MY JACKSONS SITE WILL BE GOING DOWN AS OF OCT. 26, 2009 - GEOCITIES WILL START CHARGING, AND I CAN'T AFFORD IT. SO STAY TUNED FOR MY NEW SITE IN ANOTHER LOCATION SOON!Email me at sloewyne@yahoo.com to keep in touch! I'll let everyone know when and where it's back up! Thanks for all your support over the years!!!
The Jackson 5: Boyz From MY 'Hood!
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I was 11 years old in October of 1969. One unseasonably warm Saturday evening about dusk, I was on my way home from my friend Valerie Hayes' house, when I was stopped by one of the neighborhood boys--the brother of one of my Garnett elementary classmates--who had come running out of his house on the corner, hollering "Hey girl, can I use your bike for a minute? Please?"...and he really looked panicked! But since I NEVER let anyone ride my bike--especially a BOY (Daddy's orders), I initially said "No way, Marlon!" But he persisted, and said in a rush, 
"But we gon' be on TV tonight, and Mother wants me to go to the store and get some bread! I'm gon' miss it!" "Yeah right, boy. Who's gon' be on TV?" "Me and my brothers! We gon' be on the Hollywood Palace with Diana Ross and everything!" I knew about their singing group, which I only knew as "The Ripples & the Waves Plus Michael," and had seen them perform at our grade school, Garnett. 
I had even heard my classmate LaToya brag about her brothers singing in front of some important people in Detroit earlier that year, and they were the only people I knew besides my jazz-drummer Dad who had made a real record--not one of those dimestore do-it-yourself plastic 45's ("Big Boy" had come out the previous year on Steeltown Records, a local label). Still...somebody I knew on TV? I didn't think it was possible. At the time, knowing nothing about television production, I had no concept of "pre-recorded", so I really did not believe him. How could LaToya's little brother be on TV later that night, but be standing there talking to me? But he sounded so sincere, looked like he was about to 
cry, and he promised to be RIGHT back...so, I finally gave in and said "okay," sat down on the curb and waited...terrified that he'd somehow mess up my bike and get me in trouble with my father. Well, Marlon was as good as his word...he was back in less than 5 minutes. He must've found the hidden wings on that bike! In one fluid motion, foreshadowing the graceful dancer he would become, he jumped off the bike, pushed it in my direction, said thanks, managed not to drop the bread, and ran in the house, yelling "It's on Channel 7!" When I got home, still skeptical, I told my mother what LaToya's brother had said, and at the appointed hour, we were both sitting in disbelief around that little grainy black & white TV we had at the time...of course, our floor-model color one had picked that week to go out on us. Well, you could've knocked us BOTH over when we heard the announcer saying their names! And squinting at those grainy, 
black & white images, and listening to my neighbors/classmates' voices coming out of that sqawky TV speaker I knew my world had somehow changed forever... I had never seen or heard anything so awesome in my whole life! I actually saw people on TV that I KNEW! My Dad had even loaned them a drum set once, when theirs was stolen! In that few minutes, everybody who ever knew LaToya's brothers probably felt like they were up on that stage...
But never in our WILDEST dreams could we in that little neighborhood in the shadow of Roosevelt High School have imagined the global impact of these "homeboys" who lived in that little bitty house! (Wonder if they remember us?) As an Original Fan, the pride I have in them hasn't waned in over 30 years...I listen to the Jackson Five's timeless music nearly every day....it reminds me of a more innocent time, when their music had the magical power to banish some of the ugliness in the world...in MY world.
CLICK THE PIC FOR THE J5 PHOTO GALLERY!
The Jackson 5 win the Annual Talent Search - Gary, IN - 1967 (I think the kid in front of Jackie is Milford Hite, their first drummer - thanks, Katy!). Jermaine (r) is healing from being accidentally beaned with a baseball bat earlier that week.
IF ANYONE OUT THERE GREW UP IN MY OLD GARY, INDIANA NEIGHBORHOOD NEAR ROOSEVELT...OR WENT TO GARNETT ELEMENTARY, BECKMAN OR FROEBEL JR. HIGH, OR ATTENDED ROOSEVELT AT THE SAME TIME AS ANY OF THE JACKSONS, PLEASE CONTACT SHERYL F. PRICE ('VELT CLASS OF '75) AT SLOEWYNE@YAHOO.COM
CLICK HERE TO SEE MY LETTER FROM MICHAEL JACKSON!
CHECK OUT THESE OTHER GROOVY J5 SITES! (OK, so I'm stuck in the 70's...sue me! Have a nice day!)
- "The Jivy Jackson 5ive Page" - A young lady named Michelle in Maryland - who wasn't even BORN when the Jackson 5 made their last Motown recording - has put together the most complete collection of J5 photos and sound files (most require RealAudio) that I have EVER seen...most of the pictures she has are new even to ME...and I thought I'd seen them ALL! There's also a complete discography, complete with album cover photos, chart ratings, song list and release date. Way to go, Michelle...Keep the dream alive for a whole NEW generation!
- "Michael Jackson/Jackson 5 Photo Page from Val" - More pics I haven't seen before (where do they FIND this great stuff?); links to other J5 sites (including mine!)
"Karen D's Jackson Family Music Site" - A young lady who has spent countless hours researching, linking, collecting and archiving not only the music & stories of the Five, but of all NINE Jacksons - and all 3 T's (Tito's talented trio of sons). Well worth checking out!
PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO LOOK AT THESE CHILDREN - HELP BRING THEM HOME!
cry, and he promised to be RIGHT back...so, I finally gave in and said "okay," sat down on the curb and waited...terrified that he'd somehow mess up my bike and get me in trouble with my father. Well, Marlon was as good as his word...he was back in less than 5 minutes. He must've found the hidden wings on that bike! In one fluid motion, foreshadowing the graceful dancer he would become, he jumped off the bike, pushed it in my direction, said thanks, managed not to drop the bread, and ran in the house, yelling "It's on Channel 7!" When I got home, still skeptical, I told my mother what LaToya's brother had said, and at the appointed hour, we were both sitting in disbelief around that little grainy black & white TV we had at the time...of course, our floor-model color one had picked that week to go out on us. Well, you could've knocked us BOTH over when we heard the announcer saying their names! And squinting at those grainy, black & white images, and listening to my neighbors/classmates' voices coming out of that sqawky TV speaker I knew my world had somehow changed forever... I had never seen or heard anything so awesome in my whole life! I actually saw people on TV that I KNEW! My Dad had even loaned them a drum set once, when theirs was stolen! In that few minutes, everybody who ever knew LaToya's brothers probably felt like they were up on that stage...CLICK THE PIC FOR THE J5 PHOTO GALLERY!
The Jackson 5 win the Annual Talent Search - Gary, IN - 1967 (I think the kid in front of Jackie is Milford Hite, their first drummer - thanks, Katy!). Jermaine (r) is healing from being accidentally beaned with a baseball bat earlier that week.
IF ANYONE OUT THERE GREW UP IN MY OLD GARY, INDIANA NEIGHBORHOOD NEAR ROOSEVELT...OR WENT TO GARNETT ELEMENTARY, BECKMAN OR FROEBEL JR. HIGH, OR ATTENDED ROOSEVELT AT THE SAME TIME AS ANY OF THE JACKSONS, PLEASE CONTACT SHERYL F. PRICE ('VELT CLASS OF '75) AT SLOEWYNE@YAHOO.COM
CLICK HERE TO SEE MY LETTER FROM MICHAEL JACKSON!
CHECK OUT THESE OTHER GROOVY J5 SITES! (OK, so I'm stuck in the 70's...sue me! Have a nice day!) - "The Jivy Jackson 5ive Page" - A young lady named Michelle in Maryland - who wasn't even BORN when the Jackson 5 made their last Motown recording - has put together the most complete collection of J5 photos and sound files (most require RealAudio) that I have EVER seen...most of the pictures she has are new even to ME...and I thought I'd seen them ALL! There's also a complete discography, complete with album cover photos, chart ratings, song list and release date. Way to go, Michelle...Keep the dream alive for a whole NEW generation!
- "Michael Jackson/Jackson 5 Photo Page from Val" - More pics I haven't seen before (where do they FIND this great stuff?); links to other J5 sites (including mine!)
"Karen D's Jackson Family Music Site" - A young lady who has spent countless hours researching, linking, collecting and archiving not only the music & stories of the Five, but of all NINE Jacksons - and all 3 T's (Tito's talented trio of sons). Well worth checking out!
PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO LOOK AT THESE CHILDREN - HELP BRING THEM HOME!
CLICK HERE TO SEE MY LETTER FROM MICHAEL JACKSON!
- "The Jivy Jackson 5ive Page" - A young lady named Michelle in Maryland - who wasn't even BORN when the Jackson 5 made their last Motown recording - has put together the most complete collection of J5 photos and sound files (most require RealAudio) that I have EVER seen...most of the pictures she has are new even to ME...and I thought I'd seen them ALL! There's also a complete discography, complete with album cover photos, chart ratings, song list and release date. Way to go, Michelle...Keep the dream alive for a whole NEW generation!
- "Michael Jackson/Jackson 5 Photo Page from Val" - More pics I haven't seen before (where do they FIND this great stuff?); links to other J5 sites (including mine!)
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