Toriano Adaryll "Tito" Jackson (born October 15, 1953) is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singerSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
and lead guitarist and original member of
The Jackson 5The Jackson 5 , later known as The Jacksons, were an American popular music family group from Gary, Indiana...
. He is the older brother of
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
popPop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
stars
Michael JacksonMichael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
and
Janet JacksonJanet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
.
Early life and rise to stardom
Tito was born the third of ten children of Joseph and
Katherine JacksonKatherine Esther Jackson is the matriarch of the Jackson musical family.-Early life:...
. Growing up in a large family, young Tito originally hid his musical talent from his father. While his father was at work, Jackson would play his father's guitar while his siblings danced and sang. It was not until the young Jackson broke a string on the guitar that father Joseph learned about his musical aspirations. Joseph was then inspired to form a group around Tito and his two brothers,
JackieSigmund Esco "Jackie" Jackson is an American singer and musician, a member of The Jackson 5, and the second child in the Jackson family.-Life and career:...
and
JermaineJermaine La Jaune Jackson is an American singer, bassist, composer, a member of The Jackson 5, older brother of American pop stars Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson and occasional film director...
into a band in 1964 called
The Jackson Brothers; eventually, younger brothers
MarlonMarlon David Jackson is an American entertainer singer, dancer, former member of The Jackson 5, and elder brother of American pop stars Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson.-Personal life:...
and
MichaelMichael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
joined the group, and the brothers formed
The Jackson 5The Jackson 5 , later known as The Jacksons, were an American popular music family group from Gary, Indiana...
in 1964. During the group's tenure at
MotownMotown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...
,
public relationsPublic relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
teams termed Tito as "the quiet Jackson" though he lived a different life out of the spotlight. Despite his talents as a guitarist, Motown refused to allow him or Jermaine, who played
bass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, to play
electric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
for the duration of the Jackson Five's releases on Motown. Tito did not play guitar on his brothers' records until the group left for Philadelphia International in 1976 and changed their name to The Jacksons. Tito also started to contribute lead vocals and co-write several hit songs for his brothers after the release of the 1978 hit album,
Destiny. The Jacksons followed up with an album titled
TriumphTriumph was the thirteenth album by The Jacksons, released in 1980 on Epic Records.-Reception:It was certified platinum in the U.S. and peaked at #10 on the Billboard 200. The Triumph album sold three million copies in its original run...
which sold 3 million copies in the US and 10 million copies worldwide. In 1984, the group released
Victory (reuniting the group with Jermaine) and followed it up with a tour. Tito sang lead on "We Can Change The World," and played many of the instruments; his other contributions to the album were limited to backing vocals. The subsequent tour would be one of the Jacksons' greatest successes, but almost immediately afterward, lead singer Michael Jackson resigned from the group. Brother Marlon also quit following the Victory Tour.
In 1985, Tito, along with other members of the Jackson family, participated in
USA for AfricaUSA for Africa was the name under which forty-seven predominantly U.S. artists, led by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, recorded the hit single "We Are the World" in 1985. The song was a US and UK Number One for the collective in April of that year...
's famine-relief fund-raising single "
We Are the World"We Are the World" is a song and charity single originally recorded by the supergroup USA for Africa in 1985. It was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, and produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Omartian for the album We Are the World...
".
The Jacksons' final release,
2300 Jackson Street- Release history :...
was a more "
New Jack SwingNew jack swing or swingbeat is a fusion genre spearheaded by Teddy Riley and Bernard Belle which became extremely popular from the late-1980s into the mid-1990s. Its influence, along with hip-hop, seeped into pop culture and was the definitive sound of the inventive Black New York club scene...
"-oriented album, whose title song reunited all of the members of the Jackson family (minus
LaToyaLa Toya Yvonne Jackson is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, television personality, actress, businesswoman, philanthropist, activist and former model. She is the fifth child of the Jackson family...
). Tito did not contribute guitar parts to the record; however, he did contribute vocals, including a narration that precedes the first song.
He served as executive producer for the show
The Jacksons: A Family DynastyThe Jacksons: A Family Dynasty is an American reality television program which stars members of the musical Jackson family and airs on A&E Network...
along with the rest of his brothers. The show has yet to see a second season.
Tito continues to tour with his original music, with various band members including producer/guitarist
Angelo EarlAngelo Earl is an American guitarist, record producer, songwriter and owner of Soul Street Records. Earl is most widely known for playing electric guitar on Al Green’s “He Is The Light”, Bobby Rush’s “Southern Soul”, the Bar-kays “The Real Thing”, contributing vocal work to Isaac Hayes’ “Branded”,...
and a management team that includes Ed Tate.
Personal life
Tito married Delores "Dee Dee" Martes (April 1, 1955 – August 27, 1994) in June 1972 at the age of 18, and later divorced in 1993. The couple had three sons, who compose the musical group
3T3T is an American R&B / Pop music group featuring the three sons of Tito Jackson and Delores "Dee Dee" Jackson. The band members include, from eldest, Tariano Adaryll Jackson II , Taryll Adren Jackson and Tito Joseph Jackson .-Career:3T released their debut album Brotherhood in 1995...
:
- Toriano Adaryll Jackson II. ("Taj") (born August 4, 1973)
- Taryll Adren Jackson (born August 8, 1975)
- Tito Joseph Jackson ("TJ") (born July 16, 1978)
During the summer of 2008, the Jackson family (including Tito) stayed at a holiday let (rental) for six weeks in Appledore, in
DevonDevon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, England while searching for a house to buy in the area. The project was filmed for a
Channel 4Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
documentary called "The Jacksons are Coming", which was aired in 2008.
In popular culture
Tito was portrayed by Gerrick Winston in the 2004 film
Man in the Mirror: The Michael Jackson StoryMan in the Mirror: The Michael Jackson Story is a 2004 biographical telefilm produced for VH1. The biopic stars Flex Alexander as Michael Jackson, and follows his rise to fame and subsequent controversial events. The film takes its title from one of Jackson's songs, "Man in the Mirror".The film...
, the biopic of
Michael JacksonMichael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
which first aired on
VH1VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
.
Discography
- Call My Job
- Caldonia
- I Gotta Play
- Stormy Monday
- Big Legged Woman
- So Good (feat. 3T
3T is an American R&B / Pop music group featuring the three sons of Tito Jackson and Delores "Dee Dee" Jackson. The band members include, from eldest, Tariano Adaryll Jackson II , Taryll Adren Jackson and Tito Joseph Jackson .-Career:3T released their debut album Brotherhood in 1995...
)
- We Made It
- Cruisin