When HELLO! catches up with The Jacksons singer Jackie Jackson, the legendary star is in ‘dad taxi mode’ and could not be more relatable.

A founding member of the iconic pop group the Jackson 5, Jackie, 74, has just dropped his 11-year-old twin sons River and Jaylen off at basketball camp and is in good spirits as he chats to us from his car, which he has pulled over for our call.

“They play AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) basketball,” Jackie reveals of his boys, who he shares with his third wife Emily Besselink. “Most of the players who play pro basketball today started in AAU.”

Jackie, who is also dad to his son Sigmund Esco Jr., 48, and daughter Brandi, 43, from his first marriage, says his youngest children share his passion for singing and dancing, but “mostly they play a lot of basketball.”

Jackie and Marlon Jackson of The Jacksons perform during the Boogietown Festival in the UK in 2024

Whether it’s sport or singing, Jackie – birth name Sigmund Esco – shares this advice with his children: “[It’s] the same advice that my father gave us: to work hard at it. I try to tell them the same thing. We became famous at a young age because we worked at it.”

Jackie may be in his seventies, but he’s as vivacious as ever and eagerly looking forward to The Jacksons’ performances in the UK this summer. The group are playing at Berkshire’s Englefield House and Audley End House & Gardens, Essex this July as part of Heritage Live Festivals.

Here, he talks about living with The Jacksons fame, remembering his brothers Michael and Tito Jackson and why The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger is one of his idols…

Jackie, lovely to meet you. Tell us about your UK shows this summer…

It’s going to be like all of our shows we’ve done in the past, high energy, just singing all the hit songs. That’s what we’ve always done and we’re going to continue doing that.

I love to see the fans enjoying themselves, but at the same time, it’s like going to the gym and working out.

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Jackie Jackson still loves to perform in his seventies

And Sister Sledge are your special guests…

Yes, I’ve known them for a long time. [We met] in the 70s and they used to open for us on tour in the 80s. I think the last time we performed with them was maybe a year ago in Europe

Do you have a personal favourite song that you perform?

It’s ‘I Want You Back’ because that’s the first hit we had. After hearing it in the studio when you’re recording it, you kind of get tired of it, but when you hear it for the first time on the radio, it’s a different feeling.

We were sad to hear about the passing of your brother Tito. Will you be doing a tribute to him in the shows?

Yes, we always do something. Whenever you lose a sibling in the family, it’s sad, and he’ll be highly missed. I miss both of them dearly and at any given time we know exactly where they would be on stage.

Will your wife and children join you in the UK this summer?

Yes. My boys come on stage sometimes – they were on stage with me in the south of France. I also own a furniture business in Amsterdam called Hayvenhurst, and we got to open up our first showroom in July. My wife is from Holland.

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The Jackson 5 pose together in 1974. From left, Tito, Jackie, Marlon (in front), Michael, and Jermaine Jackson

Can you remember how old you were when you started singing?

I was about 14 years old. Our dream was to become entertainers and we worked very hard. Every single day we worked on it at home.

Also, my dream was to be a professional baseball player at the same time, so I was on my way to doing that, but sticking with my brothers and singing with them was the best thing for me because I’m still doing that. If I was an athlete, I’d have retired a long [time ago].

What was life like at the pinnacle of your fame in the Jackson 5?

Well, life was grand. I remember coming over to London for the first time. We were landing around 5 o’clock and the pilot said, ‘Guys, you got about 10,000 screaming fans waiting for you in sleeping bags at the airport.’

So we landed in London and it was pandemonium. They didn’t have enough security, and I think it was winter. Michael had this scarf around his neck and one fan was pulling it one way and other fans were pulling it the other way. They were so excited to see him, but at the same time, they were choking [him].

Tito was on top of a car called the Daimler, and he was trying to get off but he couldn’t. It was pandemonium, the fans were so excited to see us.

As time went on, did you adjust to all the attention and fame?

You get used to it. That was part of the business at that particular time. It was like it when the Beatles came to America; that’s how it was when we went to Europe.

When Michael left the Jackson 5, you must have missed him a lot. What was it like?

He really didn’t leave. He took off because he did a movie called The Wiz, and after that, he decided to do a solo album.

He just took off and he was the biggest artist in the world – [selling] more records than any artist in the world today.

He had 100 shows lined up in London, but he decided to do 50. He was supposed to come back to the group, and we were supposed to tour after that.

Can you remember when Michael first did the moonwalk?

On Motown 25, that’s when he did the moonwalk. It was incredible. The whole world went crazy when he saw that.

Have you taught your children the moonwalk?

Oh yeah, they can do all of that stuff, better than me.

What do your kids think about your singing career?

They’re learning more about it now since they’re getting a little older, but my boys are 11 years old, and I’ve got a son that’s older than that and a daughter too. When my younger boys go places, people find out they belong to the Jackson family and it’s something new for them.

Do they have a favourite Jacksons song?

They like all of them.

I took them to see Bruno Mars about six days ago in concert. Bruno invited me to the concert, and when he announced me in the crowd it just went crazy. It brought tears to my eyes. They were calling my name through the arena and all of a sudden, Bruno got on the piano and started playing ‘I’ll be there’. The whole audience was singing it – I was like, ‘I thought I was at a soccer match!’ [laughs]

He’s a wonderful guy, Bruno. He said, ‘If it weren’t for these guys I wouldn’t be in the business.’ It felt great to me.

Your mother Katherine is 95. How is she doing?

She’s doing great. Matter of fact, I was born on my mom’s birthday, May 4th.

My mom doesn’t celebrate birthdays because she’s a Jehovah [Witness]. I celebrate a little more. I’ve never had a birthday party myself all these years. I like to stay home and just have some cake and ice cream with my boys and my wife.

What advice has she given you in your life that’s stayed with you?

She says, ‘Have fun. Life goes by real fast, just be yourself and have a lot of fun doing what you’re doing.’

What are your ambitions now?

I just want to stay fit, live as long as I can and be around my kids, keep performing, and run the furniture company because it’s brand new.

What’s next for The Jacksons?

Our plan is to keep singing. As long as Mick Jagger is on that stage singing, I’m going to continue doing the same thing. I see Mick out there still doing it; I’m going to do it too. We did a song together called ‘State of Shock’. He’s one of my idols, Mick Jagger.