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The Gang's All Here
There are a lot of famous people with the last name Jackson. There's Joshua Jackson, Samuel L. Jackson, and Alan Jackson, just to name a few. It doesn't automatically mean you're related to Michael Jackson and the Jackson Five. But it does in this case. Janet is the youngest of the famous musical Jackson family. Here she is front and centre on the Jacksons’ variety show in 1977. Behind her, there’s Randy Jackson, LaToya Jackson, Rebbie Jackson (that’s the one we always forget!), Jackie Jackson, Michael Jackson, Tito Jackson, and Marlon Jackson.
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'Good Times'
In the 1970s, Jackson was a child star on a number of sitcoms. Get excited because we're going to show you a couple of vintage photos now, like this one: here's wee Janet on "Good Times". She appeared in seasons 5 and 6.
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All Grown Up
Here's Jackson with Todd Bridges on the set of "Diff'rent Strokes" in 1982. She played Charlene, girlfriend to Bridges' character, Willis. This finally answers the age-old question: "What you talkin' 'bout, Willis?" Willis probably talkin' 'bout Ms. Jackson.
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Fame
Ah, "Fame", the "Glee" of the 1980s. Jackson played Cleo Hewitt on this beloved show that followed students at New York's famous High School for the Performing Arts.
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In 'Control'
When Jackson released the album 'Control' in 1986, it was the beginning of when we stopped thinking of her as Michael Jackson's sister. Here's a peak-1980s 'Control'-era photo: It's Jackson performing under mounds of bangs on "Solid Gold" in 1987. Her No. 1 hit breakout album contained bangers like “What Have You Done For Me Lately”, “Nasty”, and “When I Think of You”. It incorporated elements of R&B, funk, disco, rap and industrial beats and sold over 14 million copies.
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‘Rhythm Nation 1814’
Her next album, ‘Rhythm Nation 1814’, was released in 1989. This is a look so iconic that Beyonce copped it for a Halloween costume. Jackson received nine Grammy Award nominations for the record and became the first woman to be nominated for Producer of the Year. In 1991, Jackson signed the first of two record-breaking multimillion-dollar record contracts.
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'Poetic Justice'
In 1993, Jackson released her fifth album, ‘Janet’. She also starred alongside Tupac Shakur in “Poetic Justice”, a romantic drama featuring the poems of Maya Angelou. The hit film earned Jackson an Oscar nomination for her #1 hit, "Again”. Kendrick Lamar’s 2012 single “Poetic Justice” is based on the movie and samples Jackson's "Any Time, Any Place".
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Whoa.
Here's Jackson with her then-boyfriend/now-ex-husband Rene Elizondo in 1995. Can you believe what Jackson is not wearing? Seriously. Go back and check out the photos we've shown you so far. 'Rhythm Nation'? Turtleneck. 1976 Jackson family pic? Turtleneck. "Solid Gold"? Turtleneck! In every photo, she's wearing a high-necked shirt. We didn't pick turtleneck pictures on purpose, she was just always fully dressed.
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'Velvet Rope'
Jackson’s sixth album, 'The Velvet Rope', was released in 1997 and featured hits “Go Deep”, “Got ’Til It’s Gone”, and “Together Again”. Here's Jackson in 1998 performing in Germany as part of her ''Velvet Rope" tour.
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So GLAAD
'Velvet Rope' was recognized for protesting homophobia, and Jackson received the award for Outstanding Album at the GLAAD Awards that year. Ellen DeGeneres presented the award.
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Baby Nut
Jackson rounded out the millennium with a return to the big screen. Here she is on the set of "Nutty Professor II: The Klumps" in 2000, alongside Eddie Murphy in costume. Jackson starred as Sherman Klump's love interest, Denise.
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Nipplegate
It shouldn't have happened to anyone, let alone someone so dedicated to turtlenecks. Whether it was planned or accidental, the 2004 Super Bowl Halftime Show gave us the term 'wardrobe malfunction'. It was a disaster for Jackson's career and overshadowed the release of her ninth record, the critically acclaimed 'Damita Jo'.
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Ms. Much
Here’s Jackson visiting MuchMusic in 2004. In 2006, Jackson’s ninth record, '20 Y.O.', debuted at No. 2. In 2007, she starred opposite Tyler Perry in the hit movie, “Why Did I Get Married?” She joined the cast for the 2010 sequel as well. Her next record, ‘Discipline’, debuted at No. 1 in 2008. In 2010, Jackson starred in the drama “For Colored Girls”. In 2011, Jackson released the self-help book 'True You: A Journey to Finding and Loving Yourself'. It topped the New York Times' Best Sellers list. That right there is a phenomenal career as an actress/recording artist/author and it’s just a little slice of Jackson’s achievements.
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Glastonbury
Jackson was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2019. That summer, she took to the stage at the famous Glastonbury Festival and delivered a searing, 50-minute non-stop medley of her hits.
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Black Diamond
Now that her four-month Las Vegas residency, “Metamorphosis”, has wrapped up, Jackson is ready to hit the road again. On February 10, 2020, Jackson announced the “Black Diamond” world tour. Her new record, also called ‘Black Diamond’, is due to drop this year but a date has yet to be announced. We kind of expect it to be ready for download before her tour starts in Miami on June 24, so stay tuned.
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