The Jacksons (album)

The Jacksons is the thirteenth studio album by The Jacksons, the band's first album for CBS and under the name "The Jacksons," following their seven-year tenure at Motown as "The Jackson 5". Jackson 5 member Jermaine Jackson stayed with Motown when his brothers broke their contracts and left for CBS; he was replaced by youngest Jackson brother Randy. The album was released in 1976 for Epic Records and Philadelphia International Records as a joint venture.

History

Philadelphia International heads Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff produced and executive produced the album, including their first top ten hit in two years "Enjoy Yourself", but had a difficult time focusing on a sound for the now-grown-up boy band. However, the group was able for the first time to write their own material, something that had been denied to them at Motown. The Jacksons composed "Style of Life" and "Blues Away" on their own. "Blues Away" was the first published song written by lead singer Michael Jackson, who began to take a more percussive vocal approach beginning with this album. This album also spawned a second successful R&B single, "Show You the Way to Go" (UK #1). Though never released as a single, "Good Times" became a popular album cut from regular quiet storm airplay. The album itself placed #36 and #6 on the pop and R&B album charts respectively.

The Jackson 5

The Jackson 5 or Jackson Five; later known as The Jacksons is an American popular music family group from Gary, Indiana. Formed in 1964 under the name the Jackson Brothers, the founding members were Jackie, Tito and Jermaine. Marlon and Michael would later join, and the band's name would be changed to The Jackson 5. After participating in talent shows and the chitlin' circuit, they entered the professional music scene in 1967 as The Jackson Five, signing with Steeltown Records and releasing two singles. In 1969, they left Steeltown Records in order to sign with Motown.

The Jackson 5 is one of the first groups of black American performers to attain a crossover following, preceded by the Supremes, the Four Tops and the Temptations. Scoring 17 top forty singles on the Hot 100, after continuing with further hits such as "Never Can Say Goodbye" and "Dancing Machine", most of the group with the exception of Jermaine, left Motown for Epic Records in 1975, where, with brother Randy taking Jermaine's place, they released five albums between 1976 and 1981, including the hit albums, Destiny (1978) and Triumph (1980) and the hit singles, "Enjoy Yourself", "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" and "Can You Feel It." In 1983, Jermaine reunited with the band to perform on Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever and subsequently released the Victory album the following year. After the end of their tour to promote the album, Michael Jackson and Marlon Jackson promptly left the group. The remaining four released the poorly received 2300 Jackson Street album in 1989 before being dropped from their label.

The Jacksons (TV series)

The Jacksons is an American variety show featuring the Jackson siblings (except for Jermaine, who was signed to Motown while the Jackson group was signed to the Epic/CBS record label). It was the first variety show where the entire cast were siblings. As with the Jackson 5 regular performances, Michael Jackson was the lead performer in musical and dance performances.

The thirty-minute Wednesday evening show began airing on CBS as a summer 1976 show and it continued into the 1976–1977 season, finishing on March 9, 1977 after running for 12 episodes.

Cast

Episodes

External links

Brandon Jackson March 12, 1957 - March 13, 1957

Jackson family

The Jackson family is an American family of singers who originated in Gary, Indiana. Performing as members of The Jackson 5 and as solo artists, the children of Joseph Walter and Katherine Esther Jackson were very successful in the field of popular music from the late 1960s onwards. As a group, the eldest sons Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, Randy and Michael, made the family's reputation, facilitating the subsequent success of siblings Rebbie, La Toya, and Janet. The Jackson 5 became known as the "First Family of Soul" (a title first held by the Five Stairsteps). The continued success of Michael and Janet's careers as solo artists led the Jacksons to become known as the "Royal Family of Pop". All nine of the Jackson siblings have gold records to their credits with La Toya holding the distinction of being the first Jackson sister to attain one (awarded by France's SNEP for "Reggae Night", a song she co-wrote for Jimmy Cliff).

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.