Rebbie Jackson

Rebbie Jackson
Rebbie Jackson at a concert in Las Vegas in 2003
Background information
Birth name	Maureen Reillette Jackson
Born	May 29, 1950 (1950-05-29) (age 59) Gary, Indiana, United States
Genres	R&B, pop, soul
Occupations	Singer
Years active	1974–1998
Labels	Columbia, MJJ

Maureen Reillette Brown (née Jackson; born May 29, 1950) is an American singer professionally known as Rebbie Jackson. Born and raised as a Jehovah's Witness in Gary, Indiana, she is the eldest child of the Jackson family of musicians. She first performed on stage with her siblings during shows in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in 1974, before subsequently appearing in the television series The Jacksons.

At the age of 34, Jackson released her debut album Centipede (1984). The album featured songs written by Smokey Robinson, Prince and her younger brother Michael, whose contribution (the title track "Centipede") became Jackson's most successful single release. By the end of the 1980s, the singer had released two more albums in quick succession: Reaction (1986) and R U Tuff Enuff (1988).

Following a 10-year hiatus in her musical career, Jackson returned with the 1998 album Yours Faithfully. The album, her last to date, had the singer collaborate with artist and producers such as Men of Vizion's Spanky Williams, Keith Thomas and Eliot Kennedy. It also featured contributions from her children: daughters Yashi and Stacee, and son Austin. The now-grown children were fathered by Nathaniel Brown, whom Jackson has been married to since 1968.

Life and career

1950–1967: Early life

Maureen Reillette "Rebbie" Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana, (an industrial suburb of Chicago, Illinois,) to a working-class family on May 29, 1950. The daughter of Joseph Walter "Joe" and Katherine Esther (née Scruse), she is the eldest of their ten children. Her living siblings are Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, La Toya, Marlon, Randy and Janet, while her deceased brothers are Brandon, who died at birth in 1957, and Michael (1958–2009).^[1] Joseph was a steel mill employee who often performed in a rhythm and blues (R&B) band called The Falcons with his brother Luther.^[2] His wife, Katherine, is a Jehovah's Witness and raised her children to follow the religion. Rebbie, La Toya and Michael became the most devout of the children as time progressed. Under the faith, the family was not allowed to celebrate Christmas, Easter or birthdays.^[3]

1968–1973: Marriage

Jackson's family faced a crisis when the 18-year-old announced that she wanted to marry childhood sweetheart Nathaniel Brown in 1968. Jackson was in love with the man, also a devout Witness, and proclaimed that she wanted to move with him to Kentucky. Katherine encouraged her daughter to proceed with the union; she felt that being a wife and mother was an important role for all of her daughters to play. Joseph, however, was against the marriage; he wanted Jackson to follow in the footsteps of her brothers (The Jackson 5) and become a singer. Her father felt that married life would stop her from becoming a success in the entertainment business.^[4] Though Jackson had taken clarinet, piano and dance lessons earlier in life, she had no interest in a music career.^[4][5] The teenager thought that a happy home was more comforting and secure than the instability of show business.^[4] The family's drama-filled home on Jackson Street also served as a motivator for the young woman; she wanted to escape from it. Arguments ensued for several weeks before her father relented and allowed Jackson to wed Brown. Having the last word on the matter, Joseph refused to give his daughter away.^[6] Brown and Jackson would go on to have three children together; daughters Stacee and Yashi, and son Austin.^[7]

1974–1983: Early career

Jackson began her singing career in 1974, performing with her siblings at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Vegas shows had initially begun in April, without Jackson. Her five brothers were the main draws, with Randy, Janet and La Toya serving as filler for the residency performances. Due to a sprained ankle, Jackson's debut was postponed until June, several months later.^[8]

When The Jackson 5 parted with their record label Motown in 1976, they signed to CBS Records and rebranded themselves as The Jacksons.^[9] In addition, the brothers were signed to CBS-TV to star with their family in a variety series called The Jacksons. The shows premiered in June 1976, and featured all of the siblings excluding Jermaine, who had chosen to stay with Motown. The initial run of the 30-minute program was four weeks. Due to ratings success, more episodes were ordered in January 1977. The shows marked the first time that an African-American family had ever starred in a television series. The run of programs concluded shortly afterward.^[10]

Prior to the series, Jackson had thought of her singing as merely a private hobby. The Jacksons motivated her to become a professional recording artist, and the show's producer encouraged her to sing.^[11] Jackson served as a backing vocalist for several musicians around this time, as well as a cabaret singer. She contributed her voice for songs by artists such as The Emotions, Sonny Bono and Betty Wright before Jackson's second pregnancy stalled her musical career.^[5][12][13]

1984–1985: Centipede

Following years of preparation, Jackson's debut album Centipede was distributed in October 1984. It was only released once the singer had ensured that family life was secure and that she had spent time with her children during their important younger years. Centipede became a moderate chart success, reaching number 13 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and number 63 on its Top 200. The recording of the album had been a family affair; it involved several contributions from her relatives. Husband Nathaniel co-wrote the song "Come Alive Saturday Night" with two of his wife's brothers: Randy and Tito. The latter Jackson also penned "Hey Boy" with his wife Dee Dee.^[11] The most successful single from the album was the title track, "Centipede".^[13] Written, arranged and produced by Michael, the song also featured Jackson's famous brother on backing vocals.^[11] It reached number 4 on the Black Singles Chart and was subsequently certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.^[13][14][15] "Centipede" marked Michael's first effort at writing and producing since the release of his successful Thriller.^[5]

Other tracks from the female singer's album included cover versions of songs by Prince ("I Feel for You") and Smokey Robinson and the Miracles ("A Fork in the Road").^[13] According to the magazine Jet, Centipede marked Jackson's emergence as a "legitimate recording artist" and "cleared the major hurdle of demonstrating that she [was] talented and marketable".^[11] With the album, Jackson became the last of her siblings to release hit material and embark on a career in music.^[5][16][17]

Speaking of the Jackson name, there was a lot of discussion about me even using my name. At first, I didn't want to use it. If you notice on my album cover, I compromise - Rebbie is large and Jackson is small. There were those who thought I should use it and that it's stupid not to. In the end I thought; this is stupid. I can't deny what I am.

—Rebbie Jackson, 1985^[11]

1986–1997: Reaction and R U Tuff Enuff

Reaction served as a follow-up album to Centipede, and was released in October 1986.^[5] The songs from the album were recorded at Tito's Ponderosa Studios in Los Angeles, California.^[18] Her brother produced Reaction along with David Conley and David Townsend of the R&B group Surface. Duets were featured on the album, including one with Cheap Trick lead singer Robin Zander and another with Isaac Hayes.^[5][13] The Zander-Jackson collaboration ("You Send the Rain Away") was released as a single, and peaked at number 50 on the R&B singles chart. Jackson's duet with Hayes, the ballad "Tonight I'm Yours", was not released as a single, despite receiving substantial airplay. Reaction's title track ("Reaction") was the most popular hit from the album, reaching number 16 on the R&B singles chart.^[5]

The R U Tuff Enuff album succeeded Reaction upon its release in February 1988. Two singles were released from the album and charted on the R&B singles chart: "Plaything", which made it into the top 10, and the title track "R U Tuff Enuff", which peaked at number 78.^[5][13][19] By mid-June 1988, R U Tuff Enuff had reportedly sold 300,000 copies.^[20] MTV later concluded that the album struggled.^[13] Jackson would lend her vocals to "2300 Jackson Street" (the title track of her brothers' 2300 Jackson Street album), before taking a hiatus from releasing music.^[13][21][22]

1998–2008: Yours Faithfully

Following a 10-year break from music, Jackson signed with her brother Michael's record label, MJJ Music, in the late 1990s. From the label, Yours Faithfully was released in March 1998. The album featured a remixed version of Jackson's successful "Centipede".^[13][23] Initially, the singer had not wanted to feature the track, believing that it was part of the past. After thinking about it for a while, Jackson felt that the inclusion of the remix—which features a rap by son Austin—would be a good way to return to the music scene. In addition, two of her other children, Stacee and Yashi, contributed backing vocals for the album. Other tracks from the album included "Fly Away", which was written and produced by brother Michael, who also served as co-executive producer for Yours Faithfully.^[23] Fellow producers included Keith Thomas and Eliot Kennedy.^[24] The album also featured a duet with Men of Vizion's Spanky Williams on The Spinners' "I Don't Want to Lose You".^[23] Yours Faithfully's title track was released as a single and peaked at number 76 on the R&B chart.^[19]

2009: Death of Michael Jackson

Jackson's brother Michael died in June 2009, after suffering a cardiac arrest.^[25] His memorial service was held several days later on July 7, and the finale featured group renditions of the Jackson anthems "We Are the World" and "Heal the World".^[26][27] The singalong featured Michael's siblings (including Rebbie) and the late singer's children.^[27][28][29] Following the service—which was held at Los Angeles' Staples Center—Rebbie, along with sisters Janet and La Toya, addressed fans at the nearby L.A. Live entertainment complex. "We are extremely grateful for all the support. We love you all."^[30]

Discography

Albums

Singles

References

Bibliography

External links

• Rebbie Jackson at Allmusic
• Rebbie Jackson at Internet Movie Database