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1969: THE JACKSON 5
It was 1969: The year your lil’ musical world got shook, and you found yourself yelling to anyone in the house who could share in your excitement: Heeeeeeeey, there’s Black kids singing on the T.V. It was one thing to hear the records of the Jackson 5, but it was a mind-blowing experience to see them perform and realize that they weren’t much older than you. How they get on the television? Yes, I know, they are great…but they are my age you found yourself saying to yourself. AND they have Afros! Right-On!
From the time the Jackson 5 landed on the stage of the Ed Sullivan Show the world changed. The group went #1 with their first Motown single “I Want You Back,” and on the B side of that 45 was the hit song called “Who’s Lovin’ You”. They had hit, after hit, after hit: “I Want You Back,” “ABC,” “The Love You Save,” “I Found That Girl,” I’ll Be There,” and on, and on, and on…you even knew their names: Michael, Marlon, Jermaine, Tito, and Jackie. AND everyone knew the little one name Michael could reeeeeeally sing.
Yes, there were child groups before the Jackson 5: Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers or even the Osmond Brothers. However, none of these groups could compare to the MAGIC of the J5. Because of the Jackson 5, little groups were formed all over the country. Some would become famous too, but none would ever make you feel greater than that moment in 1969 when you first met The…