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The Jackson Family

First Generation

The life of Joseph Walter Jackson began July 26, 1929 in Arkansas but he grew up in a California with his dad, Samuel Jackson, a school teacher. At age 18 he moved to Indiana to be with his mom, Crystal Lee King and to pursue his dreams of becoming a professional boxer. At age 20, Joseph Jackson married Katherine Kruse, 17, and they immediately started a family. Even though he wanted to be a success in boxing it wasn’t a job for his family so he obtained a job as a crane operator with U.S. Steel. His family continued to blossom and grow steadily and in no time he and Katherine had a house full of 9 children. Joe Jackson always wanted to make it big and even though he couldn’t in boxing or in his own short musical stent in the 1950’s with the band The Falcons, he saw the talent in his children starting with Tito and his ability to play the guitar. Soon enough Joe Jackson formed a band of his sons Tito, Jermaine and Jackie called The Jackson Brothers in 1963 and became their manager. After several years of doing local talent shows, Joseph enlarged the band to include Marlon and Michael Jackson, two of his other sons and then changed the name of the band to The Jackson 5 by 1966 and remained the manager of the group. As their father he was a very strict disciplinarian and had an abusive nature about him which at the time seemed like normal actions of a father and as their manager he enforced long practices of singing and dancing of The Jackson 5 in hopes of them making it big one day. Finally the group made a debut at the Apollo Theater in Harlem New York where they won amateur night and a Motown record contract. From then on it was the fame Joseph Jackson had been longing for in his life. He continue to manage his sons, The Jackson 5, into stardom and after the band had many No. 1 hits on the Billboard hot singles charts, Joseph Jackson moved them to a mansion in California with his own hefty salary he had obtained as their full time manager. After many years as a band and with Michael as lead singer the group continued to have even more hits and wealth but tensions grew and in n 1979 Michael severed ties with his father/manager and went on to pursue his own musical entertainment career and soon thereafter his siblings fired Joseph Jackson in 1983. In 1993 Michael Jackson accused his father physical and mental abuse which a few of the other siblings confirmed this rumor yet some denied.

Katherine Jackson was born on May 4, 1930 in Barbour County, Alabama under the name Kattie B. Screws and is the child of Prince Albert Screws (1907-1997) and Martha Mattie Upshaw (1907-1990). Unfortunately, Katherine Jackson was left with a permanent limp after acquiring the polio syndrome in her childhood. She later recovered from her illness after moving with her family to East Chicago, Indiana where she would remain until meeting her husband Joseph Jackson. The couple moved to Gary, Indiana where they would birth and raise ten children. She lived as stay-at-home mom with her children as Joseph Jackson work as a crane operator at U.S. Steel. Throughout her life she lived as a pious Jehovah's Witness and would raise her children under the same indoctrinations, strictly. Also, she was a talented pianist and vocalist and shared her talents with her children and is later credited for being the foundation of her children's success. After her family's rise to fame as The Jackson 5, she strongly supported her children and suitably became their costume designer for their shows and performances. One of the memorable moments of her unconditional support was seen when her son Michael Jackson was held in trial for molestation charges. Her and her husband now live in Encino, California where they care for the children of her late son Michael.