Singer Rebbie Jackson was awarded a gold single her first time out with "Centipede," a song written and produced by her brother, Michael Jackson. She can also be heard on "Forever Young" from Free Willy 2: Adventure Home, a 1995 Sony Music movie soundtrack. Rebbie Jackson, like her siblings Janet, LaToya, and Randy, was out of the public eye when her brothers stormed the music world as the Jackson 5. Born Maureen Jackson in Gary, Indiana in 1950, Rebbie was taught clarinet and piano by her mother. It wasn't until 1976, after the Jackson 5 had left Motown and signed with CBS, that Rebbie began a professional singing career, becoming a cabaret singer and background vocalist. She was credited on LPs by the Emotions, Betty Wright, and others during the '70s and '80s, and on Brand Nubian's 1998 CD Foundation. She also appeared on the Jacksons' short-lived 1976 variety show.
After her brother Michael's success with the mega-selling Thriller, he was given the chance to write and produce. His first project was Rebbie's first single "Centipede," which hit number four R&B in fall 1984. The Centipede LP, released in October 1984, featured tracks produced by former Crusaders member Wayne Henderson. Her next album Reaction was issued October 1986 and included tracks produced by David "Pic" Conley and David Townsend of the group Surface, plus Rebbie's brother Tito Jackson. The title track single hit number 16 on the R&B charts in summer 1986. The follow-up was "You Send the Rain Away," a duet ballad with Cheap Trick lead singer Robin Zander that made it to number 50 R&B in late 1986. Another fine duet ballad, "Tonight I'm Yours" with Isaac Hayes, received substantial airplay as an album track but curiously was never released as a single.
R U Tuff Enuff was the title of her third Columbia album, issued in February 1988, featuring one single ("Plaything") that reached the R&B Top Ten. Her popularity with devotees of Britain's rare groove scene prompted the release of The Rebbie Jackson Collection by Expansion in 1996. After a hiatus from show business in which she moved to Virginia, Rebbie signed with Michael Jackson's MJJ label in the late '90s. Her label debut Yours Faithfully was released in March 1998. ~ Ed Hogan, All Music Guide
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