Marlon David Jackson is the sixth child of the Jackson family in Gary, Indiana with his twin brother Brandon, who died hours after the birth. In 1964, he and his younger brother Michael joined their older brothers Jackie, Tito, and Jermaine in their band and they became " The Jackson 5". They released their first song under Motown in 1969 called "I Want You Back". Later after they left Motown, Jermaine stayed there and their younger brother Randy replaced him and they changed their name to " The Jacksons ".
Like Michael and Jermaine, Marlon began a solo career, releasing the album Baby Tonight in 1987. Despite Baby Tonight reaching No. 22 on the Top R&B Albums chart in the United States, Marlon has not released another album since then.
By the 1990s, Marlon began to pursue multiple business ventures. He founded the Major Broadcasting Cable (MBC) Network in 1999, in Atlanta with Alvin James, which was the first minority-owned and operated cable network. Marlon and his business partners brought the network to more than 15 million homes in a three-year span. In 2004, the network became known as the Black Family Channel and was sold in 2007.
In 2008, Marlon and two business partners founded The Motherland Group, LLC. The Motherland Group, LLC is the first African-American owned company to bring awareness and recognition to the ancient city of Badagry, located forty miles Northwest of Lagos, Nigeria. As President and CEO, Marlon drives the vision “to develop a historical resort for travel, education, and tourism,” unparalleled in the tourism industry today.
On July 7, 2009, he and his family offered their final eulogies for Michael at his memorial, saying he was the "soul" of the family, and breaking down as he tearfully addressed the crowd: "Maybe now, Michael, they will leave you alone" and "I would like for you to give our brother, my twin brother, Brandon, a hug for me." Marlon fought back tears as he said, "I love you, Michael, and I'll miss you."
Personal Life[]
On August 16,1975 at eighteen years old, Marlon married Carol Ann Parker, a childhood friend that he met during the Jacksons tour to New Orleans. They had three children together: Valencia (born on December 18,1976)/ Brittany Shauntee (born on April 15,1978)/, and Marlon David Jackson Jr. ( born on September 23,1981). Marlon and Carol have five grandchildren. The two from Valencia are: Noah Laniak (born on August 18,2006), and Sophia Laniak (born on November 11,2007). The three from Brittany are: Phoenix (born on July 27,2010)/ Savanna September 2,2011), and Summer (born on June 27,2014).
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