REBBIE JACKSON ANSWERS THE CALL

As we step into the plush suite in the swank SLS Hotel for the Venice photoshoot and interview with singer Rebbie Jackson, the eldest sibling of the acclaimed Jackson family, we see plenty of movement and equipment about — the photographer and his assistants, the hair and makeup team, the stylist, the publicists, as well as Rebbie’s husband Nathaniel and daughter Yashi sitting nearby. And amidst all the commotion sits Rebbie, looking vibrant and beautiful in tight jeans and knee-high boots, soft-spoken and sans pretension. There’s no beefy entourage or slew of yesmen or hangers-on as you might expect with a member of the first family of showbiz. There’s just a crew of professionals working in concert to get a job done.

A wife since the age of 18 and a mother at 20, Rebbie, born Maureen Reillette Jackson in Gary, Indiana, grew up in charge of the Jackson bunch whenever her parents weren’t around. She oversaw young Michael, as well as brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, and Randy, and sisters La Toya and Janet. A natural talent herself, Rebbie won numerous dance contests with brother Jackie as a child, yet she never sought the spotlight. In fact, Rebbie didn’t make her stage debut until she was 24, playing with her famous brothers at the MGM Hotel in Las Vegas.

At the age of 34, she released her first album, featuring the hit, “Centipede,” written by Michael Jackson. Since then, she’s released three more records and performed with the likes of Ray Charles, Dionne Warwick, and James Brown. Having raised three children of her own (Stacee, Yashi, and Austin), Rebbie — who sang onstage at Michael’s worldwide, televised memorial — is once again hitting the road, headlining the upcoming Pick Up the Phone Tour benefiting the Kristin Brooks Hope Center (KBHC), an organization created to help those in crisis find help and hope immediately.

For Jackson, the cause hit close to homeas her daughter Yashi suffers from bipolar disorder type 1 and is currently working on a documentary chronicling her illness. Yashi describes her condition as a million bees buzzing in her head and some of them stinging to the point where it hurt so badly that it was nearly impossible to cope with life. “There is that inner strength and belief along with a loving and supportive family that allowed me to cope,” Yashi relates. “Additionally, poetry, prayer, song writing, and the upcoming documentary that I wrote all provided a system of support that allowed me to find peace and the ability to help others who are suffering with the same illnesses.” Yashi's book, Black Daisy in a White Limousine, is scheduled for release this month by Periwinkle Publishing. 

[Editorial sidebar: With more than 32,000 Americans lost to suicide each year, Reese Butler, President and Founder of the Kristin Brooks Hope Center, is thrilled to announce that Jackson has recently volunteered to assume the mantle of the organization’s leading spokesperson.]  

Excited to get on the road as part of the 40- city Pick Up the Phone Tour, Rebbie, who shares the strikingly familiar Jackson features, is ready to help educate and — most importantly — entertain.

Venice: It has been a while since you stepped away from the spotlight. What prompted you to come back?

Rebbie Jackson: It was something I’ve wanted to do for a while. I have a lot more time now. I thought it was something that was very personal with me and I was very much encouraged when I came in contact with KBHC.

You’ve had a career and raised three children, so this would be a great time to get back into the swing of things, but now you’re helping to raise three more kids…

Well, to be very honest, my mom is raising [Michael’s] kids. I’m not at the house doing that. My mom knows what she wants to do so I’m not that involved with raising them.

How excited are you about going on tour?

Oh, very much so. I’ve always enjoyed performing. It’s my favorite thing.

How will you go about choosing which songs you’ll be playing?

For the most part, I generally have the opinion, “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.” So I go with what I think people mostly like. And you get a feel for that, obviously, when you’re performing, so you can watch the audience and see how people react to different songs. There’s a lot of fresh, new music and sometimes you can incorporate it, but it has to beenin synch with what I like.

It would be great if you decide to include “I’ll Fly Away,” which not only has never been released, but it is the last time Michael recorded with a family member prior to his death.

I’ve never performed that song live, and I’m definitely thinking about putting it into the show. I love that song. That’s a good song. I will be doing it, I think.

As the oldest Jackson, do you remember a time before showbiz, growing up in Gary, Indiana?

With a large family one thing is for sure, there’s never a dull moment. There were a lot of fun things that took place. One thing I remember is that we were always so close because we always did everything together. I had a lot of responsibilities growing up — so many responsibilities being the oldest. Pretty much I was left in charge to handle matters when my parents weren’t home. My mom went to night school when I was 13 years old so I basically cooked and all that other stuff. It was a lot of fun.

Would all your brothers and sisters listen to you?

Of course they did. My father always said that if they weren’t there, they had to obey me. I never had any trouble out of them. The only one was Jackie because we were close in age. He would try to aggravate the other children and I couldn’t stand that.

For some kids that would be really stressful to be in charge or to feel they weren’t having a normal childhood. Did you ever feel that?

Never when it came to the kids, never. It’s funny because I can’t remember a time when I didn’t have a baby on my hip. I’m serious. Because when I got married, Janet was two years old. It was just a situation where we were always entertaining one another — singing, dancing, putting on our socks and shining the floor.

You had a knack for family life.

Now that I think about it, I really was a domestic person in a lot of ways. I used to sew all the time. I started sewing when I was in the seventh grade.

You actually managed to avoid the spotlight growing up.

I never really got involved in entertainment until after my family moved to California, because I was married and lived in Kentucky for a while. So when I moved to California much later, I became part of what existed as a family show. One of the first times that I ever performed was at the MGM Grand Hotel Celebrity Room [in Las Vegas] with a number that Michael and Marlon accompanied me on. I did lead and we performed as a trio.

And you just caught the bug?

I’ve always enjoyed music; I always liked musicals. I used to watch musicals all the time when I was a kid. I loved to watch Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, and Betty Grable.

What was it about the Kristin Brooks  Hope Center that made you want to get involved?

When I first found out about it and I learned that it was connected with people that are bipolar, that is very dear to me because I have a member of my family that is bipolar. That touched me. That was very personal.

What do you hope your involvement in the Pick Up The Phone Tour will bring?

Well, like the name says, pick up the phone. I hope people become more aware. I don’t want to be presumptuous, but I feel that I have a way with people, and one of the things I like to do is talk to people. I love talking to people about the times we’re living in and the problems that exist in the world today. I feel by being sincere and honest, I hope I can make an
impression on someone and make them seriously think about what can be a bad outcome.

Some people looking from the outside think, “Look at all of these rich kids, they have it made. They don’t have a care in the world.” But we see that’s not the case.

The thing is, it doesn’t matter. As you’ve probably noticed, people that are more affluent have the same problems as people who aren’t. In fact, sometimes they have more problems. It’s the same no matter what. People are still people.

Are you ready to embark on a 40-city tour?

I’m ready and really excited.

What would you hope audiences take away from your show?

What’s most important to me when people come to my show is that they get their money’s worth. I’m very dedicated to pleasing my audience. That’s very important to me. I want them, for that moment that they’re there and watching the show, that they are relaxed and having fun and are taken away from all the craziness that’s going on outside. I’m serious about that. ▼

The Pick Up the Phone Tour kicks off February 25 at the Duke Ellington Theatre in Washington, D.C. For more info, visit www.pickupthephone.org. To learn more about the Kristin Brooks Hope Center, visit www.hopeline.com. If you are in crisis and need to talk to someone, please call 1- 800-SUICIDE.