Jackie Jackson of the Jackson 5 is 74! Here’s How He’s Honoring 50 Years of the Jacksons
If you grew up grooving to the Jackson 5, you’re likely thrilled that brothers surviving Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Jackie are celebrating 50 years of the Jacksons, both onstage and off. Though the brothers are mourning the 2024 loss of brother Tito, Jackie recently told BET that stepping onstage to perform for generations of Jackson fans is still what he and his siblings live for. “You look into the crowd and see kids dressed like us — kids who weren’t even born when the music came out,” explained Jackie, who turns 74 on May 4 (the same day his mother, Jacksons matriarch Katherine, turns 95). “Their parents passed it down. It’s just great music. There’s no cussing. No hard sex. It’s just music the whole family can enjoy, anywhere in the world.”
Jackie was born Sigmund Esco Jackson, the second of Joe and Katherine Jackson’s ten kids. He had his eye on a career in baseball, but Jackie joined his siblings in the Jackson Brothers, the singing group papa Joe thought — correctly — would make the boys famous and lead the family out of working-class Gary, Indiana. “Motown was everything,” Jackie recently told the Los Angeles Sentinel. “They taught you everything about the business — routines, stage presence, how to be professional. That stuck with us.” The experience also turned Jackie into a junior father figure for his performing brothers. “Sometimes my father couldn’t be there, so, I kept everybody in line,” Jackson added. “But it wasn’t that hard — this is what we wanted to do.”
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Though Jackie’s voice mirrored brother Michael’s, and he occasionally sang lead vocals, especially after Michael went solo, Jackie settled for singing back-up vocals, playing bass and sometimes writing songs for his sisters Rebbie and LaToya. By the mid-1980s, Jackie was also a sought-after session musician and producer.
Kwaku Alson / © A& E / courtesy everett collection
In addition to helping manage Michael’s estate, Jackie devotes himself to preserving and promoting the Jackson family legacy and the music that made them enduring global superstars. He executive produced the A&E docuseries The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty and helmed multiple record labels, the latest of which, Critically Amused, focuses on new artists and myriad genres of music. He’s also an avid philanthropist, supporting causes related to AIDS, cancer and diabetes, and uplifting underserved kids across the US and Africa.
And, as he’s always been, Jackie is passionate about his family, peppering his social media accounts with updates and photos. He’s the proud dad of four kids — musician Siggy Jr., 47, photographer Brandi, 43, and 12-year-old twins Jaylen and River. “Our whole family is in the business, but when it’s time to come together, we do,”Jackson told the Sentinel of family gatherings and cookouts. “Just everyday life. We don’t always talk about music. We just enjoy each other.”
But new Jacksons projects are, indeed, upcoming. Jackie revealed that new music is ready for release. “It’s already finished,” he said. “It’s high energy. It’s good stuff. The fans are going to be excited.”