by Joe Bensam
2300 Jackson Street, Gary, Indiana
Michael later recalled that the house was so small that 'you could take five steps from the front door and you’d be out the back.' When the family returned to this home many years later for a nostalgic visit, they were astonished to think that this modest home had once accommodated their entire family.
And what a family it was. Although not particularly religious in nature, Joseph did not believe in birth control or abortion. As a result, the population of 2300 Jackson Street grew rapidly. First a daughter, Maureen (known as Rebbie), then three boys - Jackie, Tito and Jermaine. Next another daughter, LaToya, followed by son Marlon. Sadly, Marlon’s twin brother Brandon died within 24 hours of birth. Michael was the next in line, with Randy and Janet following to complete what would become one of the most famous families in the world.
The first few years of Michael’s life were not easy ones. Apart from the challenges of making sleeping arrangements for 11 people in a small two-bedroom home, there was never enough money to go round, and the Jacksons frequently ate the simplest and cheapest of meals - beans, collard greens, corn and any potatoes Joseph had managed to liberate while potato picking.
Michael’s mother, Katherine, was always a cheerful and positive influence, however. She made the best of what she had, and managed against the odds to create a happy and united family. She had been raised a Baptist, but had turned against conventional religions after discovering that two of her pastors had engaged in illicit affairs. When a Jehovah’s Witness came to her door, she was easy prey, and readily converted. As a result, her family became Jehovah’s Witnesses by extension, and were obliged to follow the odd customs and practices that this strange cult dictates.
This meant that the family did not celebrate birthdays and Christmas, as these were seen as pagan festivities, and their lives were restricted in many other ways. But on the whole, Katherine’s influence on the family was overwhelmingly a loving and caring one.
The same could not be said for their father, however. Having been brought up by a strict disciplinarian father himself, he firmly believed in the biblical message of 'spare the rod and spoil the child.' He had no intention of let his children be spoiled, and administered a good thrashing whenever his kids stepped out of line. The children soon learned to be very afraid of him. Despite this vicious nature, though, he was unquestionably a family man, and his main concern in life was to ensure that his children had a future. He did not want them to share his fate of being trapped in poverty with limited prospects. He had a plan...a vision that one day he would find a way to take his family away from the depressing streets of Gary, Indiana to a new life in a better place.
And it wasn’t too long before an opportunity arose to do exactly that.
For a black family in the United States in the 1960s, there were not many ways to escape the humdrum existence that millions endured. But Joseph hoped he might find an escape route through the music industry.
'I was dissatisfied,' he recalled later. 'Something inside of me told me there was more to life than this. What I really wanted more than anything was to find a way into the music business.'
An accomplished guitar player, Joseph decided to form a band that could make money gigging around the surrounding towns. He formed The Falcons, a rhythm and blues band that did indeed manage to get paid for playing in local clubs and bars. But the money soon dwindled, and Joseph abandoned the idea...and abandoned his guitar to a closet at home.
But while Joseph had lost interest in the guitar, another member of the family found it very interesting indeed. When Joseph was at work, Tito would secretly take the guitar from the closet and practice. Soon he had learned a few chords, and began to sing with his older brothers. This was great fun until the day Katherine came home early and caught them with the guitar.
There was a moment of panic. The boys knew that if the incident was reported to Joseph, the consequences would be very serious. Much to their relief, however, Katherine told them to carry on playing. She knew that there were only two choices for kids in their neighborhood - either start a singing group, or join a gang. She was happy that they had chosen the first option, and that they had an interest to keep them off the streets.
The boys continued practicing and improving, until one day disaster struck. Tito broke a string on the guitar. None of them had any idea how to replace it, so they could only put it back in the closet and hope that Joseph wouldn’t notice it.
But notice it he did, and that night Tito paid for his crime with a severe beating. Later, when he had calmed down, Joseph went to talk to Tito, who was still crying in his room. Tito was upset, but defiant. 'You know, I can play that thing,' he said.
Joseph was skeptical, but allowed Tito to show him what he could do on the guitar. Jermaine and Jackie joined him, and together they sang the songs they had been practising. Joseph was amazed...and also excited. He could see that his boys had talent, and realized that he should forget his own musical ambitions and focus on theirs.
And that is how the earliest lineup of the Jackson family band originated. Joseph bought Tito his own guitar, while Jackie, Jermaine and Marlon concentrated on vocals. Michael, however, was considered too young to be involved in the group.
As he grew older, and particularly after his spectacular performance at school, it became clear that Michael had a great deal of promise as a singer. Not only that, he was a great performer, too, dancing with both enthusiasm and real rhythm. And so he was allowed to join the band, and the lineup that would find fame and fortune was born.
As the fledgling group practised at home, Michael soon become the acknowledged front man and lead singer. He studied the singers he saw on TV, such as James Brown, and learned their moves and dance routines. Soon he was choreographing the whole group, and between them, they put on an impressive show.
Under Joseph’s strict supervision, they practised hard at home, and before long were good enough to enter the talent contest at a local school, Roosevelt High. They sang The Temptations song 'My Girl' - delighting the audience and winning first prize.
After that, things developed rapidly, and soon The Jacksons, as they were known, began winning talent shows in many different towns, collecting enough trophies to fill the house. Joseph somehow managed to buy them the equipment they needed for a full band, and drafted in two other young kids to play keyboard and drums. The band was renamed The Jackson Five (despite now having seven members!) and started playing further afield in Chicago.
The routine was relentless. The boys would come home from school, rehearse until around 7.00pm, and then load the van and travel to Chicago, or wherever they were playing that night. During breaks in the gig, they would do their homework, and when it was all over at around 2.00am, they would head for home, arriving at four or five in the morning. A few hours later, they would get up to go to school...and the process would start all over again.
In August 1967, the Jackson 5 made it to the Apollo Theater in Harlem to perform on the biggest amateur night for black entertainers in America. This was a tough venue to play...if the audience didn’t like you, they would pelt you with food and other missiles, so the boys were understandably nervous about going on stage.
The Apollo Theater, Harlem
They needn’t have worried...their performance was terrific, and the crowd lived it. Every song was greeted with enthusiasm, and they drove home clutching yet another trophy.
***
A lot of things started to happen within the Jackson family. Rebbie married a man against her father’s wishes and moved away from home. Meanwhile, a small record label in Gary, Steeltown Records, signed the increasingly-popular Jacksons to a minor record deal. They recorded their first single, and although it had little hope of being a hit, they had the pleasure of hearing themselves on the radio for the first time ever.
But events were now unfolding quickly. The band played a gig in Chicago, supporting Bobby Taylor and the Vancouvers. Bobby Taylor was so impressed w
ith their act that he called Motown and suggested that The Jacksons should be invited to audition. At first, Motown executives were skeptical - acts featuring children could be a nightmare to manage. But to his credit, Bobby persisted - and finally, they relented, and the band was formally invited to go to Detroit for an audition.
The next remarkable chapter in the history of The Jacksons was about to begin.
Chapter 2 - The Road To Success
On 23 July, 1968, the Jacksons drove to Detroit, the home of Motown records - Hitsville, USA. The boys had all grown up immersed in the Motown sound. From every radio and every record player, the sound of artists such as Diana Ross, The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and many others had been the backdrop to their childhood. And now they were here at the Mecca of music itself.
Motown Records, Detroit, Michigan
The success of Motown was inspired by the genius of its founder, Berry Gordy, who had a knack for recruiting raw black talent off the streets and re-packaging these acts into superstars. With the best songwriters, arrangers and producers in the business, Gordy had created the unique Motown sound and transformed the history of music in the process. And now the Jackson 5 were in town to show what they could do.
Before entering the studios, Joseph lined the boys up outside for a pep talk. 'Either your a winner in this life, or a loser. And none of my kids are losers.' Inside, they were taken to a recording studio and introduced to Suzanne dePasse, Gordy’s creative assistant. Joseph was disappointed to discover that Gordy was not there in person. The demo was to be filmed, and then shown to Gordy in Los Angeles. Gordy had ambitions to break into Hollywood, and to that end had recently opened new offices there.
In his absence, Ralph Seltzer was in charge. He motioned his assistants to get everything ready, and the audition began. Michael led the band into an enthusiastic rendition of James Brown’s I Got The Feeling. During the performance, the studio executives smiled, nodded and wrote on their notepads. But when the song finished, there was no applause - just an expectant silence.
After a moment of confusion, Joseph urged the band to continue. Michael introduced the band members one by one, as he always did on stage, then they launched into the next song. This also finished to silence, and the boys realized the audition was over. Ralph Seltzer walked over to them. 'I’ll be in touch in two days,' he said, 'when Mr Gordy renders a decision.'
And that was that.
The boys were disappointed...but not for long. The film was shipped to Gordy, who called Seltzer as soon as he had seen it. He was brief and to the point. 'Sign these kids up...they are amazing!'
A few days later, Joseph was standing in Seltzer’s office, hearing the extraordinary news that Motown wanted to sign The Jackson 5 to Motown. This was it...this was exactly what Joseph had been dreaming of throughout the years of rehearsals and constant gigging. Now all he had to do was sign on the dotted line.
Seltzer presented Joseph with the standard Motown contract. Joseph did not have a lawyer with him, and it did not occur to him that he should get one to check the contract over. After all, this was Motown, and he would have signed almost anything that got The Jackson 5 onto the label.
Seltzer read the contract to Joseph, but most of the details went over his head. But he was immediately concerned when he heard that the contract was for seven years. He negotiated to get that reduced to one year, and Seltzer finally agreed. It turned out to be a hollow victory, though. Another clause in the contract stated that if the Jackson 5 left Motown, they could not work for another studio for five years...making it impossible to get another contract, and rendering Joseph’s negotiating redundant.
Thinking he had improved the contract in their favor, Joseph was satisfied. The boys were called into the office, and all the necessary paperwork was signed.
Within a few years, Joseph would come to regret signing the contract without legal advice. The Motown contract is notoriously restrictive, giving Motown all the power and creative control, while the artists simply do as they are told. However, he really didn’t have much choice. Motown offered artists a 'take it or leave it' deal. If The Jackson 5 had proved problematic, they would have been shown the door - and another group selected from the thousands of hopefuls around the country. They would have gone home and returned to a humdrum existence with not much of a future.
The deal was certainly not one that any lawyer would be proud of - but nevertheless it was the key to wealth and stardom for the young lads from Gary, Indiana.
***
The next few months passed in a buzz of activity, and soon Christmas was approaching. Gordy arranged for a big party at his luxurious Detroit estate, with all of his Motown stars in attendance. The Jackson 5 were to be the entertainment for the evening, as a way of introducing them to other acts on the label.
On arriving at Gordy’s mansion, the Jacksons were astonished at the display of wealth and opulence. Joseph could not believe that a black man could live in such luxury, it seemed unthinkable. The boys were understandably nervous about playing in front of so many of their heroes - Diana Ross and The Temptations amongst many others. But they were very well received.
After the performance, Michael got to meet Diana Ross, and the two of them hit it off immediately - beginning a friendship that would last for many years.
During this time, the band had been working hard under the direction of Bobby Taylor, the man who had originally discovered them in Chicago. They recorded 15 songs which were sent to Berry Gordy for review. Unfortunately, Gordy didn’t feel that any of the songs was strong enough for release. But he was great impressed by the performances that young Michael was delivering.
'Michael was born a star,' he said later. 'The first time I saw him, I saw this kid as something real special.'
Gordy decided that the band should move to Los Angeles so that he could supervise their development more directly. Joseph took the boys to L.A., while Katherine stayed in Gary with Randy, LaToya and Janet...waiting for things to get a little more settled. The move was a big one, especially as it left the family divided. But at a meeting at Diana Ross’s home, Gordy spelt out his ambitious plans for the group:
'I’m gonna make you kids the biggest thing in the world,' he said. 'You’re gonna have three number one hits in a row.'
Diana Ross joined them and explained that she was to present the band to the industry elite at a special party. The boys were delighted, but also puzzled by a few inconsistencies. Michael was being portrayed as being eight years old, when he was now actually ten. And in a brisk rewriting of history, it was now Diana Ross who had discovered the Jacksons in Chicago, not Bobby Taylor.
Gordy explained that this manipulation was called public relations. For boys who had been brought up in a strict religious faith, where lies were totally unacceptable, this concept was a little hard to grasp. But after a while, Michael understood out how it works.
'‘I figured out at an early age that if someone said something about me that wasn't true, it was a lie. But if someone said something about my image that wasn't true, then it was okay. Because then it wasn't a lie, it was public relations.’
They went on to perform brilliantly at the show and other events organized by Gordy, who then decided that Michael should move in with Diana Ross. Living in her beautiful home, Michael was delighted to have the opportunity to learn from her, and to study her professionalism - helping him to acquire a work ethic that would stand him in good stead for years to come.
A few weeks later, Katherine and the rest of the family arrived from Gary, and the whole family was reunited. Katherine was amazed at her new home, which dwarfed the one she had just left back home. Joseph took her outside to see the view of Los Angeles at night, with thousands of lights sparking.
'This must be what heaven looks like,' she said. 'I’ve never seen anything so beautiful.'
The Jackson 5 were soon in the studio recording their first single for Motown. The talented creative team of Deke Richards, Freddie Per
ren and Fonce Mizell collaborated to write I Want You Back - a song that was perfect for The Jackson 5, and for the new 70s sound that Gordy was aiming for. The song was released in October 1969, and was soon shooting up the charts, making it to No.1 just as the new decade of the 70s began. It went on to sell over six million copies.
Motown groomed the boys under the tutelage of Suzanne dePasse, learning everything they needed to know to pass as professional entertainers. Michael, meanwhile, continued to grow artistically as be studied the greats such as Jackie Wilson and James Brown, perfecting their moves and spins, and incorporating them into his own act.
The group’s first album was released - Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5, amassing over 600,000 sales in total. An appearance on the Ed Sullivan show propelled them further towards stardom, with Michael wowing the huge national audience with his cute looks and highly-polished performance.
An early publicity photo of The Jackson 5
Following up a successful single is always a challenge for artists, but thanks to another great song by the same creative team, the Jackson 5 soon had another hit on their hands with ABC. This also went to number one, knocking the Beatles off the top spot to get there. In May 1970, they followed this with The Love You Save, which also went to number one - fulfilling Gordy’s promise of three number one hits.
Despite these huge successes, no-one realized just how popular the band had become until they played their next major live concert at the Philadelphia Convention Center. Thousands of screaming fans mobbed them as they arrived at the airport, and during the concert it took over a hundred police officers to prevent fans from overrunning the stage. When they finally got back to their hotel under police escort, the boys were all shaken up, but Michael was not just worried - he was terrified.
