Joseph Jackson biography

Synopsis

Early Life

Music manager. Born Joseph Walter Jackson on July 26, 1929, in Fountain Hill, Arkansas, as the eldest of four children. His father, Samuel Jackson, was a high school teacher and his mother, Crystal Lee King, was a housewife. The couple split up when Jackson was 12. He moved with his father to Oakland, California, while his mother moved to East Chicago, Indiana. Jackson lived a lonely childhood, and had few friends. When he turned 18, he moved to Indiana to live near his mother.

While in Indiana, he began pursuing his dreams of becoming a boxer. He found success with the Golden Gloves, and was preparing for a professional athletic career when he met 17-year-old Katherine Scruse. He was already married at the time, but had his union quickly annuled to be with Katherine.

Starting a Family

The couple married on November 5, 1949, and moved into a two-bedroom house in Gary, Indiana. The Jackson's first child, Maureen Reilette "Rebbie" Jackson was born six months later on May 29, 1950. Joseph decided to leave his life as a boxer in order to support his family. He began work as a full-time crane operator for U.S. Steel. In the meantime, his wife Katherine tended to their growing family; the Jacksons would go on to have ten children (son Brandon Jackson died at birth).

But while Joseph may have given up his dreams of becoming a boxer, he was still determined to make it big. In the mid-1950s, Joseph started a band called The Falcons with his brother, Luther. The group split up a couple of years later after they failed to gain notoriety. Joseph returned full time to his job at U.S. Steel.

Commercial Success

In 1963, however, Joseph noticed his childrens' musical talents after he caught his son Tito playing his guitar. That year Jackie, Tito and Jermaine formed The Jackson Brothers with Joseph serving as the group's manager. He began entering the trio in local talent competitons and by 1965, he had younger brothers Marlon and Michael also involved in the band. The group renamed themselves The Jackson 5 in 1966, and began gaining accolades in the R&B circuit.

Joseph began enforcing long and intense rehearsals for his sons, and booked them in more and more respectable venues until they landed a spot at the renowned Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York. The group won an amateur night contest, and their win earned them a Motown record contract. The Jackson Five enjoyed immediate success, becoming the first American group to have their first four singles go straight to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. With the money he earned from managing the group, Joseph moved the family out of Indiana and into a mansion in Encino, California.