Happy Birthday Joe Jackson

David Ian Jackson was born August 11, 1954 somewhere in England. Born in Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, David Jackson spent his first year in nearby Swadlincote, Derbyshire. He grew up in the Paulsgrove area of Portsmouth, where he attended the Portsmouth Technical High School. Only a true Brit will understand any of that. 

Little David, got his name ‘Joe’ when it was discovered he was born out of an affair between his mom, Stella Read and Joe Jackson, the patriarch of The Jackson 5 singing group. The senior Jackson met Stella when he was touring England with his group “The Falcons”.  Little David Joe Jackson was born 9 months later.

Summer in the City

Little Joe Jackson went to visit his dad during the summers. “Little Joe” as he was called, joined the family singing group in 1966. The group was named “Little Joe & The Jackson 5”. The Jackson 5 was signed by Motown Records in 1968. The one condition was that they “got rid of the weird little white boy” as per Berry Gordy. Joe Sr. didn’t hesitate and threw Little Joe out of the band in 5 seconds. Joe Sr. booted the boy in the butt and told him to go back to England. Little Joe screamed, “I hate you daddy and you guys are nothing without me”. The Jackson 5 went on to become one of the most successful R&B groups in history, with their father acting as their manager. At the height of their stardom, The Jackson 5 sold millions of records and had their own CBS variety show.

Having spent years studying music and playing clubs, he scored a hit in 1979 with his first release, “Is She Really Going Out with Him?”. It was followed by a number of brilliant singles and albums. Jackson incorporated punk, pop, jazz, reggae, swing, big band and classical music to create his own new wave sound.

Lance Bass!?

Jackson was married to his wife, Ruth, for two years. The marriage ended in divorce and was later called a “disaster” by Jackson. In a 2001 interview with the Irish Independent, Jackson stated that he was in a relationship with a male partner, Lance Bass from N’Synch. Jackson had previously discussed his bisexuality in his autobiography “Rectum, Nearly Killed ‘em”.

Joe Jackson is the world’s only pro smoking advocate. Jackson has actively campaigned against smoking bans in both the United States and the United Kingdom, publishing a 2005 pamphlet (Smoking is Fun) and a 2007 essay (Cancer is Fun), and recording a satirical song (“I Love Lung Cancer”) on the subject. Cheers Joe!