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Marlon Jackson

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the musician. For the English association football player, see Marlon Jackson (footballer). For the American football player, see Marlin Jackson.

Marlon Jackson
Jackson in 2013
Born
Marlon David Jackson

(1957-03-12) March 12, 1957 (age 67)
Gary, Indiana, U.S.
Occupations
  • Musician
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • dancer
Years active1964–present
Spouse
Carol Parker
​
(m. 1975)​
Children3
Parents
FamilyJackson
Musical career
Genres
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • conga
  • tambourine
Labels
Member ofThe Jacksons
Formerly ofThe Jackson 5

Marlon David Jackson (born March 12, 1957) is an American singer, songwriter, and dancer best known as a member of the Jackson 5. He is the sixth child of the Jackson family. Marlon now runs Study Peace Foundation to promote peace and unity worldwide.

Early life

[edit]

Marlon David Jackson was born on March 12, 1957, at St Mary's Mercy Hospital in Gary, Indiana,[1] the sixth child of Joseph who was a steel mill worker, and played in an R&B band, the Falcons, with his brother Luther, and Katherine Jackson, a Jehovah's Witness. He was born seventeen and a half months before his younger brother Michael (born August 29, 1958). Growing up, Marlon was especially close to Michael, whom he considered the substitute for his lost twin brother, Brandon David Jackson, who died shortly after birth. “We were the jokers of the family," Marlon said.[2][3][4]

By 1964, Marlon and Michael joined their brothers Tito, Jackie and Jermaine, forming the group the Jackson 5. Their mother, Katherine, played the piano and clarinet, and sang harmonies with the brothers. Father, Joe led the rehearsals, keeping them off the street and away from trouble. They won singing competitions all over the state including New York. That marked the beginning of their career.[5] Marlon was not the most prominent member of the Jackson 5, though he did sing background vocals on many of their hits. He also played the conga and tambourine. Brother Randy later joined the band when Jermaine chose to stay at Motown after the group left the label and renamed themselves the Jacksons. Marlon has three sisters; Rebbie, La Toya, and Janet.[6][5][7][8]

Career

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The Jackson 5

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Main article: The Jackson 5
Marlon (far right) and his brothers (1974)

Marlon and his brothers first signed as the Jackson 5 with Gordon Keith of Steeltown Records in November 1967, and their first single "Big Boy", was released on January 31, 1968.[9] After the group recorded three more songs with the Steeltown label (on two records) they were signed with Berry Gordy of Motown Records in 1969.[10] Not feeling that they were being paid fair royalties by Motown Records for their success as well as their desire for creative control, the Jackson 5 decided to leave the label and sign with Epic Records in 1975.[11] Jermaine split from the Jackson Five to start a solo career at Motown, and was replaced by his brother Randy Jackson.[12] Unbeknownst to the group, Gordy had trademarked the name The Jackson Five and did not allow the group to continue using the name when they left the label.[12] Once signed with Epic, the group became known simply as The Jacksons. In 1983, Gordy asked the group to perform at the Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever television special.[13] In 1997, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 with his brothers. In 2001, he reunited with his brothers to perform for the Michael Jackson 30th Anniversary Special.[14]

Solo career

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Like Michael and Jermaine, Marlon began a solo career, releasing the album Baby Tonight in 1987. Despite Baby Tonight reaching No. 22 on the Top R&B Albums chart in the United States, Marlon has not released another album since then.[2]

Later work

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Marlon was successful within real estate in Southern California. In 1999, Marlon started running the Major Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) along with Florida attorney Willie E. Gary, baseball player Cecil Fielder, boxer Evander Holyfield, and Alvin James. MBC was a religious network based in Atlanta. In October 1, 2004, they rebranded as Black Family Channel. In May 2007, the Black Family Channel was sold to the Gospel Music Channel, now known as Up TV.[6] In 2008, Marlon and a board of new partners founded the Motherland Group, LLC bringing recognition to Badagry, Nigeria.[15]

Marlon now runs the Study Peace Foundation, founded in 2015, aimed to promote peace and unity in communities worldwide offering programs designed to engage children, adults and the elderly to live in peaceful environments. “As a community we all should know that promoting peace and unity would cause a chain reaction that children will observe. It all starts with what we make accessible to the children,” he said. The foundation went into a partnership with KaBOOM! (non-profit organization) to build playgrounds in New Orleans, Gary and Los Angeles.[16]

Personal life

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Family

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In August 1975, 18-year-old Jackson married his girlfriend, Carol Ann Parker, whom he met in New Orleans during one of the Jacksons' tours. Marlon and Parker have three children:[17]

  • Valencia Caroline Jackson (born December 18, 1976)
  • Brittany Shauntee Jackson (born September 4, 1978)
  • Marlon David Jackson Jr. (born September 23, 1981)

Marlon and Carol have six grandchildren, two from Valencia and four from Brittany.

Michael's memorial

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On July 7, 2009, at the Staples Center, Marlon and his family offered their final eulogies for Michael, saying he was the "soul" of the family, addressing the crowd: "Maybe now, Michael, they will leave you alone"[18] and "I would like for you to give our brother, my twin brother, Brandon, a hug for me."[19] Marlon said, "I love you, Michael, and I'll miss you.".[18] In honor of Michael, Marlon and his brothers, Tito, Jackie, Jermaine and Randy Jackson served as pallbearers wearing a gold necktie, a single white glove and sunglasses.[20]

In a 2019 Rolling Stone interview, Marlon was vocal about the allegations against his brother Michael saying, "if your brother was deceased and someone wanted to slander his name, you'd be supporting him. That's not him. That's not his character. We definitely know our brother, and there are no facts whatsoever to corroborate these allegations." He continues, "It's a quick money grab. That's all it is."[21]

Discography

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See also: The Jackson 5 discography

Studio albums

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Title Album details Peak chart positions
US
[22] 		US R&B
[22]
Baby Tonight
  • Released July 1987
  • Label: Capitol
  • Formats: LP, CD
 175 22

Singles

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Title Year Peak chart positions Album
US R&B
[23]
"(Let Your Love Find) The Chosen One"[24] 1986 — The Golden Child
"Baby Tonight" 1987 57 Baby Tonight
"Don't Go" 2
"—" denotes items which were not released in that country or failed to chart.

Other contributions

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[33]

References

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  1. ^ "Abandoned: St. Mary's Mercy Hospital". June 30, 2013.
  2. ^ a b "Marlon Jackson facts: Jackson 5 singer's age, wife, children and career revealed".
  3. ^ "Marlon Jackson: 'Michael and I were the jokers of the family'". Belfasttelegraph.
  4. ^ "'It was very difficult for Michael': The Jacksons on fame, family and survival". TheGuardian.com. April 5, 2021.
  5. ^ a b "The Jackson 5: Who They Were and What Happened to Them". February 19, 2022.
  6. ^ a b "What Happened to Marlon Jackson? - News and Updates". July 22, 2016.
  7. ^ "The Jacksons: 'It was Michael's body, and he did what he wanted to look how he wanted to look'". The Irish Times.
  8. ^ "Great dynasties of the world: The Jacksons". TheGuardian.com. September 2, 2011.
  9. ^ Independent Record Labels Of Indiana. 45 RPM Records
  10. ^ "History 60–68 | The Jacksons | The Official Website". Thejacksons.com.
  11. ^ "History 1975 | The Jacksons | The Official Website". Thejacksons.com.
  12. ^ a b "Biography: Jermaine Jackson Lifetime". Archived from the original on January 30, 2016.
  13. ^ "History 1980 | The Jacksons | The Official Website". Thejacksons.com.
  14. ^ "Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration". IMDb.com. November 13, 2001.
  15. ^ "Michael Jackson's brothers to perform Jackson 5's greatest hits at L.A. County Fair". September 3, 2013.
  16. ^ "Marlon Jackson discusses his Study Peace Foundation". June 14, 2015.
  17. ^ "Jackson source".
  18. ^ a b Maria Puente, "At Jackson Memorial, Tears, Cheers and 'I Love You, Michael Jackson,'" USA Today, July 8, 2009.
  19. ^ "Archived copy". NME. Archived from the original on July 9, 2009. Retrieved July 9, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link), Retrieved on 2009-07-09.
  20. ^ "Honoring the White Glove". CBS News. July 7, 2009.
  21. ^ "Jackson Family Members Speak Out Against 'Leaving Neverland' Doc: 'It's About the Money'". Rolling Stone. February 28, 2019.
  22. ^ a b "Marlon Jackson". Allmusic. Retrieved June 10, 2012.
  23. ^ "Jackie Jackson". Allmusic.com. Archived from the original on October 28, 2015. Retrieved June 10, 2012.
  24. ^ "(Let Your Love Find) The Chosen One" Discogs.com
  25. ^ "La Toya Jackson - la Toya Jackson Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  26. ^ "La Toya Jackson - My Special Love Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  27. ^ "Betty Wright - Wright Back at You Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  28. ^ "Billy Griffin - Respect Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  29. ^ "La Toya Jackson - Heart Don't Lie Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  30. ^ "Janet Jackson - Dream Street Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  31. ^ Breskin, David (2004). We Are the World: The Story Behind the Song' (booklet). Image Entertainment, Inc.
  32. ^ "Marlon Jackson - (Let Your Love Find) the Chosen One". Discogs. 1986.
  33. ^ "The Jacksons - 2300 Jackson Street Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic". AllMusic.
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