It All Started With A Dream

It's time for a little lesson on Jackson 5 History!

                                          The Jackson family home in Gary, Indiana

Any star (or stars in this case!) who has made it big started out with very humble beginnings. The Jackson brothers most certainly were not born with their fame. It took persistence, confidence and hard work to get them to the top. The question is , how did the Jackson 5 gain fame?????


It all started with a dream. In the small town of Gary, Indiana, on the street of 2300 Jackson, The Jackson Brothers got their start. Music has always played an important role in the lives of the Jacksons. Joseph Jackson, their father and manger of the group, was apart of a local band in town call "The Falcons" and had long since given his children a love for music. Living in an at risk neighborhood, the older boys often dogged trouble by staying in the house. While Joseph was away They would practice jamming on his guitar even though they were not permitted to play it. I guess that goes to show that talent can develop out of defiance.

The boys continued to be constructive using Joseph guitar. Their mother and even little Michael promised not to tell Joseph anything but one day a string broke on the guitar and the boys knew they were in for it. The boys were devastated and ready for their punishment. What they weren't ready for however was Joseph's reaction. He was not at all concerned with the broken string. His new focus was on the new talent he had discovered in his sons.

While Joseph was rounding up the band he was still having trouble on deciding if one member should join- Michael. It's pretty hard to believe that the band's lead singer and most popular member would be given second thoughts on entering the band but Joseph was concerned about whether or not they could pull that off. Michael had to prove himself. At his elementary school, Michael did a wonderful rendition of "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" for the "Sound Of Music"  that earned him an outstanding standing ovation. After this Joseph didn't have a reason to have any more doubts. Dynamite does come in small packages.

Now the band, consisting of Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael, was complete. The boys rehearsed every day after school . Children in the neighborhood would throw rocks at their window and tell them they were never going to make it but despite their peers discouragement they kept moving on.  Joseph took his boys through a series of contest and talent shows. Eventually the boys got to Amature Night at the Apollo. Their performance was so enjoyable they were asked to come back. This lead to bigger and better things giving the boys a temporary contract with Steeltown and eventually leading them to the promise land by landing them an audition with Motown. The boys were signed.

The Jackson 5 made their first national Tv performance at the 1969 Miss Black American Pageant.Those little guys were Jammin!

As you can see it takes courage, hope and hard work to achieve your dreams. Anyone can do it you've just put your mind to it no mater what anyone says. Now here's something for you to think about. What do you think would have happened if the J5 would have listened to the children that said they couldn't do it??? How would that have effected them and where would they be today??? Also here's another big question to think about, How would the group have changed if Joseph wouldn't have allowed Michael in the group??? How would the group have been set up differently?

I hope I have not bored you with a history lesson or interrogated you too much! As always your thoughts and opinions are much appreciated. Thanks for reading and remember: "It's your thing, do what you wanna do!"