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Marlon Jackson
Marlon David Jackson (born March 12, 1957 in Gary, Indiana) is an American singer and musician, former member of The Jackson 5, and brother of American pop stars Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson. Born in Gary, Indiana to parents Joseph and Katherine Jackson, Marlon was premature; his twin brother, Brandon, died within hours of birth.
The Jackson 5 and early years
Marlon was about 6 years old when his father, Joseph, formed his five oldest sons into the Jackson 5 singing and dancing group. The second youngest of the Jackson 5, Marlon was only one year older than the lead singer of the group, Michael. Michael was clearly a child prodigy, and Marlon had trouble performing as well as him. Multiple family sources have said that Joseph would sometimes beat Marlon for failing to dance as well as Michael. Joseph wanted to drop Marlon from the group, but mother Katherine Jackson insisted that he stay.
In 1968, the Jackson 5 signed a major label recording contract with Motown Records. Due to a contract dispute with a previous manager, it was about a year before Motown could release any Jackson 5 records. Around this time, the Jackson family moved to California. Michael and Marlon stayed briefly with singer Diana Ross until housing could be for the entire family.
Once their first records were released at the end of 1969, the Jackson 5 were an immediate success, with their first four singles going to #1 in the US. The boys lived a busy life filled with recording and live performances. Fans would often "mob" the boys, sometimes creating dangerous situations. Michael and Marlon were forced to leave the California public school system due to fans disrupting their classroom. From that point on, most of their education would come from a private tutor.
The move to Epic and marriage
By 1974, fans had moved on to the next new group, and the Jackson 5's record sales had slowed considerably, although they were still a major concert draw. The brothers and their father wanted Motown to give the group better promotion and more artistic control, but Motown refused., the group left Motown in the mid-1970s and signed with Epic Records. The middle brother, Jermaine, was married at the time to the daughter of Motown's founder, and remained at Motown. The youngest Jackson boy, Randy, joined the group at this point, bringing the number of brothers in the group back to five. However, Motown claimed ownership of the name "Jackson 5", and the brothers recorded for Epic under the name "The Jacksons."
At the age of 18, Marlon married Carol Parker, an 18-year-old he'd known since childhood and with whom he kept in contact throughout his Jackson 5 fame. They eloped in August of 1975, thus becoming the first of many Jackson siblings to marry without the knowledge of other family members. He lived at home with his parents for five months before they learned that he was married.
The Jacksons first two albums for Epic were not commercial successes, but Joseph and Michael persuaded Epic to let the Jacksons start writing and producing their own material. One of the subsequent songs, "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)", written by Michael and Randy Jackson, became a major success and helped to return the Jackson brothers to stardom.
Leaving the Jacksons
The Jacksons recorded several successful albums during this period, such as Destiny, Triumph and Victory. However, their fame was eclipsed by the sizeable success of Michael's solo career. In 1984-1985, the Jacksons (including Jermaine) embarked on their last tour together. This tour, the Victory Tour was marked by strife between the brothers and public criticism of high ticket prices. Michael vowed never to tour with his brothers again, and Marlon also was disillusioned about performing with the Jacksons. The next and final Jacksons album, 2300 Jackson Street, was recorded without the participation of Marlon or Michael. In 1987 through Capitol Records, Marlon released his one and only solo album, Baby Tonight. Although well received by fans of the Jacksons, it was only a modest commercial success.
Marlon also produced songs on his sisters' albums: one song on Rebbie's Centipede and two songs on Janet's Dream Street in 1984 and two songs on LaToya's My Special Love in 1982.
Later life
Unlike his brothers, Marlon decided to embark on a career outside of show business, becoming a successful real estate agent in Southern California. He also is part owner of the Black Family Channel, a cable network designed to bring family-friendly programming to the Black community. He rejoined his brothers for two concerts in 2001 to celebrate Michael's 30th Anniversary as a solo performer.
Marlon is still married to Carol, making him the only one of the six Jackson brothers to avoid divorce. The couple lives in California, and has three children : Valencia, Brittny and Marlon Jackson Jr.
