Long before Janet Jackson became one of the biggest female artists in music, she was already performing under the bright lights of Las Vegas.
And she was only seven years old.
In April 1974, Joe Jackson expanded the Jackson 5 into something much bigger: a full Jackson family revue at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas.
The main run is generally listed from April 9 through April 23, with the family performing twice a day. Michael was only 15, yet he was already the biggest star in the family.
But these shows were very different from a normal Jackson 5 concert.
Joe brought Rebbie, LaToya, Randy and little Janet into the act alongside Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael. The goal was to create a polished family variety show that could entertain adults as well as teenagers.
The set still included Jackson 5 hits such as “ABC,” “I’ll Be There,” “Never Can Say Goodbye” and “Dancing Machine,” but it also featured comedy, impressions and old-school Vegas-style entertainment.
And Janet quickly became one of the surprises.
She performed impressions of Mae West and teamed with Randy for a Sonny and Cher routine. Contemporary accounts later described her Mae West impersonation as one of the funniest moments in the show.
Janet and Randy Perform Their Las Vegas Routine
This September 1974 appearance on The Merv Griffin Show is especially valuable because Janet and Randy perform the same type of Sonny and Cher act developed for the Vegas revue, while the Jackson 5 also perform “Dancing Machine.”
The Vegas run also arrived at an important moment for Michael.
The Jackson 5 were trying to prove they could grow beyond the image of five young brothers singing Motown hits. According to later accounts, some family members initially questioned whether playing Vegas was the right move while they were still having records on the charts.
Michael reportedly saw it differently.
For him, Las Vegas represented a larger show-business tradition, and the elaborate family production gave the Jacksons a chance to show audiences they could do much more than their usual concert act.
The experiment worked well enough that the family returned to the MGM Grand later in 1974, with additional runs in August and again near the end of the year.
Looking back, the most fascinating part may be who was standing on that stage.
Michael Jackson was still years away from Off the Wall and Thriller.
Janet Jackson had not even turned eight.
Yet both future superstars were already learning how to hold a Las Vegas audience.
In 1974, the MGM Grand was not just another Jackson 5 booking. It was one of the first times audiences saw the Jackson family become a full entertainment dynasty.