The Jackson 5 Jackie performed with a high
tenor singing voice. He had the highest and lightest natural speaking and singing voice of all the brothers. He added brief lead parts in some of the Jackson 5's hit singles, including "
I Want You Back" and "
ABC". When
the Jackson 5 became the Jacksons after leaving Motown for
CBS Records in 1976, Jackson's role as a vocalist and songwriter increased. He added a lead vocal alongside Michael on their Top 10 Epic single "
Enjoy Yourself", and also added composition on six of the group's albums with Epic. Jackson's voice changed to a lower tenor vocal style during the Epic years. One of his most successful compositions, "
Can You Feel It", co-written with Michael, became an international hit in 1981. Jackson began performing more lead vocals as Michael pursued a solo career. On their 1984 album
Victory, Jackie performed lead on the song "Wait" and wrote the single "
Torture". Before the start of the
Victory Tour in 1984, he suffered a knee injury during rehearsals. Jackie recovered well enough to perform on the last leg of shows in December 1984 in Los Angeles, where Michael announced he was leaving the group. In early 1985, Marlon left the group as well. Jackie, Tito and Randy became session musicians, vocalists and producers during this time. In 1987, Jackie, Randy, Tito and Jermaine reunited and recorded "Time Out for the Burglar", the theme song for the film
Burglar. The single was a minor R&B hit in the US, but had more success in Belgium where it peaked in the Top 40 at #17 for two consecutive weeks. The Jacksons also contributed backing vocals to the Tito-produced title track of Tramaine Hawkins's 1987 album
Freedom. In late 1988, the Jacksons set out to record their final album,
2300 Jackson Street, on which Jackie and Jermaine split leads on the songs.
2300 Jackson Street failed to chart, despite the Randy and Jermaine-led hit "
Nothin' (That Compares 2 U)". Randy did not participate in much of the album's promotion as he was working on his solo project, leaving Jackie, Tito and Jermaine to promote the album mostly overseas. Afterwards, each brother focused on solo projects. In 2001, after years out of the limelight, Jackie and his brothers gave a reunion performance with Michael during his 30th-anniversary special at
Madison Square Garden.
Solo career In 1973, Jackie released his first solo album
Jackie Jackson. Jackie signed with Polydor, and released his first solo album in 16 years,
Be the One, in late 1989. The album was a minor hit, charting at #89 on the R&B charts. The first single, "Stay", was a Top 40 R&B hit while the second single, "Cruzin'", was a moderate success.
Later work Later in 2002, residing in Las Vegas, Jackie founded and ran two record companies, Jesco Records and Futurist Entertainment. His son Sigmund Jr., known as DEALZ, released a mixtape on Jesco in 2007. In 2009, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and Marlon starred in the reality series
The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty which Jackie executive produced. In 2012, the quartet began their
first tour since the Victory Tour in 1984. In 2017, Jackie signed the EDM meets hip-hop musical duo Gold Lemonade consisting of France born DJ/producer Lya Lewis and Caribbean rooted frontman Jvgg Spvrrow to his label Critically Amused, after having met Lya in Las Vegas in 2015. Jackie also signed St. Lucian artist D.B.L., a long time friend of the Jackson family. Jackie mentored D.B.L. as a child performer (then known as Donny B. Lord), helping to shape his career and introducing him to his brother, Michael Jackson. In September 2025 Jackie, along with his brother Marlon, performed at the
Reform UK Party Conference at the
NEC Birmingham. ==Personal life==