Years 1958-1968

1958

August 29 at 7:33pm:

Katherine gives birth to Michael Joe Jackson in Gary Indiana.



1960

Katherine becomes a Jeovah's Witness and decides to raise her children in this faith.

1961

October 31:

Katherine gives birth to Steven Randall Jackson (Randy)

Jackie, Tito & Jermaine start a musical group together named The Jackson Brothers.

Pictures of Michael as a young child











1963

Michael starts Kindergarten at Garnett Elementary School in Gary and, at the age of 5, makes his first public performance at a school pageant where he sings "Climb Every Mountain". Katherine & her father Prince Scruse are in the audience.

Shortly after, Michael takes over from Jermaine as lead vocalist in the Jackson Brothers Group and Marlon also joins in.

August 29, 1965

The Jackson Brothers are renamed the Jackson 5 during their first ever public performance at children fashion show "Tiny Tots Jamboree" in Glen Park where they perform "Doin The Jerk".

The Jackson 5 also enter and win the Roosvelt High School talent show where they perform "My Girl".





Two months later, they win the Annual Talent Show at Gilroy Stadium where they perform "Barefootin" and receive their first ever press article in the Gary Post Tribune.

Joe books the Jackson 5 into Mr Lucky's , a nightclub in Gary where they perform six times a week!

1966
Joe sends a tape to Motown's founder Berry Gordy but it's returned three months later...

May 16:

Katherine gives birth to Janet Damito Jo Jackson in Gary

Michael at a bar in Arizona in 1966



1966 August 20

Performance by the Jackson Five at the Desert Scene Elks Lodge in Winslow, Arizona.

Advertisement courtesy of the Roxanne Whipple Memorial Library- This advertisement in the Winslow Reminder dated Thursday, Aug. 18, 1966, announced a performance by the Jackson Five at the Desert Scene Elks Lodge in Winslow for a ticket price of $1.25 per person, about $8.21 at today’s prices. The lodge was also known as the Arcadia Hall, and is located in the 100 block of East First Street in Winslow.

1967

The Jackson 5 win first prize in an amateur talent show at Gary's Memorial Auditorium.

Joe enters the group in the Sunday Night Amateur Talent show at the Regal Theater in Chicago where they become three times winner and also win the Multiple Winners Super Talent show and are placed on the same bill as top R&B act of the year, Gladys Knight & The Pips.

August:

The J5 are enter straight into the "Super Dogs" final at Harlem 's legendary Apollo Theater in NYC and they win it!

They come back as paid performers and Michael, backstage, gets to watch and study his favourite performers James Brown & Jackie Wilson.
New York lawyer, Richard Arons, helps Joe to book gigs in several cities ( Saint Louis , Philadelphia, Kansas City & Whashington)

At the end of the year, the group makes its first ever recording sessions in a studio owned by Mr Keith for a local record company named Steeltown Records.

1968

January:

The Jackson 5 release their first single ever "Big Boy" which is premiered on a local radio station called WWCA. "You've Changed" was also on the record.





Later the group records a second single for Steeltown "You Don't Have To be 21 (To Fall In Love)/Jam Session which is not released.






March:

The Jackson 5 make their first ever commercial photoshoot for Steeltown Records.


April:

The J5 perform at a campaign rally for Richard Hatcher in Gary with Bobby Taylor and Diana Ross & The Supremes amoung others.

May:

The J5 perform at the Apollo Theater in NYC.


July 17:

The J5 are the opening act for Bobby Taylor & The Vancouvers at the Regal Theater in Chicago . The group is invited to perform on the David Frost Show in New York but Joe cancels their TV debut when Bobby Taylor asks them to come to a Detroit studio to make an auditon for Motown!

July 23:

The J5 give an audition to Motown at the Hittsville Studio in Detroit and the tape is sent to Berry Gordy.



They meet Suzanne De Passe and Ralph Seltzer.

July 26:

Joe and the Jackson 5 sign a recording deal to Motown during a meeting with Joe Seltzer.

September 27:

The J5 perform at a benefit concert at Gilroy Stadium in Gary.

November 30:

While the Jackson 5 perform at the Regal Theater in Chicago, their sister Rebbie gets married to Nathaniel Brown at the Kingdom Hall of Gary (on month later they move to Kentucky)

Christmas

Berry Gordy invites the Jackson 5 to perform at his house in Detroit.

They meet Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations and the Four Tops