I like to say this is our last and final tour and I think this is our farewell tour. When Michael Jackson announced he was leaving the Jacksons at the end of the victory tour, most people focused on what that meant for him. After all, Michael was the biggest star in the world and about to enter arguably the most crucial period of his entire career.
But what about the brothers he left behind? For nearly 20 years, Jackie, Tito, Germaine, Marlin, and Randy Jackson had built their lives and identities around being part of one of the most successful groups in music history. Suddenly, they were forced to figure out who they were outside of that.
Some naturally tried to launch solo careers. Others attempted to keep the Jacksons together. There were hit singles, flop albums, family tensions, divorces, arrests, and ambitious comeback attempts. One brother believed he could also become a major solo star. Another tried to reinvent himself completely. One saw his biggest opportunity destroyed by injury and personal turmoil.
And another largely stepped away from the spotlight altogether. The years after the victory tour would become one of the most fascinating and overlooked chapters in Jackson family history. Because while Michael’s departure marked the beginning of a new era for him, it forced every one of his brothers to answer the same difficult question.
Who were they when they were no longer standing next to Michael Jackson? Here’s the detail. >> Germaine Jackson. Long before Michael announced he was leaving the Jacksons, Germaine had advantages none of his brothers possessed. Nearly a decade building his own solo career. He had been the Jackson 5’s second lead singer, remained at Mottown when his brothers left for Epic in 1975, and vowed to be the first to break away and become an artist in his own right.
He had the Jackson name, a recognizable voice, Mottown’s backing, and years of experience as one of the most famous young performers in America. But the solo career that followed never reached the level of success his brothers eventually found at Epic. He had respectable hits and at times real momentum, but he did not become the breakout solo star Mottown may have imagined.
By the early 1980s, as Michael’s solo career was transforming from successful to historic, Germaine’s own career was still searching for a definitive new identity. By 1982, Germaine had left Mottown and begun the process of reconnecting with his brothers. His return at Mottown 25 in 1983 was more than just a nostalgic family reunion.
For Germaine, it was an opportunity to re-enter the family brand without giving up his ambition to remain a solo artist. He appeared on the Victory album, but only in a limited way, contributing lead vocals to Torture alongside Michael and Jackie. Even then, neither Germaine nor Michael appeared in the music video, leaving the visual promotion of the single disconnected from the two voices that mattered most.
Germaine was far more focused on his own solo record. He later explained that his own album came together more quickly because, as he put it, quote, I was my own boss. That statement says a lot about Germaine’s mindset in 1984. He wanted the visibility of the Jackson’s reunion, but not necessarily the creative limitations that came with being one of six brothers.
He was not just returning to the Jacksons. He was using the reunion as a launchpad for himself. The Victory Tour gave him the biggest platform in years. With Michael refusing most interviews, Germaine often became the group’s public spokesman, filling what was effectively the number two role.
The tour generated endless headlines and Germaine used that visibility wherever possible. Night after night, he also had the chance to perform his solo work in front of enormous stadium crowds, using the Jackson’s audience to reintroduce himself as a performer in his own right. After Michael announced at the final Los Angeles show that he was leaving the group, the Victory era effectively collapsed.
Germaine turned his focus back to his solo career, hoping to carry the heat of the tour into his own music. And for a while, it worked. Do What You Do became one of his strongest solo singles, helped by a stylish Bob Geraldi directed video featuring supermodel Iman as his love interest. Even more successful internationally was When the Rain Begins to Fall, his duet with Pia Zadora, which became a major hit across Europe.
With an expensive cinematic video and a dramatic pop sound, the song made Germaine look less like a legacy Mottown artist and more like an MTV era pop star. But the reality check came quickly. After the energy of the victory era faded, his 1986 album Precious Moments failed to generate the same excitement. Without Michael, without the tour controversy, and without the full Jackson machine around him, Germaine’s solo momentum weakened.
His first solo tour exposed the gap between the image he was trying to project and the audience he could actually draw. Instead of stadiums and screaming crowds, he was now performing elaborately staged 75-minute shows to modest audiences in half-filled auditoriums. Germaine tried to frame this as part of the process. Quote, “A lot of people asked me, how are you going to play these places?” He said, “But this is my first solo tour ever.
I’m not going on the fact that I was on the victory tour and we played all those huge stadiums and stuff. Sometimes you must take a step sideways before you take a step forward. By the late 1980s, he appeared to understand that his best chance might be to combine both strategies. Continue as a solo artist while reconnecting with the Jacksons when useful.
After once suggesting that the group was finished, he later softened his position. Quote, “At the time we said some things we didn’t mean,” he admitted. “Right now, Michael is doing another record, and I’m moving on to bigger things. We may tour again, but first we want to create some more excitement.
That line revealed the shift. Germaine still wanted independence, but he also recognized the commercial value of the Jackson name. That thinking shaped the next phase of his career. By the time he released Don’t Take It Personal, the Jacksons were also attempting their own comeback with 2300 Jackson Street. It was as though Germaine was trying to have it both ways again.
one foot in his solo career, one foot in the family brand. But neither project truly returned him or the Jacksons to mainstream pop dominance. Don’t take it personal gave Germaine an R&B hit, but it did not make him a major pop star again. 2300 Jackson Street carried the emotional weight of the family name.
But without Michael’s full involvement, it could not recreate the magic of the group’s peak years. Marlon Jackson. Unlike Germaine, who entered the post victory years with an established solo career and several chart successes behind him, Marlon Jackson was still searching for an identity of his own. For much of the Jackson’s career, Marlin occupied an unusual position within the group.
Unlike Michael, who had become the clear focal point of the family, or Germaine, who had long been recognized as the group’s second lead singer, Marlin never developed a clearly defined public role. He was respected for his dancing, stage presence, and athletic performances, but he rarely received the same level of attention as his brothers.
By the early 1980s, as Michael’s solo career exploded, and tensions within the group continued to grow, Marlin increasingly appeared determined to change that. The Victory album in 1984 provided him with his best opportunity yet. As the Jacksons entered what would ultimately become their final major project with Michael, Marlin pushed for greater visibility within the group.
He received more vocal opportunities than he had in previous years and became heavily associated with Body, one of the final major Jackson singles. Not only did he sing lead vocals on the track, but he co-wrote it and appeared heavily in its accompanying music video, allowing him to demonstrate that he could contribute creatively as well as perform.
At the same time, during the victory tour itself, Marlin’s dancing became one of his strongest assets. While Michael remained the group’s biggest attraction, Marlin increasingly distinguished himself through his energy, athleticism, and choreography. In many ways, Victory represented his first serious attempt to establish himself as something more than simply another member of the Jackson family.
However, the victory tour ended amid controversy and dysfunction. And while Michael effectively moved further away from the group, Marlin began looking for opportunities that could help establish his own public profile. One of the most significant was his association with USA for Africa. Following the success of We Are the World, although his contribution to the recording itself was only minor compared with some of the project’s biggest stars, Marlin understood the value of being connected to one of the most
important charitable music events of the decade. He participated in humanitarian efforts connected to the organization, including trips to Africa that generated media coverage and placed him alongside many of the biggest names in entertainment. At a time when he was attempting to emerge from the shadow of his family, these appearances helped to position him as something more than simply Michael Jackson’s brother.
They associated him with a respected global cause while simultaneously keeping his name in the public eye. Unlike Germaine, who used the heat from the victory tour to progress his own solo career, Marlin spent several years attempting to define exactly what kind of artist he wanted to become. He spoke openly about his ambitions to become a movie star and dominate Hollywood in a way similar to how Michael had dominated the music industry.
Aside from that, he also admitted that he did have ambitions for a solo music career. By 1987, he was ready to make a decisive move and officially break from the Jacksons. Publicly, he spoke about leaving the group in his past and building an identity of his own. Quote, “What I did with my brothers was wonderful,” Marlin explained.
But the time has come to move on. For the first time in his life, he was trying to establish himself as Marlon Jackson rather than as one member of the Jacksons. Marlin’s challenge was very different from Germaine’s. Germaine spent the post victory years trying to expand a solo career that already existed. Marlin first had to convince audiences that he could exist as a solo artist at all.
His debut album, Baby Tonight, arrived in the summer of 1987 at a particularly difficult moment. On one hand, the timing seemed ideal. Michael Jackson’s bad campaign dominated headlines throughout the year, ensuring that the Jackson name remained highly visible. On the other hand, that same visibility guaranteed constant comparisons.
Every review, chart position, and sales figure was measured against Michael’s extraordinary success. As if that was not enough, Janet Jackson had recently transformed herself into a superstar through control, creating another benchmark against which Marlin would be judged. What should have been a moment of independence instead became a situation where he found himself competing with two of the most successful recording artists in the world.
The 30-year-old singer was well aware of the problem. During promotional interviews, he repeatedly attempted to distance himself from discussions about Michael’s success. When asked about his younger brother, Marlin replied, quote, “Michael’s career is his business and my career is mine.” Yet, no matter how hard he tried to redirect the conversation, journalists remained fascinated by the family connection.
Musically, Baby Tonight represented a conscious attempt to distinguish himself from Michael. Rather than pursuing the grand cinematic pop productions that had become synonymous with thriller and bad, Marlin leaned heavily into contemporary dance music and R&B. Critics frequently noted that his vocals sounded closer to Prince or at times Germaine Jackson than Michael.
One reviewer described his singing style as a breathy vocal approach that worked particularly well on the album’s danceoriented material. Songs such as Don’t Go, Baby Tonight, and When Will You Surrender showcased an artist attempting to build his own musical identity rather than imitate his brother’s formula. Marlin also emphasized his creative involvement, contributing as a songwriter, musician, and co-producer.
He wanted to be seen as a complete artist rather than simply another manufactured performer, cashing in on the Jackson name. At the same time, Marlin attempted to cultivate a public image that contrasted sharply with Michael’s. While Michael remained one of the most scrutinized and mysterious figures in entertainment, Marlin regularly presented himself as a husband, father, and family man.
Interviews often focused on his wife, his children, and his home life. The image was wholesome, approachable, and much more grounded than what the public might have expected. Commercially, however, the results were mixed. Don’t go performed respectably, reaching number two on Billboard’s black singles chart, while the title track didn’t do so well.
Critics were generally positive. One review noted that Marlin demonstrated far more musical depth than many casual observers expected. Yet, there was little sense that he had discovered a truly distinctive artistic identity capable of separating him from his family’s legacy. Tito Jackson. Of all the Jackson brothers, Tito Jackson may have been the least interested in becoming a solo star.
Throughout the Jackson 5 and Jackson’s years, he occupied a clearly defined role within the group. While Michael and Germaine were the principal vocalists, Tito was the guitarist. He was the steady musician in the background, rarely competing for lead vocals, rarely courting controversy, and rarely seeking the spotlight for himself.
In fact, during the victory era, Tito openly embraced the fact that his life looked nothing like Michael’s. While Michael required bodyguards, security teams, and careful planning simply to appear in public, reporters described Tito driving himself to a restaurant in a white van after coaching little league and casually walking inside without attracting attention.
Far from resenting that reality, he appeared to prefer it. Quote, “I’ve always enjoyed show business, but I’ve never been what I would call the Hollywood party character.” Tito explained, “I try to stay in the background and leave all my fun on stage. When I’m off the stage, I pretty much want to be a family man.” That attitude separated him from many of his brothers.
While Germaine was pursuing solo stardom, and Marlin was looking for greater visibility, Tito seemed far more interested in maintaining a normal life outside of music. That doesn’t mean Tito lacked ambition. During the promotion of Victory, he was one of the strongest advocates for the Jacksons as a group. While much of the media focused exclusively on Michael, Tito argued that the public had overlooked the talents of the other brothers. Quote, “It’s our turn.
” He said, “My brothers have been waiting very patiently.” He also made it clear that victory was designed to showcase more than just Michael. Quote, “The radio has been playing Michael. Everybody knows how Michael sounds. Now it’s the Jackson’s turn. We don’t want to be all Michael again. Those comments reveal something important about Tito.
He wasn’t interested in competing with Michael as a solo artist. Instead, he wanted recognition for the Jacksons as a collective. Unlike Germaine and Marlin, he never launched a major solo campaign in the years immediately following Michael’s departure. He remained committed to the family and continued participating in Jackson’s projects.
including 2,300 Jackson Street in 1989. While some of his brothers spent years trying to establish independent careers, Tito seemed comfortable preserving the Jackson legacy and maintaining his role within it. Jackie Jackson. Of all the Jackson brothers, Jackie may have been in the worst position when Michael left the group.
He didn’t have an active solo career, and he wasn’t even preparing a major breakout from the group. Ironically, Jackie had actually been one of the first brothers to release a solo album. His 1973 self-titled record arrived during the Jackson 5 years, but failed to establish him as a major solo artist. For more than a decade afterwards, he remained known primarily as a member of the Jacksons.
The Victory Tour should have changed that. Instead, it became a disaster for him personally. During rehearsals, he suffered a serious knee injury that required surgery and prevented him from performing much of the tour. At the same time, rumors circulated that the injury had actually been connected to a violent altercation involving his wife, Enid, after she allegedly discovered him having an affair with choreographer Paula Abdul and ran him over with her car.
Whether true or not, the story generated almost as much attention as the injury itself. Even though he couldn’t perform for much of it, the tour still earned Jackie $3 million. But at the same time, his marriage collapsed, divorce proceedings became public, and his victory tour earnings reportedly became a major factor in the settlement. Instead of emerging from the biggest tour of his career with the prospect of a solo career, Jackie found himself injured and going through a messy divorce.
As a result, he largely disappeared into the background for several years. Unlike Germaine, who attempted to capitalize immediately on the publicity surrounding Victory, Jackie waited until 1989 before making another serious push as a solo artist. That year, he released Be the One alongside the Jackson’s reunion project, 2300 Jackson Street.
The strategy was obvious. If renewed interest in the Jackson family generated attention, perhaps some of that attention would spill over onto his own record. Critics generally viewed the album positively, praising its polished R&B sound, and the single Stay became a modest hit. But commercially, the album barely registered, reaching only the lower end of the R&B chart.
Ultimately, Jackie’s problem was timing. His first solo album arrived before audiences were interested in him as a singular artist. His second arrived after Michael and Janet had completely redefined what success looked like. In between, the biggest opportunity of his career was derailed by injury and personal turmoil.
Unlike Germaine, whose story is about chasing solo stardom, or Marlin, whose story is about finding an identity, or Tito, who largely stayed away from pursuing a solo career. Jackie’s story is largely about missed opportunities. Randy Jackson. Randy Jackson was in a strange position after the Victory Tour. He was the youngest of the Jackson brothers and the last to officially join the group, replacing Germaine after the family left Mottown for Epic.
Because of that, he did not have the same Jackson 5 history as his other brothers. But by the late 1970s and early 1980s, he had become an important creative presence, co-writing Shake Your Body down to the ground with Michael and contributing as a musician, songwriter, and producer. After Michael left the Jacksons, Randy seemed like one of the brothers most capable of helping the group move forward musically.
He was younger, more contemporary, and more involved in the creative side than some of his older brothers. But the problem was obvious. Without Michael, the Jacksons were no longer seen as a dominant pop force. The family name still had value, but it no longer guaranteed mainstream excitement. By 1989, Randy was involved in two attempts to create a new post Michael identity.
The first was reuniting with the Jacksons and producing 2300 Jackson Street. And then, like his brothers, Germaine and Jackie, Randy used the momentum to launch his own music project, Randy and the Gypsies. This was not presented simply as a Randy Jackson solo album with anonymous backing musicians.
In interviews, he made it clear that he preferred the idea of being in a band rather than standing alone as a solo star. When asked whether working with the Gypsies meant he was no longer with the Jacksons, his answer was simply no. That response says a lot. Randy was trying to create something separate, but he was not fully cutting himself away from the Jackson identity.
Musically, Randy and the Gypsies positioned him as a funk, R&B, and rock influenced artist. The Los Angeles Times noted that Randy did much of the work himself, writing, producing, arranging, singing, and playing several instruments. The paper also described tracks like Love Thing and Love You Honey as having prince-like funk overtones.
That was probably the lane Randy was chasing. less Mottown nostalgia, less family balladery, and more modern street late 1980s funk. The project did achieve some moderate R&B success. Perpetrators reached the R&B chart while Love You Honey performed better, becoming his biggest song from the project. But it was not enough to establish Randy as a major solo figure.
It attracted some attention, but failed to create a lasting new chapter. Ry’s personal life also became more publicly troubled in the years that followed. In 1991, he was charged in a domestic abuse case involving his wife Eliza Shaffy and their infant daughter. He pleaded no contest, was placed on probation, and later faced further legal consequences after failing to comply with court-ordered requirements.
Randy may have been the brother most naturally positioned to represent the Jackson’s future after Michael left, but by the time he tried to step forward, the public was more interested in Michael’s superstardom, Janet’s rise, and the nostalgia of what the Jacksons had once been in the public imagination rather than how the other members could reinvent themselves for the world of music today.
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