Rebbie Jackson

Maureen Reillette Rebbie Brown (ne Jackson;

born May 29, 1950) is an American singer professionally known as Rebbie Jackson /ribi dksn/. Born
and raised in Gary, Indiana, she is the eldest child of
the Jackson family of musicians. She rst performed
on stage with her siblings during shows in Las Vegas,
Nevada, at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in 1974,
before subsequently appearing in the television series The
Jacksons. Her sister La Toya was born on Jacksons 6th
birthday. At age 34, Jackson released her debut album
Centipede (1984). The album featured songs written by
Smokey Robinson, Prince, and Jacksons younger brother
Michael, whose contribution (the title track "Centipede")
became Rebbies most successful single release. By the
end of the 1980s, the singer had released two more albums in quick succession: Reaction (1986) and R U Tu
Enu (1988).
Following a 10-year hiatus in her musical career, Jackson returned with the 1998 album Yours Faithfully. The
production of the album, her last to date, was a collaboration with artists and producers such as Men of Vizion's
Spanky Williams, Keith Thomas, and Eliot Kennedy. It
also featured contributions from her children. In 2011,
Rebbie embarked on the Pick Up the Phone Tour,
which is dedicated to teens who have committed suicide
all over the U.S.

1
1.1

First row, from left: Janet Jackson, Randy Jackson, La Toya

Jackson, Rebbie Jackson (1977)

Life and career

Childhood and youth

1.2 Marriage

Maureen Reillette Rebbie Jackson was born in Gary,

Indiana, to a working-class family on May 29, 1950. The
daughter of Joseph Walter Joe and Katherine Esther
(ne Scruse), she is the eldest of their ten children. Her
siblings are Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, La Toya, Brandon (d.
March 12, 1957), Marlon, Michael (d. June 25, 2009),
Randy, and Janet.[1] Joseph was a steel mill employee who
often performed in a rhythm and blues (R&B) band called
The Falcons with his brother, Luther.[2] His wife, Katherine, is a Jehovahs Witness and raised her children to follow the religion. Rebbie, La Toya, and Michael became
the most devout of the children as time progressed.[3] Reecting on her early life, Rebbie acknowledged in a 1980s
magazine interview that her role within the family had
been that of a second mother to her younger siblings,
whom she would often babysit.[4]

18-year-old Rebbies announcement that she wanted to

marry her childhood love, Nathaniel Brown, in May 1968
created a division in the Jackson family. Jackson expressed her feelings for the man and proclaimed that she
wanted to move with him to Kentucky. Katherine encouraged her daughter to proceed with the union; she felt that
being a wife and mother were important roles for all of
her daughters to play. Joseph, however, was against the
marriage; he wanted Rebbie to follow in the footsteps of
her brothers (The Jackson 5) and become a singer. Her
father felt that married life would stop her from becoming
a success in the entertainment business.[5] Though Rebbie
had taken clarinet, piano and dance lessons in her childhood, she had no interest in a music career.[5][6] This was
despite the fact that according to brother Jermaine she
had won several singing contests, duetting with brother
1

Jackie. The teenager thought a happy home was more

comforting and secure than the instability of show business .[5] She also wanted to leave her familys drama-lled
home on Jackson Street as well as get away from her
controlling father. Arguments ensued for several weeks
before her father relented and allowed Rebbie to wed
Brown. Having the last word on the matter, Joseph refused to walk his daughter down the aisle.[7]
Brown and Jackson have three children, daughters Stacee
(born May 5, 1971) and Yashi (born October 5, 1977),
and son Austin (born November 22, 1985).[8] Rebbies
husband, Nathaniel Brown, died of cancer on January 6,
2013.[9]

1.3

Grandchildren

Rebbie has one grandson, London Blue Salas (born July

25, 2005), from her oldest daughter, Stacee.

1.4

Early career

Jackson began her singing career in 1974, performing

with her siblings in Las Vegas. The Vegas shows had initially begun in April, without Rebbie; due to a sprained
ankle, Rebbies debut was postponed until June. Her ve
brothers were the main draws, with herself, Randy, Janet,
and La Toya serving as llers for the performances.[10]
When The Jackson 5 parted with their record label
Motown in 1976, they signed to CBS Records and rebranded themselves as The Jacksons.[11] Additionally, the
brothers were signed to CBS-TV to star with their family
in a variety series called The Jacksons. The shows premiered in June 1976, and featured all of the siblings excluding Jermaine, who had chosen to stay with Motown.
The initial series run of the 30-minute programs was four
weeks. Due to ratings success, more episodes were ordered in January 1977. The shows marked the rst time
that an African-American family had ever starred in a
television series. The run of programs concluded shortly
afterward.[12]

LIFE AND CAREER

Records, who had signed her as a solo artist two years

previously.[13][14] The album was only released once the
singer had ensured that family life was secure and that she
had spent time with her children during their important
younger years. Centipede became a moderate chart success, reaching number 13 on Billboards Top R&B/HipHop Albums chart and number 63 on its Top 200. The
recording of the album had been a family aair; it involved several contributions from her relatives. Her husband Nathaniel Brown co-wrote the song Come Alive
Saturday Night with two of his wifes brothers: Randy
and Tito. The latter Jackson also penned Hey Boy with
his wife Dee Dee.[13] The most successful song from the
album was the million-selling title track, "Centipede".[16]
Written, arranged and produced by Michael, the song also
featured Jacksons famous brother on backing vocals.[13]
It reached number 4 on the Black Singles Chart and was
subsequently certied gold by the Recording Industry
Association of America.[16][17][18] Centipede marked
Michaels rst eort at writing and producing since the
release of his successful Thriller (1982).[6]
Other tracks from Rebbies album included cover versions
of songs by Prince ("I Feel for You") and Smokey Robinson and the Miracles ("A Fork in the Road").[16] The album received mixed reviews from journalists and music
critics.[19][20][21] According to the magazine Jet, Centipede
marked Jacksons emergence as a legitimate recording
artist and cleared the major hurdle of demonstrating
that she [was] talented and marketable.[13] With the album, Jackson became the last of her siblings to embark
on a recording career and the last in line to release hit
material.[6][22][23]

Rebbie later revealed that there was a lot of discussion

at the time of the release of Centipede over whether she
should use the Jackson surname professionally or not. To
begin with Rebbie did not want to use her pre-marriage
surname, but later reasoned that it was silly to deny her
heritage. Jackson explained that she did, however, compromise with the use of her family name on the Centipede
album cover - Rebbie is large and Jackson is small.[13]
She further stated that the success of siblings Michael and
Janet had not been a hindrance to her, but served as an
Prior to the series, Jackson had thought of her singing as enhancement to her career. Rebbie added that she did not
merely a private hobby. The Jacksonsas well as an early have to worry about name recognition.[14]
love of musicalsmotivated her to become a professional
recording artist, and the shows producer encouraged her
to sing.[13][14] Jackson served as a backing vocalist for 1.6 Reaction and R U Tu Enu
several musicians around this time, as well as a cabaret
singer. She contributed her voice for songs by artists such Reaction served as a follow-up album to Centipede, and
[6]
as The Emotions, Sonny Bono and Betty Wright before was released in October 1986. The album was recorded
[24]
Jacksons second pregnancy stalled her musical career for at Titos Ponderosa Studios in Los Angeles, California.
Her brother Tito produced Reaction along with David
a short time.[6][15][16]
Conley and David Townsend of the R&B group Surface.
Duets were featured on the album, including one with
Cheap Trick lead singer Robin Zander and another
1.5 Centipede
with Isaac Hayes.[6][16] The Zander-Jackson collaboraFollowing years of preparation, Jacksons debut album tion ("You Send the Rain Away") was released as a single,
Centipede was distributed in October 1984 by CBS and peaked at number 50 on the R&B singles chart. Jack-

1.8

Death of Michael Jackson

sons duet with Hayes, the ballad Tonight I'm Yours,

was not released as a single, though received substantial
airplay. Reaction's title track ("Reaction") was the most
popular hit from the album, reaching number 16 on the
R&B singles chart.[6]
The R U Tu Enu album succeeded Reaction upon its
release in July 1988.[6] Jackson was more involved with
the production of the album than she had been on her
previous releases. She stated at the time of R U Tu
Enu's distribution that the sound on the album diered
from anything she had done previously. Jackson commented that the album was more versatile, while noting that it resembled other albums because it had a lot of
dance music.[14] Two singles were released from the album and charted on the R&B singles chart: "Plaything",
which made it into the top 10, and the title track "R
U Tu Enu", which peaked at number 78.[6][16][25]
By mid-June 1988, R U Tu Enu had reportedly sold
300,000 copies.[26] MTV later concluded that the album
struggled.[16] Jackson would lend her vocals to 2300
Jackson Street (the title track of her brothers 2300 Jackson Street album), before taking a hiatus from releasing
music.[16][27][28] Jackson later stated that she performed
around the world during this hiatus.[29]

1.7

Yours Faithfully

1.8 Death of Michael Jackson

Rebbies younger brother Michael died on June 25, 2009,
due to acute Propofol intoxication, after suering a
sudden cardiac arrest. His memorial service was held
several days later on July 7, and the nale featured
group renditions of the Jackson anthems "We Are the
World" and "Heal the World".[32][33] The singalong featured Michaels siblings (including Rebbie) and the late
singers children.[33][34][35] Following the servicewhich
was held at Los Angeles' Staples CenterRebbie, along
with sisters Janet and La Toya, addressed fans at the
nearby L.A. Live entertainment complex. We are extremely grateful for all the support. We love you all.[36]
In the weeks following Michaels death, it was speculated
by media sources that Rebbie would be the primary caregiver for her late brothers children: Prince, Paris, and
Blanket. It was stated that even if Michael and Rebbies
mother Katherine were granted custody of her grandchildren, Rebbie would care for the three siblings on a day-today basis at the Jackson familys Encino home.[16] Katherine was named the legal guardian of the trio in August
2009.[37][38] In early 2011, Rebbie announced shes begun recording for a new album, her rst in 14 years. Shes
also been performing throughout the states with a set list
that contains her best known songs, some of her brothers
songs, and some Motown classics.

When fans nd out theres another Jackson coming out,

they want to hear what the person is about. That can be a
double-edged sword.

2 Discography

Rebbie Jackson, 1998[29]

2.1 Albums

Following a 10-year break from music, Jackson signed

with her brother Michaels record label, MJJ Music, in
1997. From the label, Yours Faithfully was released on
March 31, 1998. The album featured a remixed version
of Jacksons successful Centipede.[16][29] Initially, the
singer had not wanted to feature the track, believing that
it was part of the past. After thinking about it for a while,
Jackson felt that the inclusion of the remixwhich features a rap by son Austinwould be a good way to return
to the music scene. In addition, two of her other children,
Stacee and Yashi, contributed backing vocals for the album. Other tracks from the album included Fly Away,
which was written and produced by brother Michael, who
also served as co-executive producer for Yours Faithfully.[29] Fellow producers included Keith Thomas and
Eliot Kennedy.[30] The album also featured a duet with
Men of Vizion's Spanky Williams on The Spinners' I
Don't Want to Lose You, which Jet described as being a
sizzling rendition.[29] Yours Faithfully's title track was
released as a single and peaked at number 76 on the R&B
chart.[25] Vibe magazines Quohnos Mitchell expressed
disappointment in the album, labelling its content a mix
of dated R&B grooves dressed up with a few cleverly
placed samples.[31]

2.2 Singles

3 Footnotes
[1] Taraborrelli (2004), pp. 1114.
[2] Taraborrelli (2004), p. 15.
[3] Taraborrelli (2004), pp. 1718.
[4] Rebbie Jackson goes back to Gary home, talks about famous brother, sisters. Jet (Johnson Publishing Company)
72 (25). September 14, 1987. ISSN 0021-5996. Retrieved December 20, 2009.
[5] Taraborrelli (2004), p. 35.
[6] Hogan, Ed. Rebbie Jackson biography. Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2009.
[7] Taraborrelli (2004), p. 36.
[8] Campbell (1993), p. 20.
[9] Caitlin White (January 10, 2013). Rebbie Jackson, Husband Death: Nathaniel Brown Loses Cancer Battle. The
Boombox. Retrieved 27 June 2013.

[10] Taraborrelli (2004), pp. 115117.

[11] Taraborrelli (2004), pp. 137142.
[12] Taraborrelli (2004), pp. 143146.
[13] Collier, Aldore (May 27, 1985). Rebbie, oldest sister,
latest bloomer, in the Jackson family. Jet (Johnson Publishing Company) 68 (11). Retrieved October 11, 2009.
[14] Wynn, Ron (June 21, 1988). Rebbie is a solo Jackson.
Star-Banner. Retrieved January 13, 2010.
[15] Dineen (1993), p. 59.
[16] Ditzian, Eric (July 23, 2009). Michael Jacksons Sister
Rebbie May Take Care Of Kids. MTV. Retrieved October 11, 2009.
[17] Ditzian, Eric (June 26, 2009). Michael Jacksons Family Tree: Janet, Rebbie, Marlon And More. MTV. Retrieved October 11, 2009.
[18] RIAA database. Recording Industry Association of
America. Retrieved October 11, 2009. (To search the
database for Jacksons releases, type Rebbie Jackson
into the Artist eld and the title of the release into the
Title eld.)
[19] Harry, Rich (October 13, 1984). An Oddly Compatible
Couple: Johnny Mathis, Husker Du Pop Music/singles.
The Morning Call. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
[20] Taki, Jonathan (October 18, 1984). The hot discs for
gift-givers. Philadelphia Daily News. Retrieved January
14, 2010.
[21] Tucker, Ken (September 16, 1984). Rap and dance
music: diverse performers are giving it a whirl. The
Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
[22] Sister Rebbie. The Daily Courier. November 11, 1984.
Retrieved October 11, 2009.
[23] The eldest of the Jacksons. St. Petersburg Times.
November 15, 1984. Retrieved October 11, 2009.
[24] McTavish, Brian (July 16, 1987). Rebbie Jackson is
ready for her to turn on the charts (Payment required to
access full article). Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October
11, 2009.
[25] Rebbie Jackson chart history: R&B/hip-hop songs. Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2009.
[26] Michael Jacksons sister to perform in Middlesboro
(Payment required to access full article). Lexington
Herald-Leader. June 17, 1988. Retrieved October 11,
2009.
[27] Jacksons say no hard feelings. Wilmington Morning Star.
April 3, 1989. Retrieved October 11, 2009.
[28] Jacksons aren't ghting. St. Petersburg Times. April 3,
1989. Retrieved October 11, 2009.
[29] Rebbie Jackson releases hot new album, 'Yours Faithfully'". Jet (Johnson Publishing Company) 93 (23). May
4, 1988. ISSN 0021-5996. Retrieved October 11, 2009.

REFERENCES

[30] Yours Faithfully (Media notes). Rebbie Jackson. MJJ Music. 1988.
[31] Mitchell, Quohnos (March 1998). Yours Faithfully.
Vibe (Vibe Media Group) 6 (2). ISSN 1070-4701. Retrieved December 20, 2009.
[32] Harris, Chris (July 7, 2009). Who Is Michael Jackson
Memorial Performer Shaheen Jafargholi?". Rolling Stone.
Retrieved July 22, 2009.
[33] Anderson, Kyle (July 8, 2009). Who Sang 'We Are The
World' At Michael Jackson Memorial?". MTV. Retrieved
July 22, 2009.
[34] Powers, Anne (July 7, 2009). Michael Jackson memorial: 'We Are the World,' 'Whos Lovin' You' and the nal
performances. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 22,
2009.
[35] Millions watch Michael Jacksons LA memorial. The
Jerusalem Post. July 7, 2009. Retrieved October 23,
2009.
[36] Vena, Jocelyn (July 8, 2009). Janet Jackson, Sisters
Thank Fans After Michael Jackson Memorial. MTV.
Retrieved October 23, 2009.
[37] Jacksons mother granted custody. BBC News. August
4, 2009. Retrieved November 9, 2009.
[38] Deutsch, Linda (August 17, 2009). Jackson had long history with estate executor. The Guardian. Retrieved January 11, 2010.
[39] Rebbie Jackson chart history: Top 200 albums. Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2009.
[40] Rebbie Jackson chart history: R&B/hip-hop albums.
Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2009.
[41] Rebbie Jackson chart history: Hot 100. Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2009.
[42] Ultratop Singles Chart Archives. Ultratop. ultratop.be.
Retrieved September 29, 2009.

4 References
Campbell, Lisa (1993). Michael Jackson: The King
of Pop. Boston, Massachusetts: Branden. ISBN 08283-1957-X.
Dineen, Catherine (1993). Michael Jackson: In His
Own Words. London, England: Omnibus Press.
ISBN 0-7119-3216-6.
Taraborrelli, J. Randy (2004). The Magic and the
Madness. Terra Alta, West Virginia: Headline.
ISBN 0-330-42005-4.

External links
Rebbie Jackson at Allmusic
Rebbie Jackson at the Internet Movie Database

6 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

6.1

Text

Rebbie Jackson Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebbie_Jackson?oldid=685535269 Contributors: William Avery, Tiles, RickK,

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Ustyuzhanin, Stoshmaster, FHSerkland, Zenitram82, NRGKutKlose, Sluzzelin, Andrzejbanas, Deective, Laureapuella, Propaniac, Delage, Ndemmons, Froid, Fhb3, Smilingsuzy, CommonsDelinker, J.delanoy, Melty girl, Aboutmovies, Rjsantana, Gr8white, DorganBot,
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6.2

Images

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Contributors: eBay item Original artist: CBS Television
File:Michael_and_Janet_Jackson_collection.jpg Source:
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Janet_Jackson_collection.jpg License: CC BY 2.0 Contributors: THE MICHAEL JACKSON & JANET JACKSON COLLECTION CD
Original artist: Malcolm Jackson from sorbiers, france
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6.3

Content license

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