Tito Jackson

IT’S TITO’S TIME, FINALLY

Tito Jackson’s New Album Under Your Spell is an All-Star Love Fest

BY LEE VALENTINE SMITH

SINCE THE MIDDLE ‘60S, THE Jackson family has been one of the most influential and innovative forces in pop, soul and R&B. First as the Jackson Five quartet and later as solo artists, the family own a solid slice of modern music history. Whether known as the First Family of Soul or the Royal Family of Pop, the Jackson dynasty have presided over an unrivaled variety of music and entertainment ventures, individually and collectively. Michael and Janet, of course, are the undisputed sales leaders of the empire. On the other end of the spectrum is Tito. The shy guitarist of the Jackson Five is the late bloomer of the unit. Tito Time, his first official solo album, was released in 2016. Last month, he finally followed-up his debut with Under Your Spell. Released by SRG / Gulf Coast Records / Hillside, his latest collection finds the affable musician surrounded by friends, family and pop culture icons for all-star sessions of inspired blues jams. Stevie Wonder, George Benson, Joe Bonamassa, Marlon Jackson, Eddie Levert, Kenny Neal, Bobby Rush and Claudette King are among the many guest artists on the disc, recorded remotely during the peak of the pandemic. The celebratory video for the album’s first single “Love One Another” features a slew of famous faces including several Kardashians and a special appearance from 91-year-old family matriarch Katherine Jackson. INsite recently spoke with Jackson by phone from his recording studio in Los Angeles

Under Your Spell is a massive family affair with an impressive guest list. Well, with the pandemic going on, I knew all my colleagues and friends weren’t doing nothing. I wanted to put in a little work and call them on some of the favors they’d been offering for years. They knew that I knew they weren’t on the road doing other things so they couldn’t make the usual excuses some people make. ‘Oh, I’m on the road, I’m recording.’ I think they were all bored and missing the music part of their lives. So we used email a lot and shared files. You add your ice and then your flavor and then your attitudes.

When you first came up with the album concept, did you have the songs ready or did everyone contribute? Well, it was funny because when I was calling people, I had no songs. Like with Eddie Levert on “All In The Family Blues.” After he committed, we were on the phone together and I said, ‘Eddie, do you have anything?’ He said, ‘No, man. I don’t have nothing. Do you?’ I said, ‘No but I’ll find something we can do together.’ So, I basically got to brainstorming and called Kenny Gamble. I said, ‘Can you find some music for us?’ He said, ‘I’ll check. Give me a few days.’ He came back the second or third day with the song. That’s how it happened. He always said that he’d wanted to write a song for me. So now we have it.

The new single “Love One Another” should be the anthem of the moment. Yeah. It’s the blues, a structured song, but Stevie [Wonder] puts the soul in it. Bobby [Rush] puts the blues on it. Then my family and all these celebrities are on there. So it’s everybody, different people, different genres all mixed together with the blues being the basis of it. We’re telling the world to love one another. On the video, I had my mom kickin’ it off and my sister and my friends, the Kardashian family. Magic and all of these others to tell the world and let everybody know that they’re all behind the message.

People need to hear it. They do. It’s the thing that everyone wants, love in the world. So that’s basically what the song is. You know, hold the door for the young lady. If somebody’s short on change it at the cash register, reach in your pocket and give it to them if you can afford it. We need more moments like that. People don’t even stop if your car breaks down anymore. Unless you’re a beautiful lady, then they’ll stop. If you’re a dude, you’re just totally out of luck.

I’M AT AN AGE WHERE I CAN MAKE THE DECISIONS IN MY OWN CAREER, AND NOT HAVE MANAGERS AND COMPANIES AND THINGS LIKE THAT MAKING THEM FOR ME. FINALLY, IT’S MY TIME.

You mentioned the Kardashians. An iconic family who, like the Jacksons, have spent plenty of time in the public consciousness. They’re all about love and peace. World peace. I thought it would be a great idea for them to show the world that they support this song and the message. Because the message is stronger than the song. And that’s one of the very reasons my complete family, practically, got behind it. Kids and grandkids and you name it, they all wanted the world to know they support this message.

Good move. Some people might listen to a Kardashian more than a musician at this point. Or a politician. Especially when you’re talking about the younger generation. You know, we’ve been knowing the Kardashian family for many years, even before they were even popular to the world. Even before the affiliation with O.J. and for the lawyer. Kim dated my youngest son when she was 14 or 15 years old. They were girlfriend and boyfriend for many years and my middle son dated Kourtney for like three or four years.

That is a pretty impressive crossover of pop culture figures. Mm-hmm. Well, it’s just called loving one another.

And obviously you love the blues. you have been immersed in the blues form for almost two decades now. Yeah, I started playing guitar as young boy trying to play like my dad and my uncle. They played a lot of blues around the house. But in 1985, the Jackson brothers took their first break and I didn’t have anything to do for a long time. I decided to grab people, my friends who were musicians with real day jobs, and we’d jam. I just needed some music. So i was playing with my friends and I was trying to get over a few things, get over my shyness, get used to playing on the stage when my brothers aren’t with me, learn to carry the show by myself and all these things. I worked on all that. Did some charity stuff. Did churches, weddings, fundraisers, what have you, until I felt I was ready. Then I got a cruise. I started doing other shows everywhere - Bahamas, Europe, UK, Japan, Brazil. I started traveling all over the world with what I was doing. After doing that for a long time, I said, ‘I’m doing all this stuff, but I don’t have a record of my own.’

That eventually became Tito Time, right? Yeah but It wasn’t a blues record yet. My very first record, I wanted to do it for the fans, and I wanted to give them something that they were accustomed to hearing from my family. The more pop, R&B-orientated stuff. Then my sophomore record had to be the blues. And that’s this record.

At this point, with two albums under your belt and international tours, how does it feel to be in the spotlight without your brothers? It’s different. You know, cause usually I’m in the Jackson band. I’m a background singer, basically and the rhythm guitar player. That’s quite different than being upfront by yourself, being the lead singer and all. My father, when he built the group, he built it on ability, and Michael always had all the marbles it takes to be a star. Jermaine was next and then Jackie. I fell way down the line ‘cause I’ve always had that low voice and that whole thing. I was Melvin Franklin. You know the guy in the Temptations? I was the Melvin Franklin of the Jackson 5. I was quiet and I’d say, ‘Well, one day I’ll get a chance to do my thing.’

Just quietly waiting for the right moment. Yeah, but then I got married at 18, had kids, and my brothers were making solo records. Michael, Jackie, Jermaine, they all had solo records coming out. Marlon was making one and I still didn’t have a record. Even my sons had got a record out before me. There was even a survey online, ‘Will Tito ever do an album? Fans are asking.’

It must feel great to finally have the freedom to do the albums you’ve been waiting to record, on your own terms without a producer, manager, team - or family - to satisfy. I do have a producer, but we share ideas. But the nice little thing, as you say, I don’t have the brothers in there pitching their ideas or whatever. They do still pitch ideas here and there but it’s totally up to me whether I use them or not. I’m at an age where I can make the decisions in my own career, and not have managers and companies and things like that making them for me. Finally, it’s my time.