Mourning A Jackson
Calling up a fairly recent interview in the wake of Tito Jackson's untimely death this past weekend at the age of 70...
Tito Jackson, an original member of both the Jackson 5 and The Jacksons, died on Sunday of an apparent heart attack while driving from New Mexico to his new residence in Oklahoma. He was 70 years old.
Tito was the third oldest member of the Jackson family and one of ten children. His surviving siblings include sister Janet, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, and Marlon. Though Tito embarked on a solo career in 2003, the brothers performed together as The Jacksons as recently as September 10th in Munich, Germany, where they visited a memorial dedicated to their late brother Michael. “You could say Tito was the glue that held the Jackson 5 together on their journey to superstardom,” said Motown founder Berry Gordy in a statement.
After the Jackson Five formed in 1964, Tito played guitar and performed backing vocals as the group went on to sell 150 million albums. In 1980, they received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. Later, Tito established himself as a blues musician and became the last Jackson sibling to place a solo single on the Billboard charts in 2016.
("Love One Another", a 2021 single Tito Jackson released amidst the pandemic.)
A few years ago, ahead of a scheduled charity concert The Jacksons performed in Hong Kong, I talked to Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, and Marlon via Skype while they were on the Isle of Man. At the time the group was in the middle of a tour that spanned nearly 70 shows on five continents. It was the first time they performed together after nearly 30 years apart as a group.
“You're not going to ask any of those personal questions, are you?", barked their manager before we went live. Well no, and as it turned out, as long as one avoided cheap tabloid-styled questions about the "Jacksons", they were interested, animated, and willing to talk at length about their craft. While Tito was relatively quiet, Jackie and Marion were friendly, reflective, and quick with a quip. Jermaine, meanwhile, visibly looked like he would rather be anywhere else…
Two Hong Kong-based musicians talked often about working with you in the past: Howard McCrary and Bobby Taylor (who passed away after this interview was conducted). Do you know them both?
Jermaine: Howard worked with Chaka Khan's sister. He's still there? We'd love to see him.
Jackie: And as for Bobby Taylor, he's the one who found us.
So that's true?
Jackie: Yes, and then Diana Ross introduced us to the rest of the world. He was one of the producers who worked on our first album. We'd love to see Bobby again. Have him come to the show (NOTE: Taylor did indeed attend the concert).
What's your show like these days?
Jermaine: Do you have a copy of our show?
No, but I can get one.
Jermaine: Well, it's high energy. All the things we've been doing in the past…a great energy. We have such a great time onstage. An audience is dancing on the seats and we're dancing onstage.
Jackie: And once we get onstage, we rock them the same way. We've been in the business for a while — and we just have fun. There's a lot of experience and years of knowing the stage and communicating with the crowd.
And how's the supposed new album coming along?
Jermaine: We're still working, still recording. It's coming! (Pressed for a specific release date, at this point Jermaine leaves the interview and is replaced by Marlon. To this day, that album has never been released).
Let's talk about the onstage experience. How is it considering that you all haven't performed together for so long?
Marlon: We still have so much energy on the stage and thank God for that! We're still moving around like we did in the young days. It's like going to the gym and doing a workout!
You know, it's amazing that you all have such a storied career and yet you've never won a Grammy. Does something like that bother the group?
Marlon: No. What matters to us is the appreciation from the fans. We're already in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
So what haven't you accomplished that you would like to? What's on that bucket list?
Tito: We've pretty much done everything. It would be nice to win a Grammy, but it's not on my bucket list. What we'd really like to do is unite the world together as one and let the world come together as one.
Offstage, what kind of music are you listening to? And is today's R&B still relevant?
Jackie: It's true that R&B has been missing from the scenes, but Justin Timberlake and Robin Thicke are a couple of guys that you could point to recently who have had big songs. They've made an impact.
Marlon: I listen to all kinds of music. A hit record is a hit record — and it will stand out. It's true that the music has gotten away from the real structure of music and taking people on a journey in a song. But with the new technology, a lot of these kids have gotten away from it. But it's starting to come back.
What about the Jackson story itself? Do you feel that all of your television representations (via TV dramas) and what's printed in the press is accurately telling your story…and would you do it differently?
Marlon: Hell to the upper case no! One of the things I don't like about today is that there is such a focus on negativity when there is so much positivity that artists have done. There's a lot of things that WE have done that people don't realize. For instance, we go to visit churches and hospitals and try to give back. And those stories are not told!
So why don't you tell it yourselves via a book or TV series?
Marlon: Because we're not finished baby!
Jackie: Oh yes, in other words, just write ‘It ain't over!'
What's in your unreleased vault?
Marlon: We do have unreleased material. Motown has a lot of our material. On some songs, I'm even surprised it's us. But right now we are concentrating on new stuff. With some of our songs, you could put together certain sounds and it could be hit music.
Jackie: We've been recording since we've been on the road and we're trying to finish up.
There was a conversation that Snoop Dogg had with Jermaine where Michael was playing bongos on Quaker Oats boxes and you were all harmonizing around him. Was it really like that?
Marlon: That's the way it was because we couldn't afford bongos. Today, the difference is that Michael's not there, but the chemistry amongst us still is. That camaraderie is still there. We still get excited about being onstage. That came from rehearsing in Gary, Indiana, and rehearsing, rehearsing, rehearsing! It's like getting a good piece of booty. You never forget it! (all laugh).
What do you feel is the difference between today's scene (stadiums, internet, and sound) and yesterday's scene and all that encompasses?
Marlon: I prefer the original sound of music. I think the artists and producers had a greater appreciation back then and it was more personal. There was live instrumentation. There wasn't any sampling. The music had a different pulse. And today, everything is so stiff. It doesn't flow.
Jackie: I feel if you get that background the old-fashioned way, you can come into today's world and do really well. Some people don't have that background. They would go into the studio and they wouldn't know anything about getting an orchestra or making a horn arrangement.
Tito: And to be honest, the sound is totally different.
What about other aspects, like social media, for example?
Marlon: It's true. Social media offers a greater reach. Back then you had to make phone calls. Now you can quickly touch all corners of the world.
Jackie: Today, these kids have one hit single and they feel famous. It wasn't like that back in the day. It goes to their heads.
Marlon: And just because you have one hit single, it doesn't mean you can perform. It's two different things. I don't think some of these artists cherish these moments onstage and things of that nature. There weren't a lot of gimmicks like there are today.
When you were all growing up, what musicians did you really respect?
Marlon: We used to listen to Sly and the Family Stone a lot and then he became our neighbor when we moved to California. He used to invite us to the studio, but for obvious reasons we couldn't go.
Jackie: For obvious reasons (all laugh).
Is there a chance that the next generation of Jacksons could follow in your footsteps?
Marlon: That is possible, but it's one of the things that I don't think will ever happen. We were very blessed when we grew up. We went to two universities — that was the Motown University and the Philly International University. When you look at all the hits that they produced, it was unbelievable. We were fortunate enough to be able to learn. Today's generation won't be able to experience that.
You've got 24 hours. You can go anywhere, do anything, see anything. Where are we off to?
Jackie: I would go to Monte Carlo and Nice, because I love it there. It's so scenic and the whole atmosphere makes me happy. You can pick me up and go to Nice.
Marlon: There are so many things I would like to see changed in the world. If I could, I'd probably go to various countries and bring people together as one. Because this world is crazy. What are we trying to accomplish? You can't take that stuff with you. Bring the people together and make the world unite as one.
Thanks guys.
Jackson (in unison): Thank you!