Where Did It All Start For You? Your Love For The Jackson 5

My love for The Jackson 5 started in Toledo, Ohio around the age of 8 and I knew very little with regards to who they were. I didn't realize until much later, the impact they had on millions of people. I can remember my father coming home with a gift for my sister and I.  It was in a brown paper bag (LOL), shaped like a square and we pulled it out and there it was!  The Jackson 5's Greatest Hits album.  Wow!  This was 1980 and the album was released in 1971, so this would be a change for me.  I was used to the sounds of Michael's "Off The Wall" lp and Parliament.  After careful examination of the album cover, mimicking  a family portrait, I knew exactly what it was about those 5 guys from Gary, Indiana that connected to my spirit, they were just kids, they looked like me and they gave me hope that someday I could be a singer too! So many times we (my sister and cousins) sang Jackson 5 songs in our grandmother's basement or kitchen, only to be told "keep that noise down"! As time went by, I began to gravitate even more to their music. I would take my uncle's worn out J5 vinyl and play them when I got home, I started going to record exhibitions to find more albums and then one day I finally "listened" to an album so intensely that I was hooked, that album happened to be the 1970 release of the "Third Album". It was amazing to hear the energy behind so many tracks on that album. I thoroughly enjoyed "Reach In", "Can I See You In The Morning", "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and "The Love I Saw In You Was Just A Mirage"...can't forget "Darling Dear". I remember laying on the floor with my headphones glued to my ears and letting the turntable take me on one hell of a musical journey...I miss those days.  As time flew by, poured plenty of effort into collecting their music and any collectible I knew to be rare.  I had a great time doing it and never have I felt such joy in going to the mailbox, knowing a J5 piece of memorabilia was waiting for me.  Fast forward several years later, I'm still a fan, I appreciate what the Jackson 5 meant to the African-American community, the music business and the WORLD!  They're still my favorite group of ALL time!  This blog was put together to share some of the most rare photographs of the Jackson 5 during their trip to Japan in 1973.  Although the tour hadn't been covered heavily as when they first burst on the scene, to me, it's still relevant and you'll get a rare opportunity to see great shots of them during a transitional period with Motown.  I purchased the rights to the photos and they have gone through the copyright process...Keep your eyes open because Scoop is bringing a book to the fans centered around their tour in Japan....soon.

© Adam D. Worthy