Tito Jackson, 70, one of the five founding members of the beloved Motown Jackson 5, died Sunday (September 15) of a suspected heart attack in Gallup, NM. Bulletin board Contributor Fred Bronson interviewed Tito over three days in 2016 for his book, The Jacksons Legacy. Check out some clips from their many hours together, including Tito talking about his siblings, being signed to Motown, his missed opportunity to pursue a career in baseball and what he thought his legacy would be.
Before there was a Jackson 5, it was just you, Jackie and Jermaine. Were you playing ang gigs as a trio?
No, we didn't do concerts. It was just us singing in the house, Jackie, Jermaine and me. Then we heard Michael sing at a school function, a primary school play, and then we put him in the band. Marlon said, “Me too!” Both have asked. We told them they were too young. It was for big boys.
Did you ask any of your sisters to join your team?
No, the girls hung out with each other. He was around mom all the time. The five of us worked on our harmonies, and with Michael singing songs, it started to sound even better. Our father was telling us to be quiet, and our mother told him, “Joe, you have to listen to them. I think they can really sing. I think they have talent.” He said, “These boys have no talent. These boys can't sing.' [She said] “No, Joe, I really think you should listen to them. They sound pretty good.” So one day we sang to him and he was surprised. The day after he got his salary, he bought all kinds of equipment. He rehearsed us every day. After school, we would leave our books. He had already set up the microphones, the amplifiers on standby. The guitars were already out.
What do you remember about being signed to Motown?
We had heard that Motown wasn't going to sign us because Stevie Wonder was on the label and there were a lot of laws about working underages. You could only work so long and then you had to take a break. If you're there more than six hours, your day is over. You have to go to school an hour ago. Producers hate it. With Stevie they had only one minor. There were five of us.
But that didn't stop Motown from signing you.
We auditioned for Berry and he was there. Suzanne de Passe was there. [Motown artist] Bobby Taylor was there and Berry was in the corner checking it out and listening to it, trying not to like it. But he enjoyed it very much. He wanted us to sing at the Diana Ross party he was throwing. He told us that our first four or five records would go to No.1.
This party for Diana Ross was at Berry's house in Detroit. I understand he offered you a hundred dollars to dig a hole in his back yard.
He gave us the wrong iron. Some faker or something. We tore up the yard trying to do this.
Is this the first time you've met Diana Ross?
Yes. It was the first time we met any of the stars. Marvin Gaye was there and Tammi Terrell. Some of the Four Tops and some of the Temptations. They were like family. The Motown staff were very kind to us. They treated us like children. That's what we were. Everyone was our father and mother. They were just very nice to us. We did our show, singing them their songs and watching their reactions, and they seemed to really like it. We were told, “You are great, but remember, don't have a big head.” They would give us little hints like that, and we looked at them, of course. I remember coming back to Indiana, bragging to all our friends that we were signed to Motown, and our friends were very supportive.
Tell me about your relationships with your siblings.
Our relations were always good because we did everything together. We hung out together. We stayed together. When we went out on the road, we shared rooms. If we went to the cinema, we all went to the cinema together. We made our own fun and had our little basketball team, the five of us. We also played a lot of baseball and softball.
Were you good at baseball?
That was my whole point. I loved playing the game and played about two years in Little League before the music took off. I could have done something with it if I kept playing, but I stopped playing at a young age. I guess the music seemed better to our father. Jackie was very good at baseball. But I learned when I got older that I was probably just as good, if not better. Especially if I had continued to play, because I was always trying to keep up with my older brother.
After three pop songs – “I Want You Back”, “ABC” and “The Love You Save”, your fourth single was very different. Tell me about “I'll Be There.”
I think it was a good move to show the versatility in the group, that we weren't just up-tempo youth songs. We could deliver love songs and “I'll Be There” was perfect. It was a grown-up lyric, but it sounded good for Michael's young voice with us doing the background. We didn't know she would be single. We would just record the songs they gave us and finish an album and the label would pick the songs they felt strongly about.
What does being part of the Jackson 5 mean to you?
A person comes into this world and it's what you leave behind, I don't know if I left enough behind, because what I left behind is music and if you can bring happiness to some people, that's more than what the more. So I look at it in that context, but it's not all I can get behind. I always try to do something that will help myself or help society and become a better person. But to be a part of the Jacksons, to have that and bring smiles to the faces of people who enjoy the music, who enjoy the image, or naming a child after one of our family members is a good feeling. It means a lot. It means you've done something with your life besides living a life. At the end of the day, when we get called, it's all about what we did with our time. I still have a lot to give just like the brothers, because music runs through our family. I think I came here to make music.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/tito-jackson-in-his-own-words-interview-1235777323/
