Throwback Thursday- Marlon Jackson

"Aww poor little Tink, Tink." If there was ever any Jackson that I felt more sorry for than Jermaine, it was Marlon. He always tried so hard. Even back to the early days, he was always the other little one, standing directly in the shadow of his younger, slightly-shorter brother, Michael. Everybody else had their own distinctive identities: Jackie and Jermaine- the handsome ones; Tito- the one with the hat; Michael- the cute one with the voice; and poor Marlon, who never had any other distinguishing factor, aside from just rounding out the group lineup. I mean think about it, even his singing voice wasn’t nearly as good as the rest. He was also the one that always had the hardest time when it came to the dance steps, because once again, he was getting outdone by Mike at every turn. Literally!

Fast forward to 1987, and you have the release of his one….AND ONLY solo album, Baby Tonight. In the clip posted below from his single, “Don’t Go,” it looks like his Michael-esque dance moves are extremely rigid and forced. It looks more like he’s fighting someone rather than just grooving to the music. He even has white socks and loafers on, like his brother. Unfortunately, this album also suffered the same fate that most of his brother Jermaine’s albums sadly endured: they were released the same year as one of Michael’s. By that point it should have been “Jackson Family Law” for no other brother, under any circumstance, to release an album on a “Michael” year.

I suppose when you look back Jackson family history, it might be a good thing that Marlon shied away from the spotlight after only one album. After all, he is the only member of the family (aside from Rebbie) to have never divorced. He settled down with his wife Carol in 1975, and they are still married to this day….Speaks volumes

Billboard #2- July, 1987

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