Maureen Reillette Brown (
née Jackson; born May 29, 1950) is an American singer professionally known as
Rebbie Jackson. Born and raised as a
Jehovah's Witness in
Gary, Indiana, she is the eldest child of the
Jackson family of musicians. She first 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.
At the age of 34, Jackson released her debut album
Centipede (1984). The album featured songs written by
Smokey Robinson,
Prince and her younger brother
Michael, whose contribution (the title track "
Centipede") became Jackson's 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 Tuff Enuff (1988).
Following a 10-year hiatus in her musical career, Jackson returned with the 1998 album
Yours Faithfully. The album, her last to date, had the singer collaborate with artist and producers such as
Men of Vizion's Spanky Williams,
Keith Thomas and
Eliot Kennedy. It also featured contributions from her children: daughters Yashi and Stacee, and son Austin. The now-grown children were fathered by Nathaniel Brown, whom Jackson has been married to since 1968.
Biography
1950–1967: Early life
Maureen Reillette "Rebbie" Jackson was born in
Gary, Indiana, (an industrial suburb of
Chicago, Illinois,) to a working-class family on May 29, 1950. The daughter of
Joseph Walter "Joe" and
Katherine Esther (
née Scruse), she is the eldest of their ten children. Her living siblings are
Jackie,
Tito,
Jermaine,
La Toya,
Marlon,
Randy and
Janet, while her deceased brothers are Brandon, who died at birth in 1957, and
Michael (1958–2009).
[Taraborrelli, pp. 11–14] Joseph was a steel mill employee who often performed in a
rhythm and blues (R&B) band called The Falcons with his brother Luther.
[Taraborrelli, p. 15] His wife, Katherine, is a
Jehovah's Witness and raised her children to follow the religion. Rebbie, La Toya and Michael became the most devout of the children as time progressed. Under the faith, the family was not allowed to celebrate Christmas, Easter or birthdays.
[Taraborrelli, pp. 17–18]
1968–1973: Marriage
Jackson's family faced a crisis when the 18-year-old announced that she wanted to marry childhood sweetheart Nathaniel Brown in 1968. Jackson was in love with the man, also a devout Witness, 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 was an important role for all of her daughters to play. Joseph, however, was against the marriage; he wanted Jackson 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.
[Taraborrelli, p. 35] Though Jackson had taken clarinet, piano and dance lessons earlier in life, she had no interest in a music career.
The teenager thought that a happy home was more comforting and secure than the instability of show business.
The family's drama-filled home on Jackson Street also served as a motivator for the young woman; she wanted to escape from it. Arguments ensued for several weeks before her father relented and allowed Jackson to wed Brown. Having the last word on the matter, Joseph refused to give his daughter away.
[Taraborrelli, p. 36] Brown and Jackson would go on to have three children together; daughters Stacee and Yashi, and son Austin.
[Campbell, p. 20]
1974–1983: Early career
Jackson began her singing career in 1974, performing with her siblings at the
MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in
Las Vegas, Nevada. The Vegas shows had initially begun in April, without Jackson. Her five brothers were the main draws, with Randy, Janet and La Toya serving as filler for the residency performances. Due to a sprained ankle, Jackson's debut was postponed until June, several months later.
[Taraborrelli, pp. 115–117]
When The Jackson 5 parted with their record label
Motown in 1976, they signed to
CBS Records and rebranded themselves as The Jacksons.
[Taraborrelli, pp. 137–142] In addition, 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 run of the 30-minute program was four weeks. Due to ratings success, more episodes were ordered in January 1977. The shows marked the first time that an African-American family had ever starred in a television series. The run of programs concluded shortly afterward.
[Taraborrelli, pp. 143–146]
Prior to the series, Jackson had thought of her singing as merely a private hobby. The Jacksons motivated her to become a professional recording artist, and the show's producer encouraged her to sing.
Jackson served as a
backing vocalist for several musicians around this time, as well as a
cabaret singer. She contributed her voice for songs by artists such as
The Emotions,
Sonny Bono and
Betty Wright before Jackson's second pregnancy stalled her musical career.
[Dineen, p. 59]1984–1985: Centipede
Following years of preparation, Jackson's debut album
Centipede was distributed in October 1984. It 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
Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and number 63 on its
Top 200. The recording of the album had been a family affair; it involved several contributions from her relatives. Husband Nathaniel co-wrote the song "Come Alive Saturday Night" with two of his wife's brothers: Randy and Tito. The latter Jackson also penned "Hey Boy" with his wife Dee Dee.
The most successful single from the album was the title track, "
Centipede".
Written, arranged and produced by Michael, the song also featured Jackson's famous brother on backing vocals.
It reached number 4 on the
Black Singles Chart and was subsequently
certified gold by the
Recording Industry Association of America.
[ (To search the database for Jackson's releases, type "Rebbie Jackson" into the Artist field and the title of the release into the Title field.)] "Centipede" marked Michael's first effort at writing and producing since the release of his successful
Thriller.
Other tracks from the female singer's album included cover versions of songs by
Prince ("
I Feel for You") and
Smokey Robinson and the Miracles ("
A Fork in the Road").
According to the magazine
Jet,
Centipede marked Jackson's emergence as a "legitimate recording artist" and "cleared the major hurdle of demonstrating that she
[1] talented and marketable".
With the album, Jackson became the last of her siblings to release hit material and embark on a career in music.
1986–1997: Reaction and R U Tuff Enuff
Reaction served as a follow-up album to
Centipede, and was released in October 1986.
The songs from the album were recorded at Tito's Ponderosa Studios in Los Angeles, California.
Her brother produced
Reaction along with
David 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 with
Isaac Hayes.
The Zander-Jackson collaboration ("
You Send the Rain Away") was released as a single, and peaked at number 50 on the R&B singles chart. Jackson's duet with Hayes, the ballad "Tonight I'm Yours", was not released as a single, despite receiving substantial airplay.
Reactions title track ("Reaction") was the most popular hit from the album, reaching number 16 on the R&B singles chart.
The
R U Tuff Enuff album succeeded
Reaction upon its release in February 1988. 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 Tuff Enuff", which peaked at number 78.
By mid-June 1988,
R U Tuff Enuff had reportedly sold 300,000 copies.
later concluded that the album struggled.
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.
1998–2008: Yours Faithfully
{(({quote box|width=22%|quote=When fans find out there's another Jackson coming out, they want to hear what the person is about. That can be a double-edged sword.|source=Rebbie Jackson, 1998
Following a 10-year break from music, Jackson signed with her brother Michael's record label, MJJ Music, in the late 1990s. From the label, Yours Faithfully was released in March 1998. The album featured a remixed version of Jackson's successful "Centipede".[Jackson, Rebbie. Yours Faithfully album booklet. MJJ Music.] The album also featured a duet with Men of Vizion's Spanky Williams on The Spinners' "I Don't Want to Lose You".
2009: Death of Michael Jackson
Jackson's brother Michael died in June 2009, after suffering a cardiac arrest.
Discography
Albums
63
|
13
|
—
|
| 1986
| Reaction
- Released: January 1, 1986
- Labels: CBS Records
|
—
|
54
|
—
|
| 1988
| R U Tuff Enuff
- Released: July 13, 1988
- Labels: CBS Records
|
—
|
58
|
300,000 units
|
| 1998
| Yours Faithfully
- Released: March 31, 1998
- Labels: MJJ Music
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
Singles
| 1985
| "A Fork in the Road"
| 40
| —
| —
| —
|
| 1986
| "Reaction"
| 16
| —
| —
| Reaction
| —
|
| 1987
| "You Send the Rain Away"
| 50
| —
| —
| —
|
| 1988
| "Plaything"
| 8
| —
| —
| R U Tuff Enuff
| —
|
| "R U Tuff Enuff"
| 78
| —
| —
| —
|
| 1998
| "Yours Faithfully"
| 76
| —
| —
| Yours Faithfully
| —
|
