BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY : AFRICAN AMERICAN " TITO JACKSON " HE WAS A MEMBER OF THE BAND CALLED " THE JACKSON 5 " WITH TITO AS THE LEAD GUITARIST : GOES INTO THE " HALL OF BLACK GENIUS "

                                  B LACK                 SOCIAL              HISTORY                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Tito Jackson was born on October 15, 1953, in Gary, Indiana. In 1967, he and his brothers formed a band called The Jackson 5, with Tito as lead guitarist. They had four No. 1 hits with Motown Records. In 1976, Tito and The Jackson 5 signed with Epic, and changed the band’s name to The Jacksons. The group performed until 1990, after which he managed his son’s group. In 2003,he became a blues musician.

Early Life

Musician Toriano "Tito" Adaryll Jackson was born on October 15, 1953, to Joseph and Katherine Jackson in Gary, Indiana. He is best known as a member of The Jackson 5 with his four siblings Michael, Jackie, Marlon and Jermaine Jackson.

The Jackson 5

Tito Jackson is the third eldest child and second eldest male of the Jackson family. He was also known as "the quiet one" of the family. In 1967, Jackson and his brothers Jackie, Michael, Marlon and Jermaine began performing together as The Jackson 5, including winning a talent competition by covering The Temptations song, "My Girl."

Tito and the rest of The Jackson 5 made their professional debut in a nightclub in Indiana. The owner of the nightclub, Keith Gordon, decided to give The Jackson 5 a chance to record in his recording studio. As the lead guitarist of the group, Tito enjoyed the success of four No. 1 hits signing with Motown Records. These classic hits "ABC," "I Want You Back," "I'll Be There" and "Never Can Say Goodbye" were all released in 1969 and 1970. Their single "I Want You Back" was their first No. 1 single and sold more than two million copies in 1969.

In 1976, Tito and The Jackson 5 signed with Epic Records, and changed the name of their band to The Jacksons. Jackson and his brothers continued to perform as a group until 1990. From 1990 until 2003, Tito spent his time managing his sons' group. In 2003, Jackson had reinvented himself as a blues musician with his debut album I Gotta Play. Jackson was the last of The Jacksons group to go solo.

Solo Career

Tito recorded five songs for his only solo album. The songs were "Call My Job," "Caledonia," "I Gotta Play," "Stormy Monday" and "Big Legged Woman." The songs were never released, but Jackson performed them when he toured California for a couple of years.

Personal Life

Tito married Delores "Dee Dee" Martez in the summer of 1972. Jackson was 18 at the time and Martez was 17. The couple had three sons; Toriano, Taryll and Tito Jr. The couple divorced in 1990. Jackson's three sons went on to form the musical act, T3.