Jermaine Jackson

Jermaine LaJuane Jacksun (né Jackson, later Muhammad Abdul-Aziz Sharif; born December 11, 1954) is an American musician. A member of the Jackson family, he was second vocalist after his brother Michael of the Jackson 5 from 1964 to 1975, and played bass guitar. In 1983, he rejoined the group, which had been renamed the Jacksons; he then consistently played in the group's performances and recordings until he left the group again in 2020.

While Jermaine did not usually sing the lead vocal on the Jackson 5's biggest hits, he is featured on "I'll Be There" and "I Want You Back", among others. When four of the brothers left Motown Records for Epic Records in 1976 (having to rename the family act "the Jacksons" in the process), Jackson, who had just married Motown founder Berry Gordy's daughter Hazel, stayed at Motown. He was replaced in the Jacksons by his youngest brother, Randy. Jermaine had a solo career concurrent with his brother Michael's, including some top-30 hits, until the 1980s. He produced and recorded duets with Whitney Houston on her debut album in 1985, and was a producer for the band Switch.

Jermaine LaJuane Jackson was born December 11, 1954, at St Mary's Mercy Hospital in Gary, Indiana, the fourth child of Joseph and Katherine Jackson. His siblings are Rebbie, Jackie, Tito, La Toya, Marlon, Brandon (Marlon's twin, who died shortly after birth in 1957), Michael, Randy, and Janet. Jackson's father, Joe, had musical ambitions and played guitar with his brother Luther in an R&B group, the Falcons, while his mother, Katherine, a devout Jehovah's Witness, was an enthusiastic pianist and singer. Their large family and limited means led Katherine to become a housewife and Joe to work at the Inland Steel Company in East Chicago, Indiana, before the family moved to Gary in 1950.

While Joe worked long hours as a crane operator, Jackson and his brothers Tito and Jackie practiced secretly using Joe's guitar and sang harmonies with their mother. Jackson was the original lead singer and bassist of the Jackson Brothers, an early version of the Jackson 5, until 1966, when his younger brother Michael began singing lead. Joe began rehearsing his sons under a strict routine after recognizing their potential, viewing their talent as a path out of Gary. Jackson continued to sing occasional lead vocals over the years. He graduated from Birmingham High School in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California, in 1973.

Jackson 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. 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. As the second lead singer of the Jackson 5 with his brothers Jackie and Michael, Jackson sang notable parts of "I Want You Back", "ABC", "I'll Be There", "The Love You Save", "Dancing Machine" and many other Jackson 5 songs. Jackson performed as part of the group for six years. 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. However, Jackson decided to stay with Motown Records, citing loyalty to the company as the reason. Others argue that Jackson's marriage to Motown founder Berry Gordy's daughter Hazel, whom he married in 1973, was a deciding factor.

Biography summary from English Wikipedia, photograph via Wikimedia Commons.