Photo: SAMHSA · public domain
The family · the eldest child
Rebbie Jackson
The first-born of the ten Jackson children took a quieter path than her brothers — marrying young and coming to music late — before stepping out with a Michael-written hit and a recording career of her own.
Early life
The first-born
Maureen Reillette "Rebbie" Jackson was born May 29, 1950, in the family's home at 2300 Jackson Street in Gary, Indiana — the eldest of Joe and Katherine Jackson's ten children, and big sister to Michael, Janet, and all the rest. She graduated from Theodore Roosevelt High School in 1968. Unlike her younger brothers, she wasn't part of the Jackson 5's rise: she married young and came to professional show business comparatively late, a choice that reflected both her devotion to family and her own more private temperament.
The family stage
Joining the act
Rebbie first performed publicly with her siblings in Las Vegas in June 1974, during the family's MGM Grand residency (her debut was pushed back from the April opening after a sprained ankle). She appeared in the 1976 CBS variety series The Jacksons — noted as the first U.S. network variety show to star an African-American family. In these years she also worked steadily as a backing and cabaret vocalist for acts including The Emotions, Sonny Bono, and Betty Wright. She was never a member of the core Jackson 5 / The Jacksons recording group; her musical career would be her own.
Solo career
“Centipede” and beyond
Rebbie launched her recording career in 1984, at age 34. Her debut album Centipede (Columbia) reached #63 on the Billboard 200 and #13 on the R&B albums chart, powered by its title single — written, arranged, and produced by Michael, with Michael and The Weather Girls on backing vocals. "Centipede" peaked at #24 on the Hot 100 and #4 on the R&B chart and was certified gold; it remains her signature hit, and Michael's first writing/producing work after Thriller.
She followed with Reaction (1986) — produced in part by her brother Tito, with duets featuring Cheap Trick's Robin Zander and Isaac Hayes (the title track reached #16 R&B) — and R U Tuff Enuff (1988), whose single "Plaything" hit #8 R&B. After recording a Bob Dylan cover, "Forever Young," for the Free Willy 2 soundtrack in 1995, she returned with Yours Faithfully (1998) on Michael's MJJ Music label.
Personal life
Family first
In November 1968, at 18, Rebbie married her childhood sweetheart Nathaniel Brown — a decision Joe initially opposed, wanting her to pursue singing, reportedly refusing at first to walk her down the aisle. The marriage lasted until Nathaniel's death from cancer on January 6, 2013. They had three children: Stacee (b. 1971), the poet and writer Yashi (b. 1977), and the singer-songwriter-producer Austin Brown (b. 1985), who has collaborated with Pharrell Williams, Q-Tip, and Rodney Jerkins and remains active in music.
Later years
Still singing
In 2011 Rebbie launched the "Pick Up the Phone Tour," dedicated to teen-suicide awareness, and she joined the family in singing at Michael's July 7, 2009 memorial at the Staples Center. Now in her seventies, she remains an active recording artist and performer — the sibling who reached fame last, and entirely on her own terms.
In brief
Notable facts
- She is the eldest of the ten Jackson children, born in the family's original Gary home at 2300 Jackson Street.
- "Centipede," written and produced by Michael, went gold and remains her biggest hit.
- Her brother Tito produced her second album, Reaction (1986).
- She entered professional recording at 34 — the latest-starting recording artist among the singing Jacksons.
Sources