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Born and raised in Gary, Indiana, the
Jackson brothers were guided early in their careers by
their father Joseph Jackson, a steel mill crane operator
and former musician, and their mother Katherine Jackson,
who watched over the boys during the early years. The
boys recalled playing around with their father's guitar
while he was away working on Gary's steel mills. One
night, Joe caught one of the brothers playing his guitar
after a string broke. Initially upset with his sons
playing behind his back, he saw their potential and in
1964, Jackie, Tito and Jermaine formed The Jackson
Brothers, including hometown friends Reynaud Jones and
Milford Hite on guitar and drums respectively. By the
end of the following year, the group's younger brothers
Marlon and Michael joined the instrumental band playing
tambourine and congas.

The Jackson 5 (also spelled The
Jackson Five or The Jackson 5ive, and later known as The
Jacksons) was a two-time Grammy Award-nominated American
popular music family group from Gary, Indiana. Founding
group members Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael
Jackson formed the group after changing their name from
The Jackson Brothers, which originally consisted of a
trio of the three older brothers. Active from 1966 to
1989, the Jacksons played from a repertoire of R&B,
soul, pop and later disco. During their six-year Motown
tenure, The Jackson 5 were one of the biggest pop-music
phenomenons of the 1970s[1], and the band served as the
launching pad for the solo careers of their lead singers
Jermaine and Michael, the latter brother later
exploiting his early Motown solo fame to greater success
as an adult artist. |