Bio

Janet Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana, the youngest of nine children, to Katherine Esther and Joseph Walter Jackson. The Jacksons were lower-middle class and devout Jehovah’s Witnesses. By the time she was a toddler, her older brothers-Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael-were performing music at nightclubs and theaters as The Jackson 5. In March 1969, the group signed a record deal with Motown, and by the end of the year they had recorded the first of four consecutive number one singles. The Jackson 5’s success allowed the family to move to the Encino neighborhood of Los Angeles, California in 1971. Although born into a family of professional musicians, Jackson, whose love of horses resulted in a desire to become a race-horse jockey, had no aspiration to become an entertainer. Maybe to her surprise, Jackson would go one to have one of the longest-running careers in the music industry as an incomparable entertainer and queen of contemporary R&B.

The Hype

Career Timeline

1974 - At the age of seven, Jackson appeared on stage in Las Vegas, Nevada with her siblings in a routine show at the MGM Casino.
1976 - She began her career as an actress with the debut of the CBS variety show The Jacksons, in which she appeared with her siblings Tito, Rebbie, Randy, Michael, Marlon, La Toya and Jackie.
1977 - Jackson was selected by producer Norman Lear to play a recurring role as Penny Gordon Woods in the sitcom Good Times.
1979 - 1980 - Jackson starred in A New Kind of Family as Jojo Ashton.
1981 - 1982 - She joined the cast of Diff’rent Strokes, portraying Charlene Duprey from 1981 to 1982.
1982 - When Jackson was sixteen, her father arranged a contract for her with A&M Records. Her debut album, Janet Jackson, produced by soul singers Angela Winbush, René Moore and Leon F. Sylvers III, was released in 1982, the entire production of which was overseen by her father Joseph.
1984 - Jackson’s second album, Dream Street, was released. Brother Marlon co-wrote two of the album’s tracks, while Tito, Jackie and Michael provided background vocals. Following the release of Dream Street, Jackson decided to separate her business affairs from her family, and fired her father as her manager. That same year, Jackson eloped with childhood friend and fellow R&B singer James DeBarge. They divorced shortly afterwards, and the marriage was annulled in mid-1985.
1986 - A&M Records executive John McClain hired producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis to work with Jackson. Within six weeks, Jackson, Jam and Lewis crafted Jackson’s third studio album, Control, which was released on March 4.
1989 -  Jackson released her fourth album, Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814.
1990 - Embarked on first worldwide tour; a nine-month long venture in support of her Rhythm Nation album.
1991 - With the release of Rhythm Nation 1814, Jackson fulfilled her contract with A&M Records. In 1991, after being approached personally by Virgin Records owner Richard Branson, she signed a highly publicized multi-million dollar contract with the label. That same year, Jackson secretly entered into her second marriage with long-term friend-dancer, songwriter and director René Elizondo, Jr.
1993 - Jackson’s fifth studio album entitled janet. was released by Virgin Records. That same year, Jackson made her film debut in Poetic Justice. Later that year, she kicked off her second worldtour.
1995 - She collaborated with her brother Michael on “Scream”, the lead single from his album HIStory, which was written by both siblings as a response to the media scrutiny he suffered from being accused of child sexual abuse.
1997 - In October, The Velvet Rope album was released.
1998 - Jackson began the The Velvet Rope Tour. That same year, she and Elizondo Jr. separated.
2000 -  Jackson appeared in her second film, Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, as Professor Denise Gaines, opposite Eddie Murphy. In the same year, Jackson’s husband filed for divorce. Jeff Gordinier of Entertainment Weekly reported that for eight of the thirteen years Jackson and Elizondo had known one another, “[they] were married-a fact they managed to hide not only from the international press but from Jackson’s own father.” Elizondo filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against Jackson, estimated between $10-25 million; they did not reach a settlement until 2003.
2001 - In April, Jackson’s seventh album, All for You, was released. A tour in support of the album began just three months later.
2002 - Jackson began her relationship with record producer Jermaine Dupri.
2004 - Jackson was involved in the controversy surrounding the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show in February, where during a performance with Justin Timberlake, her breast, which had the nipple completely uncovered, was exposed for exactly 9/16 of a second. Just a month later, her eighth studio album, Damita Jo.
2006 - In September, the 20 Y.O. album was released.
2007 - Jackson starred opposite Tyler Perry as a psychotherapist named Patricia in the feature film Why Did I Get Married?  That same year, Jackson changed labels and signed a record contract with Island Records.
2008 - In February, Jackson’s tenth studio album, Discipline, was released. Jackson’s fifth concert tour-the Rock Witchu Tour-began in September. That same month, Jackson and her record label parted ways through mutual agreement.

Photo Galleries

• GIANT Gallery: Janet Jackson

More On Janet Jackson

Discography

Videography

1986: “What Have You Done for Me Lately”
1986: “Nasty”
1986: “When I Think of You”
1986: “Control”
1987: “Let’s Wait Awhile”
1987: “The Pleasure Principle”
1989: “Miss You Much”
1989: “Rhythm Nation”
1990: “Come Back to Me”
1990: “Escapade”
1990: “Alright” (ft. Heavy D)
1990: “Black Cat”
1990: “Love Will Never Do Without You” (black/white) and “Love Will Never Do Without You” (colorized)
1993: “That’s the Way Love Goes”
1993: “If” (Original) and “If” (All-Dance Version)
1993: “Again“ (Original) and “Again“ (with “Poetic Justic” footage)
1994: “Because of Love”
1994: “Any Time, Any Place” (Original) and “Any Time, Any Place” (R. Kelly Remix)
1994: “You Want This” (black/white) and “You Want This” (colorized)
1995: “Whoops Now“
1995: “What’ll I Do”
1995: “Runaway“ 
1996: “Twenty Foreplay“
1997: “Got ’til It’s Gone” (featuring Q-Tip and Joni Mitchell)
1997: “Together Again“ (Original) and “Together Again” (Deeper Remix)
1998: “You”
1998: “I Get Lonely” (Original) and “I Get Lonely” (ft. Blackstreet)
1998: “Go Deep”
1998: “Every Time”
2000: “Doesn’t Really Matter“
2001: “All for You”
2001: “Someone to Call My Lover” (Original) and “Someone to Call My Lover” (So So Def Remix with Jermaine Dupri)
2001: “Son of a Gun (I Betcha Think This Song Is About You)”
2004: “Just a Little While”
2004: “I Want You”
2004: “All Nite (Don’t Stop)”
2006: “Call on Me” (with Nelly)
2006: “So Excited” (featuring Khia)
2008: “Feedback”
2008: “Rock with U“

Other:
1984: Fame’s “Dream Street” - directed by Debbie Allen
1987: Herp Albert’s “Diamonds“
1989: The Jackson’s “2300 Jackson Street” (The Jacksons)
1992: “The Best Things in Life Are Free” (with Luther Vandross)
1995: Michael Jackson’s “Scream“ 
1999: “Girlfriend/Boyfriend” (with Blackstreet, featuring Eve and Ja Rule)
1999:  Busta Rhymes’ “What’s It Gonna Be?!”
2002: Beenie Man’s “Feel It Boy“
2005: Jermaine Dupri’s “Gotta Getcha” (featuring Johnta Austin)

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Career Highlights

• Jackson’s debut album peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot R&B albums chart.
• Dream Street reached number nineteen on the R&B albums chart; its sales were less than that of Jackson’s debut album. The album’s only hit, “Don’t Stand Another Chance”, peaked at number nine on Billboard’s R&B singles chart.
• Control peaked at number one on the Billboard 200.  Five of the album’s singles gained positions within the top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100. “When I Think of You” became Jackson’s first single to peak at number one. “The Pleasure Principle” became a top 20 hit, peaking at number fourteen. Control was certified five times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, and has sold over eight million copies worldwide. Billboard credited it as being the fifth best-selling album of 1986 in the United States. It won four American Music Awards, from twelve nominations and was nominated for Album of the Year at the 1987 Grammy Awards.
• After Rhythm Nation debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, the album was certified six times platinum and eventually sold over eight million copies worldwide. The release became the only album in history to produce number one hits on the Billboard Hot 100 in three separate calendar years - “Miss You Much” in 1989, “Escapade” and “Black Cat” in 1990, and “Love Will Never Do (Without You)” in 1991 - and the only album in the history of the Hot 100 to have seven top 5 hit singles. The corresponding music video for “Rhythm Nation” won the 1989 Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video. Billboard named Rhythm Nation 1814 the number-one selling album of the year in 1990.
• With an attendance of more than two million patrons, the Rhythm Nation 1814 Tour remains the most successful debut tour by any recording artist.
• In 1991, after being approached personally by Virgin Records owner Richard Branson, she signed a highly publicized multi-million dollar contract with the label. The contract value was estimated between $32-50 million, and she became the highest paid female recording artist in contemporary music.
• Janet. debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. The album’s number one hit single “That’s the Way Love Goes” was winner of the 1994 Grammy Award for Best R&B Song. “If”, “Because of Love”, “You Want This”, and “Any Time, Any Place”, all became Top 10 singles. Janet. was later certified six times platinum by the RIAA, with worldwide sales exceeding ten million copies.
• Jackson’s ballad “Again” was featured on the Poetic Justice soundtrack, and garnered a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
• In September 1993, Jackson appeared topless on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine with the hands of her then-husband René Elizondo, Jr. covering her breasts.
• “Scream” debuted at number five on the Hot 100 singles chart, becoming the first song ever to debut in the top 5. The song is featured in the Guinness Book of Records as the “Most Expensive Music Video Ever Made” at a cost of $7 million. Jackson and her brother won the 1995 Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video.
• In October 1995, Jackson’s first compilation album, Design of a Decade 1986/1996, was released via A&M Records and debuted at number three on the Billboard 200. The lead single “Runaway” peaked at number three on the Hot 100. The album was certified two times platinum by the RIAA.
• In January 1996, Jackson renewed her contract with Virgin Records for a reported $80 million dollars. The contract established her as the then-highest paid recording artist in contemporary music, surpassing the recording industry’s then-unparalleled $60 million dollar contracts earned by her brother, Michael Jackson and Madonna.
• Released in October 1997, The Velvet Rope debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and the RIAA later certified the album three times platinum. The album’s lead single, “Got ‘Til It’s Gone”, was released to radio, peaking at number 36 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay and it later won a Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video. The album’s second single “Together Again”, became Jackson’s eighth number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, and placed her on par with Elton John, Diana Ross, and The Rolling Stones. The single spent a record 46 weeks on the Hot 100. “I Get Lonely” peaked at number three on the Hot 100.
• Jackson donated a portion of the proceeds earned from “Together Again” to the American Foundation for AIDS Research.
• The Velvet Rope was honored by the National Black Lesbian and Gay Leadership Forum, and received the award for Outstanding Music Album at the 9th Annual GLAAD Media Awards.
• In 1998, Jackson began the The Velvet Rope Tour. Jackson’s HBO special, “The Velvet Rope: Live in Madison Square Garden,” was watched by more than fifteen million viewers. The two hour concert beat the ratings of all four major networks in homes that were subscribed to HBO.
• At the 1999 World Music Awards, Jackson received the Legend Award alongside Cher for “lifelong contribution to the music industry and outstanding contribution to the pop industry.”
• As 1999 ended, Billboard magazine ranked Jackson as the second most successful artist of the decade, behind Mariah Carey.
• The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps became Jackson’s second to open at number one at the box office, grossing an estimated $42.7 million dollars in its opening weekend. Her contribution to the film’s soundtrack, “Doesn’t Really Matter”, became her ninth number one Billboard Hot 100 single.
• Jackson was awarded a top honor from the American Music Awards - the Award of Merit - in March.
• Jackson became the inaugural honoree of the “mtvICON” award, “an annual recognition of artists who have made significant contributions to music, music video and pop culture while tremendously impacting the MTV generation.”
• Jackson’s seventh album, All for You, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. Selling 605,000 copies, All For You had the highest first-week sales total of Jackson’s career. It sold more than three million copies in America, and was certified double platinum by the RIAA.
• The title-track single debuted on the Hot 100 at number fourteen, the highest debut ever for a single that was not commercially available. It later reached number one, where it topped the Hot 100 for seven weeks. The second single, “Someone to Call My Lover” peaked at number three on the Hot 100.
• Jackson received the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording for “All for You”.
• For the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show in February 2004, Jackson performed alongside Justin Timberlake, who while singing “Rock Your Body,” he tore open Jackson’s top, exposing her right breast. After the performance, Jackson apologized, calling it an accident. Time magazine reported that the incident became the most replayed moment in TiVo history.
• Jackson was later listed in the 2007 edition of Guinness World Records as “Most Searched in Internet History” and the “Most Searched for News Item”.
• Damita Jo debuted at number two on the Billboard 200. By the end of 2004, Damita Jo had sold 942,000 copies in the United States and was later certified platinum by the RIAA. Although the album debuted at number two, its three singles all failed to become top 40 hits.
• Jackson appeared as a host of “Saturday Night Live” on April 10, 2004
• In November 2004, Jackson was honored as an African-American role model by 100 Black Men of America, Inc., who presented her with the “organization’s Artistic Achievement Award saluting ‘a career that has gone from success to greater success’.”
• In June 2005, Jackson was honored with a Humanitarian Award by the Human Rights Campaign and AIDS Project Los Angeles, in recognition of her work and involvement in raising money for AIDS charities.
• The album, 20 Y.O. debuted at number two on the Billboard 200. It was later was certified platinum by the RIAA.
• In January 2007, Jackson was ranked the seventh richest woman in the entertainment business by Forbes magazine, having amassed a fortune of over $150 million.
• In February 2008, Jackson won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture.
• In July 2007, Jackson changed labels and signed a record contract with Island Records.
• Discipline debuted on the Billboard 200 at number one.
• In April 2008, Jackson received the Vanguard Award, a media award from the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation at the 19th Annual GLAAD Media Awards. The award honors members of the entertainment community who have made a significant difference in promoting equal rights for LGBT people.

Filmography

“Good Times”
“A New Kind of Family”
“Diff’rent Strokes“
“The Love Boat”
“Fame”
Poetic Justice
Nutty Professor II: The Klumps
Why Did I Get Married?

Rumors

Is Janet Jackson Pregnant?
Did Janet Jackson Get Plastic Surgery?

Official Websites

• Janet Jackson

Top Fan Sites

• Janet Xone