Katherine Jackson - The Jackson Family

The Jackson Family

For a period, to help make ends meet, Katherine worked as a store clerk in a local Sears store. In 1963, Katherine, who was raised a Baptist, discovered the Jehovah's Witness faith. After her conversion in 1965, all of her children followed her into the faith. While Joe Jackson, who was brought up in the Lutheran faith, also practiced the religion, it was often said he decided not to convert. As Katherine's brood grew, she quit her position at Sears and settled primarily as a housewife while keeping her children safe from the streets. By the early 1960s, several of Katherine's sons began to show off their musical talents. In 1963, Joe Jackson formed The Jackson Brothers with three of their eldest sons Jackie, Tito and Jermaine. Around the same time, Katherine's younger son Michael was also showing off his talent, which was discovered first by Katherine, who noticed Michael, at the age of four, singing along to the radio while dancing to the rhythm. But when she tried to tell Joe of Michael's talent, he brushed her aside, though she insisted.

A year later, Joe enlisted Michael and older brother Marlon Jackson into the group not as vocalists, but as backing instrumentalists, playing percussion. It wouldn't be until 1966 that Joe Jackson began to see seven-year-old Michael's overall talents three years after Katherine's discovery. Beforehand, Michael had performed onstage without his father's knowledge at several school recitals starting at five. By the end of 1966, Michael was positioned as the second frontman of the group after Jermaine and after an advise from a schoolteacher, changed their name to The Jackson Five. In 1967, after winning several talent shows in Gary, Joe Jackson decided to make the group a professional act. It was then that Katherine began designing the group's costumes, which she continued until the group found fame months after signing with Motown Records in 1969. During the Jackson 5's 1970-71 heyday, Katherine - along with her three daughters and youngest son - was barely mentioned in the press. This changed in 1974 when Joe began building careers around his three younger children and eldest daughter. Michael often mentioned Katherine lovingly. Katherine started to become part of her husband's management team when the grown-up members of the group (which renamed themselves The Jacksons after splitting from Motown in 1975) reunited for the Victory Tour in 1984. On his 1982 album, Thriller, Michael Jackson dedicated the album to her. Janet Jackson would do the same following the release of her 1989 album, Rhythm Nation 1814, the first album where she wasn't under the watchful eye of her father following the success of Control, as Janet had fired him months after its release. Michael often said that his mother was appreciative of his solo music and approved of songs such as "Billie Jean" but said she was cautious of Michael's mature material, including "Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough". In 1985, acknowledging what was then a positive impact on her children's successful music careers, national urban magazine Essence honored her as "Mother of the Year".