Tito Jackson

For the Boston City Council member, see Tito Jackson (politician)

Tito Jackson
Birth name	Toriano Adaryll Jackson
Born	(1953-10-15) October 15, 1953 Gary, Indiana, U.S.
Genres	R&B, blues
Occupations	Musician, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, keyboards, synthesizer, programming
Years active	1963–present
Labels	Epic, Motown
Associated acts	The Jackson 5
Website	Official Website

Toriano Adaryll "Tito" Jackson (born October 15, 1953) is an American singer and lead guitarist and original member of The Jackson 5, who later changed their name to The Jacksons, who rose to fame in the late 1960s with the Motown label, later finding success under the Epic label in the 1970s and 1980s.

Biography

Early life and career

Jackson was the third eldest of the nine Jackson siblings of Gary, Indiana.

Jackson's early music aspirations began when he self-taught on his father's (Joe Jackson) guitar while his father was at work. Joe had forbidden his kids to mess with the guitar, so he disciplined Tito when he found out he had broken one of his guitar strings while practicing. After Joe got his guitar fixed, he ordered Jackson to play for him — and upon hearing young Jackson play, Joe bought the eight-year-old his own guitar.

Within a year, realizing that Tito and his brothers Jackie and Jermaine could also sing, Joe built a group around them, called The Jackson Brothers. Younger brothers Marlon and Michael later became backing musicians. From Tito's early efforts on his father's guitar, the Jackson music family was now on its way.

In 1966, the band's name changed to The Jackson Five and Tito and his brothers soon participated in talent contests, which led way to them performing professionally a year later. At first, Tito played bass within the family band, switching to rhythm guitar by the time he was 13. By the late 1960s he had switched to electric guitar.

In 1968, Tito and his brothers signed with Motown Records and The Jackson Five began recording material a year later.

The Jackson 5

Main article: The Jackson 5

Motown changed their name slightly to The Jackson 5 and the band released their first album, Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5, which included their breakthrough hit, "I Want You Back". Ironically, while the Jackson 5 were noted instrumentalists, none of the members played any of their own instruments on the albums, as Motown had a hired team of West Coast and Detroit musicians playing on their recordings. While Michael was the main lead singer of the band, Motown did allow each of the other Jackson members to sing some leads. Tito, who is a natural baritone, hummed the bass melody in "I Want You Back" while his other brothers backed him up before Michael and Jermaine led the rest of the song, Tito also sung a partial lead in the group's 1970 hit, "ABC".

Tito also sung co-lead on the Diana Ross Presents... opening track, "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" and also sung co-lead on their cover of Funkadelic's "I Bet You" on their ABC. Tito also sang a part in other Jackson 5 hits such as "Mama's Pearl" and provided spoken vocal leads in the band's 1973 rendition of "Hum Along and Dance" and was the last of his brothers to sing a verse in the song before it faded. By 1975, most of the band had voiced their opposition to not being allowed control in the recording studio, thus leaving Motown for Epic Records that year.

After a lengthy court deposition, the band changed their name legally to The Jacksons and released their eponymously titled album, The Jacksons, in 1976, featuring a Tito/Michael composition, "Style of Life". Tito would also provide lead vocals on the 1977 Jacksons track, "Man Of War", on their Goin' Places album. However, by the release of 1978's Destiny, Tito would provide no lead vocals though he did continue to provide guitar riffs and, occasionally, compositions, including the 1980 track "Everybody" from the Triumph album, and the 1984 track "We Can Change the World" from the Victory album. In 1985, Tito, along with other members of the Jackson family, participated in USA for Africa's famine-relief fund-raising single "We Are the World".

Following the release of 1989's 2300 Jackson Street, to which only Tito, Jackie, Jermaine and Randy contributed, the Jacksons split up. It would be several years before Tito resumed his own career in front of the scenes, choosing instead to work behind the scenes as he managed his sons's band, 3T.

Solo work and other projects

Jackson began a solo career in 2003 performing as a blues musician in various clubs with his band, which includes producer and guitarist Angelo Earl and a management team that includes Ed Tate. In 2007, in the United Kingdom, Jackson appeared as a judge on the BBC celebrity singing competition Just the Two of Us for series two of the show. He replaced singer Lulu who was a judge on series one. His co-judges were vocal coach CeCe Sammy, musician Stewart Copeland and radio DJ Trevor Nelson. During the tenure of his brothers' reality series, 2009's The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty, he served as one of the executive producers alongside his other brothers.

During the summer of 2012, Jackson reunited with brothers Jackie, Marlon, and Jermaine by going on tour. This was the first tour in years, and it was without Michael. The brothers sang songs that they recorded while on the Philadelphia International Record Label. Jermaine sang the lead. His vocals could be heard when singing such songs as "Enjoy Yourself," "Show You The Way To Go," "Man of War," "Heaven Knows I Love You, Girl," and "Good Times." Jackson had a solo part in "Heaven Knows I Love You, Girl," as he had a speaking part during the bridge of the song. Jackson also played lead guitar while the group performed "Show You The Way To Go." As Jermaine sang the bridge that Michael would have sang ("lemme show you....never let you down.....never let you down...."), Jackson had an additional solo by manifesting his guitar skills.

Personal life

Taryll, TJ and Taj Jackson, his three sons.

Tito married Delores "Dee Dee" Martes (April 1, 1955 – August 27, 1994) in June 1972 at the age of 18, and later divorced in 1993. In 1994, Martes was found dead floating in a swimming pool. The death was originally ruled accidental, however a Los Angeles business man, Donald Bohana, was subsequently charged with murdering her and later found guilty of second-degree murder in 2000. The couple had three sons, who compose the musical group 3T:

• Toriano Adaryll Jackson II. ("Taj") (born August 4, 1973)
• Taryll Adren Jackson (born August 8, 1975)
• Tito Joe Jackson ("TJ") (born July 16, 1978)

In popular culture

• Tito was portrayed by Gerrick Winston in the 2004 film Man in the Mirror: The Michael Jackson Story, the biopic of Michael Jackson which first aired on VH1 and was satirized by comedian Aries Spears in an episode of MadTV that featured La Toya Jackson as she played in a skit attacking TV host Jay Leno for his constant jokes on her family.

• In the 1992 biopic The Jacksons: An American Dream in which the Jackson family's rise to fame was chronicled, younger Tito was portrayed by Shakiem Jamar Evans while the older Tito was portrayed by Angel Vargas.

• In a famous scene from the film Rush Hour, Chris Tucker told Jackie Chan, "I'm Michael Jackson, you're Tito."

• In the Adam Sandler movie The Wedding Singer, the line "say hello to your brother Tito for me" was said by Sandler's character to a fellow guest at a party who was wearing a jacket similar to the red one worn and made famous by Tito's brother Michael in his video for Thriller.

Discography

Singles

Title	Year
"We Made It"	2011