Katherine and Joe Jackson raised nine famous entertainers in this two-bedroom house in Gary, Ind.
The 2026 Michael Jackson biopic “Michael” has created another rendition of Jacksonmania, a phenomenon that creates an obsession with the First Family of Music.
The Jackson wave will continue with a sequel to “Michael” from Lionsgate and a multi-season docuseries of family patriarch and manager Joe Jackson, helmed by singer Marlon Jackson of The Jackson Five and later The Jacksons.
Carlos Greer of Page Six wrote, “After the recent Michael Jackson biopic ‘Michael’ portrayed Jackson family patriarch Joe as a dictator who physically beat the young performer into pop stardom, another son is trying to rescue his father’s legacy.
“Page Six has learned that Marlon Jackson has teamed up with production company BLK Prime on ‘The Manager, The Mythology, The Legend,’ a docuseries that aims to reclaim his late father’s reputation as a ‘visionary trailblazer,’ we’re told.
“Longtime family friend Steve Manning will serve as one of the executive producers on the eight-episode series, which will delve into Joe’s early years of cultivating his children, including Michael and Janet, into global superstars.”
Actually, Marlon Jackson’s plans for a docuseries on his father were announced on The Jacksons’ website before the “Michael” biopic was released.
And the docuseries will have multiple seasons, which will stream on the BLK Prime app.
The Jackson patriarch once had dreams of boxing or singing fame.
Alongside his brother Luther Jackson, the elder Jackson formed a blues band called The Falcons.
But when the band failed to find fame, the Jackson patriarch found himself supporting a large family of nine children on a steel mill crane operator salary.
Although success as a singer eluded him, he warned his children never to touch his guitar when he was not home.
However, his son Tito Jackson could not resist the temptation of his father’s fascinating guitar.
Joe Jackson’s wife, Katherine Jackson, knew that Tito was playing his father’s guitar without his permission.
But she kept it a secret when she realized that her second eldest son had musical talent.
When Joe Jackson found his guitar had a broken string, he discovered Tito had disobeyed his rules.
After disciplining his son, he invited him to play for him.
Joe Jackson was fascinated that his son played almost as well as him, with no formal training.
Therefore, he gave his son the assignment of learning all the songs on the radio.
Tito’s skills as a guitar player led to Joe forming a group with his three oldest sons (Jackie Jackson, Tito and Jermaine Jackson).
Later, Marlon and Michael Jackson joined the group after Michael sang “Climb Every Mountain” at an elementary school program.
While still working at the steel mill, Joe became The Jackson Five’s manager, getting them gigs at malls, theaters and strip clubs.
In the late 1960s, The Jackson Five signed a recording contract with the local label Steeltown Records, releasing the regionally successful single “Big Boy” in 1968.
The song “Big Boy” was performed in the “Michael” biopic.
During a performance at the famed Apollo Theater later that year, the group caught the attention of singer/producer Bobby Taylor of The Vancouvers.
Taylor set up an audition for The Jackson Five at Motown Records.
After some convincing from Suzannne DePasse, Motown Records CEO Berry Gordy agreed to watch The Jackson Five’s Motown audition tape.
He signed the group to Motown after getting them released from their Steeltown contract.
Their debut album “Diana Ross Presents” came out in 1969, featuring the number one pop hit, “I Want You Back.”
Their three following singles (“ABC,” “The Love You Save” and “I’ll Be There”) also topped the pop charts.
The Jackson Five’s streak of number one hits ended when “Mama’s Pearl” only reached number two on the pop charts.
Motown capitalized by creating a cartoon series based on the group, and then launched solo careers for Michael, Jermaine and Jackie.
As their manager, Joe created a Las Vegas show for the group that also included his three oldest daughters (Rebbie Jackson, LaToya Jackson and Janet Jackson), as well as his youngest son, Randy Jackson.
Jackson had an out-of-wedlock daughter named Joh’Vonnie Jackson with a mistress in the early 1970s.
That Las Vegas show caught the interest of CBS Television, which produced a variety show called “The Jacksons” from 1976 to 1977.
Before that, Joe was negotiating a deal with CBS Records that would give his sons more creative control, allowing them to write and produce their own records.
Jermaine, who was married to Hazel Gordy, the daughter of Motown’s CEO, decided to stay at Motown Records as a full-fledged solo artist.
Furthermore, Motown retained the trademark to The Jackson Five, forcing the group to record under the name The Jacksons for the rest of their career.
Joe also began managing the recording careers of his daughters LaToya and Janet.
The youngest of Joe’s daughters with Katherine became a global music sensation after the release of her 1986 album “Control.”
However, all of his children eventually fired him as their manager in the 1980s.
The Jackson patriarch went on to manage artists like Miki Howard and The Ch-Lites.
When Michael passed away in 2009, media personalities criticized Joe for promoting his artists during interviews about Michael.
Precious interviews and depictions of Joe in “The Jacksons: An American Dream” led to his reputation as a villain.
But without his discipline and vision, many music fans believe that the world would have never heard of the most famous music family in history, therefore never hearing the iconic music of Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson.
