La Toya Jackson

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La Toya Jackson (born May 29, 1956) is an American singer and activist. Jackson began to participate in musical performances conducted by her brothers in the early 1970s, and had aspirations outside of music, but intrusion from her father influenced her choice on a career. After releasing her first album, Jackson continued to try and find a way to distance herself from her family.

Biography

1956-80: Early life and first album

File:Michael and La Toya Jackson.png

Jackson with her brother Michael.

She was born on her sister Rebbie's sixth birthday in Gary, Indiana. Jackson joined her siblings on stage in 1972 with a tap dancing routine while their father Joe Jackson arranged for them to perform in Las Vegas, among other cities. Jackson attended college but dropped out after her father insisted that she find a career in show business like her siblings. La Toya has been said to have had a close relationship with her brother Michael Jackson.

She and her sisters Rebbie and Janet began a short-lived music group under their father's direction. The three never preformed live and separated after creative differences. La Toya began working on her first solo album the next year. La Toya released her first solo album in 1980 and tried to have her last name not used on the cover, in an attempt to distinguish herself from her siblings. However, her father argued against her doing it. Jackson reflected that she "wanted to see what I could do as an individual."

1981-83: Early solo career

In 1982, Jackson released a follow up album to her self-titled one, called My Special Love. The album generated two singles, "Stay the Night" and "I Don't Want You to Go".

1984-87: International success

Jackson released her critically-acclaimed album Heart Don't Lie in 1984. Jackson scored her biggest Billboard Hot 100 hit with the track "Heart Don't Lie". The song peaked at number 56. Jackson's name with her consent was capitalized on when she licensed a clothing line; "David Laurenz for La Toya." According to her three year contract with the clothing maker, Jackson agreed to only wear David Laurenz outfits during her public appearances. This included her signature leather headbands.

1988-89: Tension

Jack Gordon was hired by Jackson's father Joe to co-manage her. Gordon would take over her image completely, and under his management, Jackson's public image became sexier. Katherine Jackson recalled the shock of seeing a sexual dance done by her daughter, having said, ""she'd been so conservative that she'd once dropped a friend who had begun wearing low-cut tops and skirts with slits in them." Katherine Jackson believed her daughter was being influenced by Gordon while he was attempting to "become the dominant influence in her life." Jackson was disfellowshipped by the Jehovah's Witnesses. Jackson deified her father when she exited the family's compound in Encino for residence in New York City.

She released the album La Toya in late 1988. It featured the singles "You're Gonna Get Rocked!" and "(Ain't Nobody Loves You) Like I Do". One of the tracks was entitled "Just Say No", named for President Ronald Reagan's anti-drug campaign. Jackson tried to show that her parents "couldn't dictate me any more" by posing topless on the cover of Playboy magazine. The magazine turned Jackson into an overnight sex symbol when the issue featuring her became one of the most successful issues in the magazine's history.

1989-96: Abuse and exile from Jackson family

Jackson forcibly was married to James Gordon on September 5, 1989, after a concert in Nevada. Gordon claimed that she was wedding him for protection from her family. La Toya tried to run out of the chapel they wed in three times but kept getting grabbed by bodyguard Antonio Rossi. Six months into their marriage, she asked her then-husband for an annulment while in Rome, Italy. Gordon bashed her head against the corner of the hotel room table in response, declaring he would never let her go. She was photographed by paparazzi with black eyes, which Gordon said at the time were caused by an intruder. Jackson lost all contact with her family at that time, and wrote an autobiography accusing her father of physical abuse. Gordon controlled Jackson with threats, lies and routine violence. Joe Jackson believed that his daughter was brainwashed by Gordon to become fearful of her family.

Jackson reflected that on the day of their marriage, she had noticed Gordon was "up to something." She posed again in Playboy magazine in November 1991 to promote her autobiography. After beating her, Gordon would often ask Jackson why she was crying and say she was going insane. Jackson would later say she was most affected by this because she did not have someone telling her that she was not crazy. During the couple's time in Paris, Jackson was locked inside their home by Gordon with the use of doors that locked from the outside. She noted that he did not need to keep her from leaving "because his threats were enough to keep me from disobeying him." While taping an Exotic Club Tour in Minnepolis in October 1992, Jackson approached her sister Janet to ask for her help in escaping Gordon. Janet struck La Toya, accusing her of recording their conversation.

2009: Brother's death

In the spring of 2009, La Toya became increasingly concerned for her brother Michael's life. On June 23, 2009, her heart raced when watching CNN when hearing of a death, believing it was her brother. She calmed down when realizing it was the death of television announcer Ed McMahon. Then two days later, on June 25, 2009, CNN again announced a death in breaking news, causing La Toya to go through the same emotions as she did before. She calmed down once again, learning it was actress Farrah Fawcett. She spent the rest of the morning watching about her, before being contacted by her father. Joe ordered her to get over to her brother's home, having received a call from a fan reporting that he was sick. That day, Michael Jackson passed away at the age of 50.

Jackson was among the earliest of her brother's siblings to show up at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center after he was pronounced dead following suffering cardiac arrest. Jackson was named the informant on her brother's death certificate and requested a second autopsy of her deceased sibling. Jackson made the request after pointing out suspicious medical paraphernalia in Michael's rented house, evasive behavior by his doctors, and discovering that $2 million in cash and jewels had gone missing. On July 13, 2009, Jackson went public with her conclusion that her brother was killed when an interview containing her opinion was published in News of the World and the Daily Mail. The Los Angeles County Corner ruled Michael Jackson's death a homicide weeks later. La Toya had a new single planned for a summer release that year, entitled "Love, Honor, and Obey". After Michael's death, it was put on hold while "Home" was released on July 28, 2009 in honor of her brother. All proceeds went to AIDS Project Los Angeles, one of La Toya's favorite charities.

Influences

Jackson, as many of her siblings have, attributed James Brown as a "major influence."

Discography

Main article: La Toya Jackson discography

Studio albums

• La Toya Jackson (1980)
• My Special Love (1981)
• Heart Don't Lie (1984)
• Imagination (1986)
• La Toya (1988)
• Bad Girl (1991)
• No Relations (1991)
• From Nashville to You (1994)
• Stop in the Name of Love (1995)

Compilations Albums

• Heart Don't Lie/Imagination (2013)

Extended plays

• Starting Over (2011)

Stage recordings

• Formidable (1992)