Katherine Jackson is the mother of ten children. Most famous among them are Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson as well as those who made up the Jackson 5 (who would later be called the Jacksons). One son, Marlon’s twin, was stillborn. Katherine was born in 1930 on May 4th in Barbour County Alabama and as Katie B. Screws. While a young child, Katherine and her family would move to East Chicago, Indiana. There, her name was changed from Kattie Screws to Katherine Esther Scruse.
Katherine would meet her future husband, Joseph Jackson when she was only 18. At the time he was a boxer, a musician and also married. He was granted a divorce (annulment) from his first wife in order to marry Katherine. They set up house in a two bedroom home in Gary, Indiana and later had 10 children.A devout and committed Jehovah’s Witness, Katherine also espoused this theology and the views of this religion to her children. Gifted musically, she played the piano and also sang. Michael Jackson claimed that it was from Katherine that he received his musical abilities and gifts. When her husband, Joe Jackson, discovered how musically talented their children were, he quickly had them form a group. The Jackson Brothers was the first group, followed by the Jackson Five and then the Jacksons after the group left Motown and signed with Epic records in 1976.
The Jackson Five included Michael, Jackie, Jermaine Marlon and Tito Jackson. They would perform at various talent shows around the city and even at the famous Apollo Theater in Harlem, where they had an outstanding performance. They would be signed to Motown Records in 1969. While Katherine's supported the group and her children she was not involved much in the day-to-day, musical aspect of their lives. She left that to her husband, Joe Jackson. She would instead care for the kids still at home.Katherine was considered the family’s rock especially for Michael as he was going through various trials and fighting numerous allegations and charges. After Michael Jackson died, Katherine was granted custody of his three children. She also received a significant portion of Michaels Jackson’s estate after his death.
Born as Kattie B. Screws in Barbour County, Alabama, she was the daughter of Martha (née Upshaw) and Prince Albert Screws (born October 16, 1907 – died January 21, 1997). Katherine`s father later changed his surname to "Scruse", and her name was changed to Katherine Esther Scruse when she was four years old. Katherine contracted polio as a child, but she eventually made a full recovery from the disease. However, because of the disease`s effects, she walks with a noticeable limp. Her family moved to Gary, Indiana when she was 4 years old. There she met Joseph Jackson, whom she married in 1949. After studying the Bible as a young woman, in 1965, Jackson became a Jehovah`s Witness.
Public figure best known as matriarch of the famous Jackson family of singers and musicians. Born May 4, 1930, as Kattie B. Screws in Barbour County, Alabama. The daughter of Martha Mattie Upshaw and Prince Albert Screws. As a child, Screws contracted polio. While she eventually recovered from her illness, the disease left the young girl with a life-long limp. At the age of four, her family moved to East Chicago, Indiana, and changed Kattie's name to Katherine Esther Scruse.Scruse met Joseph Jackson when she was still a teenager. Jackson was a boxer and aspiring musician who was married when the two first met. In November of 1949, after Jackson divorced his first wife, the couple married. They moved to Gary, Indiana, and had ten children over the next 16 years. While her husband worked as a crane operator at U.S. Steel, Katherine raised the children. A devout Jehovah's Witness, Katherine brought up the kids in her faith, and with strict discipline. A pianist and singer, she also encouraged the family's musical talents. Her son Michael later credited his mother with giving him his vocal gifts.
After her husband noticed the childrens' various musical abilities, he devoted himself to molding them into a well-rehearsed group. In 1964, The Jackson Five was formed, consisting of sons Jackie, Jermaine, Marlon, Michael and Tito Jackson. As their fame grew, the group performed at talent shows and opening acts that took them to places such as the renowned Apollo Theater in Harlem, where they won an amateur-night competition in 1967. During this time, Katherine acted as the group's as the group's designer, often making suits and costumes for her sons to wear during their performances.
After The Jackson 5 signed with Motown Records in 1968, Katherine took a backseat on the group's affairs. However, she continued to be a supportive mother. As her son, Michael, skyrockted to fame as a solo artist, she stuck by his side through his highs and lows, from his success with the album Thriller to his 2005 struggle with child molestation charges. She also continued to be a supportive wife through her husband Joe's public indiscretions with women. Despite several tumultuous moments in their relationship, they remain together in their mansion in Encino, California.
In June 2009, Katherine was pulled into the media spotlight when her son, pop icon Michael Jackson, died of mysterious causes. In a copy of Michael's will, his mother was listed as the guardian of his three children. She was also named as one of the recipient's of the pop stars estimated $500 million fortune.
Katherine Jackson Profile and Full Biography
Katherine Jackson Profile and Full Biography
Katherine Jackson Profile and Full Biography
