy's Home." The following year, Jermaine married Berry Gordy's daughter Hazel, against the wishes of his father.
After 1972, the Jackson 5's releases were less immensely successful, but they still did very well. Later Top 20 hits included "Lookin' Through the Windows" (1972) and the disco record "Dancing Machine" (1974).
The move to Epic
In 1975, Joe had the group sign with Epic Records, in hopes of getting better royalties and more creative control, angered at Motown's refusal to allow the Jacksons to play their own instruments on record. Motown sued for breach of contract, and although they eventually let the group go, the Jacksons were forced to change their name to The Jacksons because Motown owned the "Jackson 5" trademark. The Jacksons were also forced to trade Jermaine for youngest Jackson brother Randy, since Jermaine chose to stay with Motown and the Gordys. At Epic, the Jacksons continued releasing popular singles such as "Enjoy Yourself" and "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)."
Later years and Michael's solo career
In 1977, Michael starred alongside Diana Ross in the Motown/Universal Pictures motion picture The Wiz, an adaptation of the Broadway musical based upon L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz. Quincy Jones was the producer of the film's songs, and he and Michael began work on Michael’s first Epic solo album, Off the Wall, the next year. Off the Wall, released in 1979, sold six million copies and featured four #1 hit singles, causing some speculation about whether Michael would leave the Jacksons.
Michael continued to perform with his brothers, releasing the album Destiny in 1980, which featured the hit song "Can You Feel It." Although Destiny was mildly successful, it was nothing compared to Michael's Off the Wall or its follow-up, Thriller,which went on to become the most successful album of all-new material ever.
The Jacksons released the album Victory in 1984, featuring the hit single "State of Shock," and supported the album with the massively successful Victory tour. The brothers eventually drifted apart, reuniting only once for the album 2300 Jackson St. in 1989. Michael and Jermaine resumed their respective solo careers, with Michael becoming one of the most well-known performers in the world. Marlon unsuccessfully attempted to start a solo career of his own, while Tito, Randy, and Jackie went on to become successful session musicians.
The Jacksons made a reunion appearance on Michael's September 7, 2001 concert at Madison Square Garden, which was later broadcast as a television special on November 13 on CBS.
See also
The three girls of the Jackson family, although never members of the group, also enjoyed musical careers of their own:
- Rebbie Jackson (sister, b. 1950)
- LaToya Jackson (sister, b. 1956)
- Janet Jackson (sister, b. 1966)
US top 40 singles
- The Jackson 5
- 1969 "I Want You Back" (#1 pop, #1 R&B)
- 1970 "ABC" (#1 pop, #1 R&B)
- 1970 "The Love You Save" (#1 pop, #1 R&B)
- 1970 "I'll Be There" (#1 pop, #1 R&B)
- 1971 "Never Can Say Goodbye" (#2 pop, #1 R&B)
- 1971 "Mama's Pearl" (#2 pop, #2 R&B)
- 1971 "Maybe Tomorrow" (#20 pop, #3 R&B)
- 1971 "Sugar Daddy" (#10 pop, #3 R&B)
- 1972 "Little Bitty Pretty One" (#13 pop, #8 R&B)
- 1972 "Lookin' through the Windows" (#16 pop, #5 R&B)
- 1972 "Corner of the Sky" (#18 pop, #9 R&B)
- 1973 "Hallelujah Day" (#28 pop, #10 R&B)
- 1973 "Get It Together" (#28 pop, #2 R&B)
- 1974 "Dancing Machine" (#2 pop, #1 R&B)
- 1974 "Whatever You Got, I Want" (#38 pop, #3 R&B)
- 1974 "I Am Love" (#15 pop, #5 R&B)
- The Jacksons
- 1976 "Enjoy Yourself" (#6 pop, #2 R&B)
- 1977 "Show You the Way to Go" (#28 pop, #6 R&B)
- 1979 "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" (#7 pop, #3 R&B)
- 1980 "Lovely One" (#12 pop, #2 R&B)
- 1981 "Heartbreak Hotel" (AKA "This Place Hotel") (#22 pop)
- 1984 "State of Shock" (#3 pop, #5 R&B)
- 1984 "Torture" (#17 pop, #12 R&B)
Albums
- The Jackson 5
- 1969 Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5
- 1970 ABC
- 1970 Third Album
- 1970 Christmas Album
- 1971 Maybe Tomorrow
- 1971 Goin' Back to Indiana
- 1973 Skywriter
- 1974 Dancing Machine
- 1975 Moving Violation
- 1976 Joyful Jukebox Music
- The Jacksons
- 1977 The Jacksons
- 1977 Goin' Places
- 1978 Frontiers
- 1978 Destiny
- 1980 Triumph
- 1984 Victory
- 1989 2300 Jackson St.
References
- Cadman, Chris and Craig Halstead. Michael Jackson the Early Years. Author's Online. ISBN 0755200640
- Manning, Steve. The Jacksons. Indianapolis. Bobbs-Merrill. 1976.
- Transcript of interview with Jermaine Jackson. Larry King Live. November 30, 2003.