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Quick Facts
- NAME: Katherine Jackson
- OCCUPATION: Television Personality
- BIRTH DATE: May 04, 1930 (Age: 83)
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Barbour County, Alabama
- Full Name: Katherine Esther Jackson
- Maiden Name: Katherine Esther Scruse
- AKA: Katherine Scruse
- AKA: Kattie Screws
- Originally: Kattie B. Screws
- AKA: Katherine Jackson
- ZODIAC SIGN: Taurus
Best Known For
Katherine Jackson is best known for being the mother of international pop superstar Michael Jackson.
Videos see all videos
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The Jackson 5 - Discovery (1:30)
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The Jackson 5 - On Tour (1:38)
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The Jackson 5 - Discovery
Smokey Robinson recalls how Michael Jackson and his brothers were discovered by Motown.
The Jackson 5 - On Tour
Michael Jackson and his brothers lived their childhoods on the road and toured in a volkswagon bus.
The Jackson 5 - Michael's Talent
From the very beginning, no young star was as talented or passionate as Michael Jackson.
Michael Jackson - Mini Biography
A short biography of Michael Jackson who started out in The Jackson Five and quickly became a pop icon with hits like "Beat It" and "Thriller." However, in his later years, Jackson became tabloid fodder up until his death in 2009.
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Play NowKatherine Jackson. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 10:19, May 23, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/katherine-jackson-466952.
Katherine Jackson. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/katherine-jackson-466952 [Accessed 23 May 2013].
"Katherine Jackson." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 23 2013, 10:19 http://www.biography.com/people/katherine-jackson-466952.
"Katherine Jackson," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/katherine-jackson-466952 [accessed May 23, 2013].
"Katherine Jackson," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/katherine-jackson-466952 (accessed May 23, 2013).
Katherine Jackson [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 23] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/katherine-jackson-466952.
Katherine Jackson, http://www.biography.com/people/katherine-jackson-466952 (last visited May 23, 2013).
Katherine Jackson. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/katherine-jackson-466952. Accessed May 23, 2013.
Synopsis
Katherine Jackson was born Kattie B. Screws in Barbour County, Alabama, on May 4, 1930. She and husband Joseph Jackson had 10 children together. She encouraged her children's musical talents, and when sons Jackie, Jermaine, Marlon, Michael and Tito became the Jackson 5, she acted as costume designer. Katherine remained supportive to her most famous son, Michael,
through his success as well as his troubles. After Michael's death in June 2009, she became the legal guardian of his three children, Paris Michael Katherine, Michael Joseph "Prince" Jr. and Prince Michael "Blanket" II.
Early Life
Best known as the matriarch of the famed Jackson family, long-revered for its musical talent, Katherine Esther Jackson was born Kattie B. Screws on May 4, 1930, in Barbour County, Alabama. The daughter of Martha Mattie Upshaw and Prince Albert Screws, Katherine contracted polio at a young age. While she eventually recovered from her illness, the disease left her with a life-long limp. At the age of 4, she moved with her family to East Chicago, Indiana, and her name was changed to Katherine Esther Scruse (her father decided to rename her in conjunction with changing his surname to "Scruse").
Scruse met Joseph Jackson when she was still a teenager. Jackson was a boxer and aspiring musician who was married when the two first met. In November 1949, after Jackson divorced his first wife, the couple married. They moved to Gary, Indiana, and would have 10 children over the next 16 years. While her husband worked as a crane operator at U.S. Steel, Katherine was a homemaker. A devout Jehovah's Witness, Katherine raised the children in her faith, and with strict discipline. A pianist and singer, she also encouraged the family's musical talents. Her son, Michael, would later credited his mother with giving him his vocal gifts.
Shaping the Jackson 5
Soon after noticing his children's various musical abilities, Joe Jackson devoted himself to molding them into a well-rehearsed group. In 1964, the Jackson Five was formed, consisting of sons Jackie, Jermaine, Marlon, Michael and Tito Jackson. As their fame grew, the group performed at talent shows and opening acts that took them all over the country, including to the renowned Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York, where they won an amateur-night competition in 1967. During this time, Katherine acted as the group's designer, often making suits and costumes for her sons to wear during their performances.
After the Jackson 5 signed with Motown Records in 1968, Katherine took a backseat on the group's affairs, but continued to be a supportive mother. As her son, Michael, skyrockted to fame as a solo artist, she stuck by his side through his highs and lows, from his success with the album Thriller to his 2005 struggle with child-molestation charges.
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Famous People Involved in Sex Scandals
View groupWhat is it with celebrities and sex scandals? Like love and marriage, famous people and sex scandals just seem to go hand in hand. They're some of society's most powerful people, but these actors, politicians, athletes and musicians just can't seem to control their desires. These days it seems like if you open the closet of nearly any celebrity, some kind of (sexy) skeleton is sure to fall out. Here are the famous people who have had their naughty indiscretions—often plastered all over the front page of the newspaper.
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The Jackson Family
View groupThe Jackson family is arguably one of the most famous families in entertainment. Originating from Gary, Indiana, this iconic group influenced musical genres from R&B and soul, to pop. The nine Jackson children Rebbie, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, La Toya, Marlon, Michael, Randy, and Janet have all made their mark on the music industry. From the early success of "The Jackson 5" to Michael's reign as the "King of Pop," the siblings became important figures in popular culture, however not without controversy. Here we look at the members of this unforgettable family and their rise to fame.
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Famous Taureans 518 people in this group
Black History
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Black History Groups
Learn more about the lives of African-Americans who have made extraordinary achievements in their fields, with our collection of Black History Groups.
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