Jackie Jackson is 75 now, and he’s still out there singing the songs that made his family famous.
If you only know the name, here’s who he is. Jackie, born Sigmund Esco Jackson, is the oldest of the Jackson brothers and one of the original members of the Jackson 5, the group Michael started out in as a little boy. He and his brother Marlon, the two original members still touring, are in the middle of a UK tour this month. They opened in Manchester on Nov 6, and they’re on stage in Cardiff, Wales, tomorrow night, Sunday, Nov 8. Wolverhampton and London come next.
Here’s a fan’s clip from that first night in Manchester, so you can see how the brothers still sound with one of their best-loved songs.
Jackie and Marlon sing “I’ll Be There” in Manchester this week
Most people picture the Jackson house as a place that ran on hard work. And Jackie doesn’t argue with that.
When he talked to HELLO! magazine last year, he said he still hands his father’s advice down to his own children. That advice came from Joe Jackson, the boys’ father, and it was simple.
“[It’s] the same advice that my father gave us: to work hard at it. I try to tell them the same thing. We became famous at a young age because we worked at it.”
That part fits the story everyone already knows.
But Jackie has a second piece of advice he passes on, and this one came from his mother, Katherine Jackson. She’s 96 now, and when Jackie spoke to HELLO! he said, “She’s doing great.”
Her advice to her boys didn’t mention work at all.
“She says, ‘Have fun. Life goes by real fast, just be yourself and have a lot of fun doing what you’re doing.'”
So that’s the pair Jackie carries around. Dad said work hard at it. Mom said have fun, because life goes by fast.
Jackie doesn’t pick one over the other. He gives his kids both, the same way he got them.
He once wanted to be a pro baseball player, but he told HELLO! that sticking with his brothers “was the best thing for me because I’m still doing that.”
There’s a sweet little family tie between Jackie and his mom, too. He was born on her birthday, May 4. Katherine doesn’t celebrate birthdays, and Jackie says he has never had a party of his own.
He doesn’t sound like he minds. “I’ve never had a birthday party myself all these years. I like to stay home and just have some cake and ice cream with my boys and my wife.”
If you’d like to hear Jackie in his own words, this longer sit-down has him talking about the Jacksons and his brother Tito’s legacy.
Jackie Jackson talks about his family and life in music
These shows mean a lot to the family now. Tito passed away in 2024, and with Michael and Tito both gone, Jackie and Marlon are the ones keeping those songs on stage.
If you’re anywhere near Cardiff tomorrow night, you’ll be watching a man who took both parents at their word. He’s worked hard at it since he was a boy, and from the sound of it, he’s still having a lot of fun doing what he’s doing.