The Jackson 5 were more than a huge hit recording act. They were an
international multi-media phenomenon who ushered Motown into its
second decade with a stunningly fresh sound that has often been imitated
but never duplicated.
Look beyond their unequaled chart success - their first four major label
singles all reached No. 1 on the pop charts, they had a run of three years
in which every single they released made the pop Top 20 and every single
they released during their tenure on Motown reached the top 10 of the soul
charts - and you find hour-long TV specials, an animated TV series, a
extensive line of merchandise with the ubiquitous "J-5" logo in which both
characters tailed into hearts, the popularization of the "robot" dance routine
and regular cover stories in teen magazines. They rapidly became the pop
sensation that Motown specialized in creating - and then reached new
heights.
Most importantly, people loved them. "Words fail miserable when it comes
to describing how instantly the flashy family captured hearts of all ages,"
wrote music journalist A. Scott Galloway. "Grandparents wanted to adopt 'em
and kids wanted to be them." But the foundation for it all was great music,
for which Motown is unmatched, and a stagecraft, which made them the
rightful heirs of Sammy Davis, Jr., Jackie Wilson and James Brown.
Jackie (born May 4, 1951), Tito (October, 15 1953), Jermaine (December
11, 1954), Marlon (March 12, 1957) and Michael (August 29, 1958) hailed
from Gary, Indiana, where their father Joe, a crane operator at a steel mill,
had played blues guitar at local clubs; he began marshalling his sons into a
family music group as far back as 1962. They played talent shows and amateur
contests and continued to polish their act when about five years later, Gladys
Knight first encountered them and recommended Motown take notice.
It would be Motown singer/producer Bobby Taylor who brought the quintet to
Detroit not long after, began recording them, and alerted Berry Gordy's
assistant Suzanne de Passe of their immense abilities. She in turn told Gordy,
whose initial response was, "I hate kid groups." But once he saw these kids go
through their routine on film, he whisked them to Los Angeles in the summer
of '68. Gordy set up old-style Motown Artist Development classes to refine their
act and helped create a writing team - Deke Richards, Alphonzo Mizell, Freddie
Perren and himself - dubbed "The Corporation," to craft a smash debut record.
That song was "I Want You Back." Motown historian Don Waller called it
"probably the best pop record ever made." Michael, the obvious centerpiece,
conveyed an electric maturity well beyond his years. The B-side covered the
Miracles' "Who's Loving You" from a decade earlier. It paired the type of vocal
harmony that vocal groups would try to emulate decades later with Michael's
incredibly convincing plea, belying his pre-teen status; years later both Gordy
and Smokey Robinson, its songwriter, would continue to marvel how Michael
kicked Smokey's original in the rear.
The group's first LP, Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5, linked the boys with
Motown's biggest star and hit the top 5 of the pop album charts. In short order,
the J-5 began cranking out more Number 1 singles - "ABC," "The Love You
Save" and the mighty ballad "I'll Be There," which topped the chart for six weeks
and became Motown's biggest selling single to date. Their next two LPs each
climbed to Number 4. In less than a year, the Jackson 5 had stormed the world.
Their image soon took hold across the media: Five fun-loving kids with prominent
afro hair styles wearing brightly colored patterned shirts and bell-bottomed pants
who moved on stage in perfect synchronicity - Michael singing and dancing with
furious control, shadowed by Marlon and Jackie while Tito on lead guitar and
Jermaine on bass moved with them. Their drummer Johnny Jackson (no relation)
and keyboard player Ronnie Rancifer, both also from Gary, rounded out their
stage act.
On record, their direct and instantly recognizable energetic sound was built
around funky rhythm tracks with Michael's high pitched vocals offset perfectly by
Jermaine's huskier second lead and soulful harmonies. Two more huge hits
followed in "Mama's Pearl" and the sophisticated "Never Can Say Goodbye." And
even though "Maybe Tomorrow" didn't crack the upper reaches of the pop chart,
Motown launched solo careers for both Michael and Jermaine and they each had
scored big hits by 1972.
There was a Christmas LP and a soundtrack album from their TV special. As the
boys (and their fans) started to mature, so did their material. On 1972's Lookin'
Through the Windows album, their seventh in less than four years, the title song
and "Little Bitty Pretty One" were big hits and each showed the group wasn't
dependent on any formula to find an audience. That album featured more of
Jermaine's vocals than previously, but Michael was still ever-present and riveting
as always.
The transition continued as the group moved increasingly toward dance music on
the Get It Together LP, when producer Hal Davis matched the Jackson 5 with
some of Norman Whitfield's earlier material for the Temptations, Gladys Knight
and the Pips and Undisputed Truth. The result was a danceable groove that
proved very popular in 1973, the title track especially becoming a favorite for
Soul Train dancers on TV.
Sisters Janet and LaToya joined the stage act around this time and younger
brother Randy became a permanent member of the group on percussion.
A year later, the metamorphosis was complete. The Jackson 5 had been guests
on Stevie Wonder's hit "You Haven't Done Nothin'," a musical indictment of
political hypocrisy and soon returned to the top of the charts on their own.
"Dancing Machine," plucked from the Get It Together LP, and remixed for single
release and its own LP in '74, went to No. 1. It inspired the robotic dance craze
that really has never entirely died. The LP also had the cutting edge song "I Am
Love," as adventurous as anything Stevie was recording.
When their Motown contract expired, the group elected to sign to Epic Records,
although Jermaine, who had married Berry's daughter Hazel, stayed with Motown
as a solo artist. But before the group moved on, they released one final LP, Moving
Violation, in 1975 which contained the type of music that would usher in the disco
era. Their version of "Forever Came Today," an extended version of the Supremes
hit packed dance floors when it was released in 1976 and became a No. 1 disco hit.
Following the success of the Jacksons at their new label, Motown also issued two
albums of vaulted tracks, Joyful Jukebox Music and Boogie. The J5 were inducted
the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.
The Jackson 5 had grown up before our eyes and their musical legacy remains a
remarkable testament, not just to Michael's greatness, but to their collective talent.
Michael Jackson, born August 29, 1958 in Gary,
Indiana, spent nearly his entire life as a public
performer. At age four he was singing with the family
group; a charismatic bundle of energy who was
musically wise beyond his years, he soon became
their lead vocalist and front man. Onstage, using
every ounce of his old-school training, he modeled
his dance moves and singing on James Brown and
Jackie Wilson, and portrayed a self-confidence that
belied his shy, private personality.
The Jackson Five - Michael, Jermaine, Jackie,
Marlon and Tito - signed to Motown Records at the
end of 1968, and were immediately groomed for
stardom: "They'll have three No. 1 records in a row,"
Motown founder Berry Gordy famously announced
before any records were released. In fall 1969 they
exploded with "I Want You Back," one of the greatest
singles in pop history, and it was the first of four
consecutive no. 1 pop hits, as "ABC," "The Love
You Save" and "I'll Be There" followed. Flip sides
such as "Who's Lovin' You," a knockout performance
by Michael with all the hallmark of a great soul artist,
illustrated his remarkable maturity.
It seemed inevitable that young MJ would spin off
as a solo artist. The aching ballad "Got To Be
There" was his first solo single, released October 7,
1971, and it shot to no. 4 on both the pop and R&B
charts. His debut solo album Got To Be There was
released in January 1972 and reached the pop Top
20. The LP also spun off "Rockin' Robin," a cover
of a fifties smash that hit no. 2 pop and R&B, and "I
Wanna Be Where You Are" (top 20 pop/no. 2 R&B).
In July 1972 Michael sang "Ben," the title
song from a movie about a trained rat, and
it became his first solo pop no. 1. Michael's
emotional, sincere performance helped the song
win a Golden Globe Award, and it was nominated
for an Oscar®. The stylistically rich Ben album
showcased Michael's interpretive skills: the tracks
included a moody cover of the Stylistics' moody
"People Make The World Go Round," which in
later years became a favorite of hip-hoppers; the
happy, funky "We've Got A Good Thing Going;"
and a nod to the great jazz singer Jimmy Scott,
a man-child of another era, with a cover of Scott's
signature song "Everybody's Somebody's Fool."
MJ was still only 14 years old.
Music & Me, released April 13, 1973, was
Michael's next album—a push towards more adult
contemporary pop like "Ben," which backfired
commercially, although it contains fine
performances, including "With A Child's Heart,"
originally cut by Stevie Wonder, Motown's sixties
teen superstar, and a vocal version of "Happy,"
the love theme from Lady Sings The Blues,
the Gordy-produced film on the life of Billie
Holiday released the previous that starred
Jackson mentor Diana Ross.
Forever, Michael, released in January 1975, got
things back on the R&B track. A more danced-
oriented project that featured the return of Brian
and Edward Holland to Motown, the LP hit the
Black Album chart top 10, while its tracks "We're
Almost There" and "Just A Little Bit Of You" both
peaked inside the R&B Singles top 10. In the two
years prior, the Jackson 5, after a commercial
lull, had been successful with dance tracks,
particularly the smash no. 1 "Dancing Machine."
Those four albums might have been the
end of the story for Michael and Motown,
as he and the group, sans Jermaine, left
to go to Epic Records. Michael was 17 years
old. While the group - now the Jacksons - kept
the groove going, MJ set aside his solo career.
He took up acting, memorably appearing as
the Scarecrow in The Wiz with Diana Ross in
1978. He struck up a friendship with the film's
music producer, Quincy Jones and, in 1979, at
age 21, MJ re-ignited his solo career,
collaborating with Jones on Off The Wall. In the
aftermath of its huge success, Motown issued
the compilation One Day In Your Life, on
March 25, 1981. Its title song - lifted
from Forever, Michael - turned into a no. 1
hit in the U.K. and top 40 AC in the U.S.
Then came Thriller. The hits. The videos.
The moonwalk on Motown 25. In May
1984 Motown released the LP Farewell
My Summer Love, a batch of songs from
the vault with contemporary overdubs; the
title song went top 10 R&B. Two years later
Motown issued Looking Back To Yesterday, a
collection of more vault masters - some with the
J5 - that contained further unexpected gems.
Michael and his brothers were inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. Michael
went in as a solo artist in 2001. "He has
transfixed the world like few entertainers before
or since," it says in his inductee biography. "As
a solo performer, he has enjoyed a level
of superstardom previously known only to
Elvis Presley, the Beatles and Frank Sinatra."
It was at Motown where MJ first bared his young
soul and was set on his path to becoming the
biggest pop star of our time. He died at age
50, much too young, on June 25, 2009. He
is loved, he is missed. He is Forever, Michael.
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