Toriano Adaryll "Tito" Jackson (October 15, 1953 – September 15, 2024) was an American musician. He was an original member of the Jackson 5 (later known as the Jacksons), who rose to fame in the late 1960s and 1970s with the Motown label and later had continued success with the group on the Epic label in the late 1970s and 1980s. Tito began a solo career in 2003 performing as a blues musician. Throughout his career, he was nominated for three Grammy Awards,[1] and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Jackson 5.[2]
Jackson was born Toriano Adaryll Jackson at St. Mary's Mercy Hospital in Gary, Indiana on October 15, 1953.[3][4] He was the third of ten children of the Jackson family: Rebbie, Jackie, Jermaine, La Toya, Marlon, Brandon, Michael, Randy, and Janet who lived in a two-bedroom house in Gary. His father, Joseph, was a steel mill worker, and played R&B in a band, the Falcons, with his brother Luther. His mother, Katherine, is a Jehovah's Witness. She played the piano and the clarinet. At ten years of age, Tito was caught playing his father's guitar after he broke a string.[5] After fixing the string, Joe demanded that he play for him. Once he was finished, Joe bought him his own guitar, and convinced Tito, Jackie, and Jermaine to form a singing group. He was impressed with the vocals of Jackie and Jermaine.[6]

By 1964, Marlon and Michael both joined the group the Jackson 5 after Katherine discovered that they could sing. Katherine is a country-and-western fan, and she sang harmonies with her sons. Before Motown signed them, the brothers spent years rehearsing at home. After school they rehearsed for hours, played a gig, did homework and got to bed.[7][8][9]