Marlon Jackson then and now

When Michael Jackson passed away in 2009, some of his younger fans said they were not aware that he was black and did not associate him with the famous singing siblings from the 1970s. This article is to acquaint those who don’t know with his brother Marlon who was one year older than the king of pop. Marlon David Jackson was born on March 12, 1957, at St Mary's Mercy Hospital in Gary, Indiana as the sixth of 9 children belonging to Joseph and Katherine Jackson. He and his twin brother, Brandon, were several weeks premature and Brandon died 24 hours after their birth. Later Marlon said he was especially close to Michael and considered him as a replacement for his deceased twin.

During the 70's the Jackson 5 enjoyed worldwide acclaim with number one and top 10 hits like ABC, Stop the love you save, and I want you back. They were interviewed in or on the covers of popular magazines such as Right On and Tiger Beat. Marlon has been on the covers and interviewed with Michael, alone and with the entire J5 group. Michael and Jermaine sang most of the lead vocals with The Jackson 5 but Marlon can be heard on Feeling Alright, Corner in the Sky, and Little Bitty Pretty One.

In 1976 a dispute with Motown led to the group leaving the label and signing with Epic Records. Jermaine remained loyal to Motown and this is when the youngest brother Randy joined the J5. They were forced to change their name to "the Jacksons" because Motown owned the rights to The Jackson 5. At this point, Marlon began singing Jermaine's vocal parts when the group performed any Jackson 5 songs.

On the Jackson's debut album, Marlon sang lead in certain spots on "Man of War." and "Strength of a Man". The albums Triumph and Destiny sent the siblings back to the top of the pop music charts and in the finale of Triumph, Marlon sang a duet with Michael on "Give it Up". In 1983 Jermaine returned to the group and the performance with all 6 brothers during Motown 25, led to the Victory album and tour in 1984. Marlon wrote, produced, and sang his first solo lead on the hit single "Body". Both the tour and the album were successful but the end of the Jacksons came soon after.

Many fans believed the Jacksons got older and simply chose to no longer be a part of the entertainment business. It was rumored that clashes between the siblings and monetary problems were the root cause of the group's downfall. In 1987 Marlon began a solo career with the album Baby Tonight which had a single "Don't Go" that went to number 2 on the R&B charts. Marlon then decided on a career outside of show business and became a real estate agent in Southern California. He was also a co-owner of the Black Family Channel, a cable network that was designed to offer family-friendly programming to the Black community.

When the Jacksons were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 Marlon joined his siblings on stage. In 2001, he reunited with his brothers again to perform as the Jacksons during Michael's 30th-anniversary concert at Madison Square Garden. In 2009, Marlon was part of the reality series The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty. Marlon and his brothers Tito, Jermaine, and Jackie have been performing together off and on since 2012.

An 18 year old Marlon Jackson married Carol Ann Parker in August 1975, who was a fan. The duo met in New Orleans during one of the Jacksons' tours and have been together ever since. They have three children, Valencia Caroline Jackson who born on December 18, 1976, Brittny Shauntee Jackson, born September 4, 1978 and Marlon David Jackson, Jr. who was born September 23, 1981. Marlon and Carol also have six grandchildren, two from Valencia and four from Brittny. There had been rumors that Marlon became a Baptist preacher but I could not find any information to substantiate this claim.