Jackie Jackson

Sigmund Esco "Jackie" Jackson (born May 4, 1951) is an American singer and songwriter best known as a founding member of the Jackson 5, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. Jackson is the second child of the Jackson family and the oldest Jackson brother.

Early life
Sigmund Esco Jackson was born at St Mary's Mercy Hospital in Gary, Indiana, on his mother Katherine's 21st birthday in 1951. Nicknamed Jackie by his grandfather, taken from Jackson Boy, he came from a black working-class family. He and his brothers and sisters grew up in a two-room house in Gary, Indiana, an industrial city outside of Chicago. In 1964, Jackson's father, Joseph, formed the Jackson Brothers singing group, which included Jackson and his brothers Tito and Jermaine. The group included younger brothers Marlon and Michael playing assorted percussive instruments. By 1966, Joseph made Michael the lead singer and within two years, they emerged professionally under the name the Jackson Five, which was later altered to a numeral 5 after signing with Motown in 1969. Before the group signed with Motown, Jackson wanted to pursue a career in professional baseball.

Career
Jackson performed with a high tenor singing voice. He had the highest and lightest natural speaking and singing voice of all the brothers. He added brief lead parts in some of the Jackson 5's hit singles, including "I Want You Back" and "ABC". In 1973, he released a solo album that failed to chart. When the Jackson 5 became the Jacksons after leaving Motown for CBS Records in 1976, Jackson's role as a vocalist and songwriter increased. He added a lead vocal alongside Michael on their Top 10 Epic single "Enjoy Yourself", and also added composition on six of the group's albums with Epic. Jackson's voice changed to a lower tenor vocal style during the Epic years. One of his most successful compositions, "Can You Feel It", co-written with Michael, became an international hit in 1981. Jackson began performing more lead vocals as Michael pursued a solo career. On their 1984 album Victory, Jackie performed lead on the song "Wait" and wrote the single "Torture". Before the start of the Victory Tour in 1984, he suffered what was officially described as a knee injury incurred during rehearsals. A former companion of Jermaine Jackson's, Margaret Maldonado, wrote in her 1995 book Jackson Family Values that Jackson was injured when his then wife Enid Jackson ran over him with her car after catching him with choreographer and then-Laker Girl Paula Abdul. Jackson recovered well enough to perform on the last leg of shows in December 1984 in Los Angeles, where Michael announced he was leaving the group. In early 1985, Marlon Jackson left the group as well.

Jackson, Tito and Randy became session musicians, vocalists and producers during this time. In 1987, Jackie, Randy, Tito and Jermaine reformed as the Jacksons and recorded "Time Out for the Burglar", the theme song for the film Burglar. The single was a minor R&B hit in the US, but had more success in Belgium where it peaked in the Top 40 at #17 for two consecutive weeks. The Jacksons also contributed backing vocals to the Tito-produced title track of Tramaine Hawkins's 1987 album Freedom. In late 1988, the Jacksons set out to record their final album, 2300 Jackson Street, on which Jackie and Jermaine split leads on the songs. 2300 Jackson Street failed to chart, despite the Randy and Jermaine-led hit "Nothin' (That Compares 2 U)". Randy did not participate in much of the album's promotion as he was working on his solo project, leaving Jackson, Tito and Jermaine to promote the album mostly overseas. Afterward, the group was dropped from the label and each brother went into solo projects. Jackson signed with Polydor and released his first solo album in 16 years, Be the One, in late 1989. The album was a minor hit, charting at #89 on the R&B charts. The first single, "Stay", was a Top 40 R&B hit while the second single, "Cruzin'", was a moderate success. In 2001, after years out of the limelight, Jackie and his brothers gave a reunion performance with Michael during his 30th-anniversary special at Madison Square Garden.

Later work
Later residing in Las Vegas, Jackson at one time ran two record companies, Jesco Records and Futurist Entertainment. His son Sigmund, Jr., known as DEALZ, released a mixtape on Jesco in 2007. In 2009, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and Marlon starred in the reality series The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty. In 2012, the quartet began their first tour since 1984. The four brothers continue to tour, currently planning to perform a series of shows at the Las Vegas casino circuit.

Personal life
Jackson has been married three times and has four children. He married his first wife, Enid Arden Spann (1954 - 1997), in November 1974 after a 5-year courtship. It was a tumultuous marriage due to Jackson's infidelity and volatile behavior. They separated in 1984 and Enid filed for divorce, but they reconciled in 1985. In January 1986, Enid filed for divorce for the final time. She received a restraining order against Jackson after charging that he was physically abusive. Enid died from a brain aneurysm in 1997. They had two children:


 * Sigmund Esco "Siggy" Jackson Jr. (June 29, 1977). Siggy married Toyia Parker on September 23, 2007. They have four children: Jared (born 2011), Kai-Ari (born 2014), Skyy (born 2018), and Anai (born 2020).
 * Brandi Jackson (February 6, 1982),

In the 1980s, Jackson was the subject of media coverage when he had an affair with pop star Paula Abdul. From 1989 to 1991, he dated actress Lela Rochon.

In 2001, Jackson married his second wife, Victoria Triggs. They later divorced. Jackson married his third wife, Emily Besselink, in 2012, who gave birth to twin boys, Jaylen and River Jackson, on December 31, 2013.