Anyone that really knows me is familiar with my high admiration for The Jackson 5/Jacksons. Jackie Jackson, Tito Jackson, Jermaine Jackson, Marlon Jackson, Michael Jackson and Randy Jackson.
They remain my all-time favorite group. It dawned on me recently during an interview project one of the bigger reasons why I became so fond of them, and it was interesting to me that I had not realized this earlier.
It's easy to enjoy the music and singing of The Jacksons and their monster hits, which I certainly do, but the chief aspect for me growing up, was one of family.
I come from what can only be described as a "broken" family. Separated by distance and generations, we weren't all particularly close. And although I do have brothers, they lived elsewhere when I was growing up, and in the beginning it was just my Mom, and a couple of my sisters.
So, imagine the impact on a little kid to see a group of brothers pulling together to be successful, and rising above their humble beginnings. I didn't know it then, but that was the real impact of the J5 on me.
As I got older I realized that a lot of what I saw was marketing and publicity, but I know from my own family that we don't always agree with each other, but that doesn't mean you don't love each other.
And so I'm of the mind that the Jacksons had a similar experience. Granted they had to live out most of their lives in the spotlight, with everything being scrutinized by media and fans, but it doesn't make them any less human, or any less prone to all of the "stuff" that we all go through.
I remember being on the playground playing basketball, and someone would yell "the Jacksons are going to be on television!". You have never seen a court clear so fast! And this would include some of the so-called "tough guys", racing home to get in front of the TV.
I loved the other Motown acts; The Temptations, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, The Commodores, The Four Tops...but the Jacksons were number 1 for me.
When the group left Motown and Jermaine stayed behind, which was referred to in my circles as "the split", it really felt like something was wrong. I couldn't imagine that things would ever be right again. I was momentarily hopeful of a reunion when "the boys" appeared on the Midnight Special and Jermaine Jackson joined them singing "Destiny", but it would be five more years before the real reunion and the Victory tour.
And then shortly after that, it was all over again. The brothers did a final group album, but without Michael Jackson and Marlon Jackson fully participating, it wasn't the same for me. Again, the family thing.
With the passing away of Michael Jackson the music world and the Jackson family suffered a tremendous loss. I stayed away from watching most of the tributes and only watched a few moments of the funeral afterwards. It was difficult for me to accept that Michael Jackson was gone, far too soon.
Some people criticized the brothers for doing their reality TV show on the A&E Network, accusing them of cashing in on Michael Jackson's death.
I didn't see it that way. Although I can understand the other point of view. But from my perspective, the world may have never known the fantastic talent of Michael Jackson without Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Randy. It was a family effort, and while you can argue that Michael's talent outshined everyone else - how can you know that events would have played out the way that they did without his brothers?
I thought it was admirable that the brothers were willing to give their fans a glimpse inside their private lives about how they dealt with the loss of Michael. And I think that most of Michael's fans appreciated the opportunity to have a bit of a final goodbye via the people who were so important to his rise to fame.
Michael Jackson is gone, but not forgotten. And the great thing about recorded music is that you can always go back and re-play the tunes and evoke the memories and feelings from earlier times.
It's hard to list my favorite J5/Jackson tunes because there were very few I didn't dig, but here are several that you just can't go wrong with:
"I Want You Back"
"I'll Be There"
"Never Can Say Goodbye"
"Dancing Machine"
"Shake Your Body Down"
"Can You Feel It"
"Things I Do For You"
From their debut on the national scene in 1969 until their last group album of 1989, The Jacksons had a fantastic run of hits and their influence continues to be felt.
And when you strip away all of the cool sounds and fancy beats, it's important that there's still a song there. A melody that can be sang, and words with meaning.
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