When the Jacksons wound up their 1975 tour with a show in Mexico City, the group delivered everything anyone would have expected: the hits (from “I Want You Back” and “ABC” through Michael’s “Ben”), newer material like “Dancing Machine,” and ace choreography. But during a segment when each member of their backup band stepped out for an extended solo, fans were also reminded of one of the group’s secret musical weapons — brother Tito’s guitar.
Tito Jackson, who died Sept. 15 at 70 of an undisclosed cause, was never the focus of the Jackson 5 (or the Jacksons, as they were later called). As he must have known well, the allure was the songs, the dance steps, and, of course, his younger brother, Michael. But from the start, while his brothers were rehearsing their harmonies, Tito was heading for his own role as the guitar player in the band.
Encouraged by their domineering father, who was impressed with seven-year-old Tito’s early chops and gave him a new guitar, Jackson became a serious student, immersing himself in records by the Temptations and the Isley Brothers. Also, thanks to his family, he was introduced to the blues, which became his lifelong passion. “My father, my mother,” he told Blues Blast in 2021, “they played a lot of blues at barbecues, family gatherings, and things like that. They played a lot of Jimmy Reed (who lived in the city), Muddy Waters, Albert Collins. You name it, they played ‘em all!”
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Throughout the Jacksons’ career, Tito incorporated all of those influences into the brothers’ work, especially their live shows. During a slinky live version of Isaac Hayes’ and David Porter’s “Walk on By,” he added psychedelicized funk lines. On the band’s 1980 live album, Jacksons Live!, Tito played several solos on “Workin’ Day and Night.” The first, with its fluttery notes, recalled jazz greats like George Benson, while his later spotlight dove into funk-metal, bringing to mind the work of another early hero, Ernie Isley.
But in Mexico City in 1975, Tito was very much the young bluesman. As seen during one part of the show, which was filmed for release, Tito, then all of 22, begins the interlude with mellow blues work reminiscent of another idol, B.B. King (who would sign one of Tito’s guitars). After the other band members took their turns, the action returns to Tito, who closes out the segment with a flurry of sharp, stinging notes that showed off his chops and his own roots. While his brothers were flying into the ether, Tito kept them grounded.
