Coordinates	31°6′12″N77°10′20″N
Name	Devo
Background	group_or_band
Origin	Akron, Ohio, United States
Genre	Punk rock, New Wave, post-punk, synthpop, synthpunk, art rock, techno
Years active	1972–19911996–present
Label	Warner Bros., Virgin, Enigma, Rykodisc, Rhino, Stiff
Associated acts	Devo 2.0Jihad Jerry & the EvildoersThe Wipeouters
Url	www.clubdevo.com
Current members	Mark MothersbaughBob MothersbaughGerald CasaleBob CasaleJosh Freese (session & touring)
Past members	Bob LewisPeter GreggFred WeberRod ReismanJim MothersbaughAlan MyersDavid Kendrick

Devo ( , originally dee-VOH) is an American band formed in Akron, Ohio, in 1973. The band had a #14 Billboard chart hit in 1980 with the single "Whip It", and has maintained a cult following throughout its existence. Their style over time has shifted between punk, art rock, post-punk, and New Wave. Their music and stage show mingle kitsch science fiction themes, deadpan surrealist humor, and mordantly satirical social commentary. Their often discordant pop songs feature unusual synthetic instrumentation and time signatures that have proven influential on subsequent popular music, particularly New Wave, industrial and alternative rock artists. Devo was also a pioneer of the music video, creating many memorable clips for the Laser Disc format, with "Whip It" getting heavy airplay in the early days of MTV.

History

Early years

The name "Devo" comes "from their concept of 'de-evolution' - the idea that instead of continuing to evolve, mankind has actually begun to regress, as evidenced by the dysfunction and herd mentality of American society." This idea was developed as a joke by Kent State University art students Gerald Casale and Bob Lewis as early as the late 1960s. Casale and Lewis created a number of satirical art pieces in a devolution vein. At this time, Casale had also performed with the local band 15-60-75 (The Numbers Band). They met Mark Mothersbaugh around 1970, who introduced them to the pamphlet "Jocko Homo Heavenbound", which includes an illustration of a winged devil labeled "D-EVOLUTION" and would later inspire the song "Jocko Homo". However, the "joke" became serious, following the Kent State shootings of May 4, 1970 (a song about which, "Ohio", would later be covered by Devo). This event would be cited multiple times as the impetus for forming the band Devo.

The first form of Devo was the "Sextet Devo" which performed at the 1973 Kent State performing arts festival. It included Casale, Lewis and Mothersbaugh, as well as Gerald's brother Bob Casale on guitar, and friends Rod Reisman and Fred Weber on drums and vocals, respectively. This performance was filmed and a part was included on the home video The Complete Truth About De-Evolution. This lineup only performed once. Devo returned to perform in the Student Governance Center (featured prominently in the film) at the 1974 Creative Arts Festival with a line-up including the Casale brothers, Bob Lewis, Mark Mothersbaugh, and Jim Mothersbaugh on drums.

Devo later formed as a quartet. They recruited Mark's brothers Bob Mothersbaugh and Jim Mothersbaugh. Bob played electric guitar, and Jim provided percussion using a set of homemade electronic drums. This lineup of Devo lasted until 1976 when Jim left the band. The lineup was occasionally fluid, and Bob Lewis would sometimes play guitar during this period. In concert, Devo would often perform in the guise of theatrical characters, such as Booji Boy, and The Chinaman. Live concerts from this period were often confrontational, and would remain so until 1977. A recording of an early Devo performance from 1975 with the quartet lineup appears on , ending with the promoters unplugging Devo's equipment.

Following Jim Mothersbaugh's departure, Bob Mothersbaugh found a new drummer in Alan Myers, who played with mechanical precision on a conventional, acoustic drum set. Casale re-recruited his brother Bob Casale, and the popular line-up of Devo was formed. It would endure for nearly ten years.

single "Mongoloid" b/w "Jocko Homo" (1977), released on the band's Booji Boy Records]]

1975–1980

Devo gained some fame in 1976 when the short film The Truth About De-Evolution by Chuck Statler won a prize at the Ann Arbor Film Festival. In 1977 Devo were asked by Neil Young to participate in the making of his film "Human Highway". Released in 1982, the film featured the band as "Nuclear garbagepersons." The band members were asked to write their own parts and Mark Mothersbaugh scored and recorded much of the soundtrack, his first of many.

In 1976 Devo released their first single Mongoloid b/w Jocko Homo, the B-side of which came from the soundtrack to The Truth About De-Evolution, on their independent label "Booji Boy", followed in 1977 by the re-working of the Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction''".

In 1978 the "Be Stiff EP" was released by English independent label Stiff Records, which included the single "Be Stiff" plus two previous Booji Boy releases. "Mechanical Man", a 4 track 7" EP of demos; apparently a bootleg, rumored to be put out by the band themselves, was also released that year.

Devo caught the attention of David Bowie and Iggy Pop, who championed the band and enabled Devo to secure a recording contract with Warner Bros. Records. After Bowie backed out due to previous commitments, their first album, was produced by Brian Eno and featured re-recordings of their previous singles Mongoloid and (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction, their cover version of the Rolling Stones classic. On October 14, 1978, Devo gained national exposure with an appearance on Saturday Night Live, a week after the Rolling Stones, performing "Satisfaction" and "Jocko Homo."

In 1978, co-founder Bob Lewis asked for credit and compensation for his contributions to the band. The band refused to negotiate, and sued Lewis in Los Angeles Superior Court, seeking a declaratory judgment stating Lewis had no rights to the name or theory of De-evolution. Lewis then filed an action in United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, alleging theft of intellectual property. During discovery, Lewis produced articles, promotional materials, documentary evidence and an interview The album's tour featured the band performing seven songs in front of a 12-foot high rear-projection screen with synchronized video, an image recreated using blue screen effects in the album's accompanying music videos. Devo also contributed two songs, "Theme from Doctor Detroit" and "Luv-Luv" to the 1983 Dan Aykroyd film Doctor Detroit, and produced a music video for "Theme from Doctor Detroit" featuring clips from the film with live action segments.

Devo released their sixth album, Shout, in 1984 to mixed reviews. The album has been criticized for its overuse of the Fairlight CMI synthesizer, and weak songwriting. However, the band's cover of the Jimi Hendrix classic "'Are You Experienced?" and the accompanying music video received some praise. Following the commercial failure of Shout, Warner Bros. dropped Devo from their label. Shortly after, claiming to feel creatively uninspired, Alan Myers left the band. This caused the band to abandon the plans for a "Shout" video LP, as well as their tour for the album. During the interim, Mark Mothersbaugh began composing music for the TV show Pee-Wee's Playhouse, and released an elaborately packaged solo cassette, Musik for Insomniaks, which was later expanded and released as two CDs in 1988.

1987–1994

In 1987, Devo reformed with new drummer David Kendrick, formerly of Sparks. Their first project was a soundtrack for the flop horror film Slaughterhouse Rock, starring Toni Basil. Devo had previously collaborated with Basil on her 1982 album Word of Mouth, and she had been in a relationship with Gerald Casale. The band released Total Devo in 1988 on Enigma Records. This album included two songs used in the Slaughterhouse Rock soundtrack. The song "Baby Doll" was used in the film Tapeheads, with newly recorded Swedish lyrics, and was credited to (and shown in a music video by) a fictitious Swedish band called Cube-Squared. Devo followed this up with a world tour, and released the live album . However, Total Devo was not a commercial success, and received poor critical reviews.

In 1989, members of Devo were involved in the project Visiting Kids, releasing a self-titled EP on the New Rose label in 1990. The group featured Mark's then wife Nancye Ferguson, as well as David Kendrick, Bob Mothersbaugh, his daughter Alex Mothersbaugh. Their record was produced by Bob Casale and Mark Mothersbaugh; Mark also co-wrote some of the songs. Visiting Kids also appeared on the soundtrack to the film Rockula, as well as on The Late Show with David Letterman. A promotional video was filmed for the song "Trilobites".

1990 saw the release of Smooth Noodle Maps, which would be Devo's last album for twenty years. It, too, was not a commercial success. Devo launched a European concert tour, but poor ticket sales caused it to be ended early. The band had a falling out soon after, though played two shows in 1991 before breaking up. Around this time, members of Devo appeared in the film Spirit of '76, except for Bob Mothersbaugh. Posthumously, two albums of demo recordings from 1974 to 1977— (1990) and (1991)—were released on Rykodisc, as well as an album of early live recordings, .

Following the split, Mark Mothersbaugh started Mutato Muzika, a commercial music production studio, taking with him Bob Mothersbaugh and Bob Casale. The former works as a composer, and the latter as a recording engineer. David Kendrick also worked at Mutato for a period during the early 1990s. Mark has gained considerable success in writing and producing music for television programs (starting with Pee Wee's Playhouse and perhaps most famously with Rugrats), video games, cartoons, and movies (notably working alongside director Wes Anderson). Gerald Casale began a career as a director of music videos and commercials. He has worked with bands including Rush, Silverchair, and the Foo Fighters. Also, in the wake of Devo's demise, Bob Mothersbaugh attempted to start a solo career with The Bob I Band, recording an album that was never released. The tapes for this are now lost, though a bootleg of the band in concert has surfaced.

1995–2006

In 1995, Devo reappeared with a new recording of "Girl U Want" on the soundtrack to the movie Tank Girl. In January 1996, Devo performed a reunion concert at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. The band performed on part of the 1996 Lollapalooza tour in the rotating Mystery Spot, with a setlist largely composed of material from their heyday between 1978 and 1982. Also in 1996, Devo also released a multimedia CD-ROM adventure game, The Adventures of the Smart Patrol with Inscape. The game was not a success, but the Lollapalooza tour was received well enough to allow Devo to return in 1997 as a headliner. Devo would perform off and on from 1997 on.

While they did not release any albums during this period, Devo recorded a number of songs for various films and compilations since their reunion, including a cover of the Nine Inch Nails hit, "Head Like a Hole" for the film Supercop. In 2005 Devo recorded a new version of "Whip It" to be used in Swiffer television commercials, a decision they have said they regretted. During an interview with the Dallas Observer, Gerald Casale said, "It's just aesthetically offensive. It's got everything a commercial that turns people off has.". The song "Beautiful World" was also used in a re-recorded form for an ad for Target stores. Due to rights issues with their back catalog, Devo often would use re-recorded songs for films and ads.

In 2005, Gerald Casale announced his "solo" project, Jihad Jerry & the Evildoers (the Evildoers themselves including the other members of Devo), and released the first EP, Army Girls Gone Wild in 2006. A full length album, Mine Is Not A Holy War was released on September 12, 2006 after a several-month delay. It features mostly new material, plus re-recordings of four very obscure Devo songs: "I Need A Chick" and "I Been Refused" (from Hardcore Devo: Volume Two), "Find Out" (which appeared on the single and EP of "Peek-A-Boo" in 1982), and "Beehive" (which was recorded by the band in 1974, at which point it was apparently abandoned with the exception of one appearance at a special show in 2001). Devo continued to tour actively in 2005 and 2006, unveiling a new stage show at shows in October 2006, and an appearance of the Jihad Jerry character performing "Beautiful World" as an encore.

Also in 2006, Devo worked on a project with Disney known as Devo 2.0. A band of child performers was assembled and re-recorded Devo songs. A quote from the Akron Beacon Journal elucidates, "...Devo recently finished a new project in cahoots with Disney called Devo 2.0, which features the band playing old songs and two new ones with vocals provided by children. Mothersbaugh doesn't rule out the idea of the band gathering in the studio, eventually, to record a new Devo album." Their debut album, a two disc CD/DVD combo entitled "DEV2.0", was released on March 14, 2006. The lyrics of some of the songs have been changed for family-friendly airplay, which has been claimed by the band to be a play on irony of sorts of the messages of their classic hits.

2007–present

In an April 2007 interview, Gerald Casale mentioned an upcoming project for a movie about Devo's early days. A script is supposedly being developed, tentatively called The Beginning Was the End, though the production hasn't been confirmed yet. Casale also stated that there may be some new Devo material as well, but whether this is related to the release of a movie or not is unclear. Devo played their first European tour since 1990 in the summer of 2007, including a performance at Festival Internacional de Benicàssim.

In June 2008 McDonald's released a Happy Meal toy wearing the Devo Energy dome that they named "New Wave Nigel". It was reported by AAP that a band member had initiated legal action against McDonald's as the hamburger chain had copied trademarked elements of the band's look. The following week it was reported a gag order had been placed on the band regarding further public statements on the matter. By July 2008 various blogs referred to "an e-mail" from a colleague of the band's attorney that suggested the issue was "amicably resolved".

In December 2007, Devo released their first new single since 1990, "Watch Us Work It," which was featured in a commercial for Dell. The song features a sample drum track from the song "The Super Thing" off of their 1981 album New Traditionalists. The band has announced in a July 23, 2007, MySpace bulletin that a full length music video for the song was forthcoming, and the song itself is available on iTunes and eMusic. Casale said that this song was chosen from a batch of songs that the band was working on, and that also this is the closest the band has been to a new album.

In a December 5, 2007 article on Mutato Muzika, LA Weekly reported that "After touring sporadically over the past decade but not releasing any new material, Devo are spending December at Mutato trying to create an album’s worth of new material and contemplating a method of dispersal in the post-record-company world." In a recent interview, Mothersbaugh revealed a song title from the in-progress album: "Don't Shoot, I'm a Man". However, in a radio interview on April 17, 2008, Jerry stated that Mark had "killed the project" and that there would be no new Devo album. Casale, however, later stated that "We're going to finish what we started."

Devo's song, "Gut Feeling/Slap Your Mammy", was featured in EA Sports' skateboard video game, Skate. The songs "Girl U Want" and "Through Being Cool" were released as downloadable content for the video game Rock Band on August 19, 2008. The song "Uncontrollable Urge" is featured in the video game Rock Band 2. All three songs have been rerecorded exclusively for Rock Band.

Devo played dates in the United States, Japan, Australia, France, and Spain in the summer of 2008. Also in 2008 the band remixed the Attery Squash song 'Devo Was Right About Everything' which was released on the B-side to the Watch Us Work It vinyl 12" single. They also remixed a song by Datarock, "Computer Camp", which can be heard on the band's MySpace page. Datarock routinely cites Devo as an influence. 2008 also saw a Japan exclusive box set containing the band's first six albums, This is the Devo Box. On October 17, 2008, Devo performed a special concert at the Akron Civic Theater, their first in Akron since 1978, to promote Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. They were joined at the concert by fellow Akron-area musicians The Black Keys and Chrissie Hynde.

In an October 2008 interview, Devo confirmed that they would be completing their new album. The Studio Notes section of the November 27 issue of Rolling Stone stated that "Devo are working on their first album of new material since 1990's Smooth Noodle Maps. 'We have about 17 songs we're testing out," says frontman Mark Mothersbaugh. 'We've already been contacted by 20 producers - including Snoop Dogg and Fatboy Slim.'"

Devo announced in early 2009 that they would be performing at SXSW on March 20th, with a warmup show in Dallas on March 18th. At these shows, Devo performed a new stage show utilizing synchronized video, similar to the 1982 tour, new costumes, and three new songs: "Don't Shoot, I'm a Man!", "What We Do", and "Fresh", which are tracks from their new album. All of these songs included a video backdrop which the band performed in front of. Devo also confirmed that they would be performing at All Tomorrow's Parties on May 6 and 8, with the May 6th performance featuring the band performing their first album, , in its entirety. The May 8th performance was a "greatest hits" show, for the ATP "Fans Strike Back" event. In November 2009, Devo toured performances Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! and Freedom of Choice with two-night stands in several cities. Along with the tour, Warner Bros. Records released remastered editions of the two albums.

In April 2009 Devo debuted the music video for "Don't Shoot (I'm a Man)" on their website, through Vimeo. In the June 2009 issue of Rolling Stone, the band noted that the album's release had been pushed back to 2010 to allow for "radical remixing". The album, Something for Everybody was eventually released in June 2010, preceded by a 12" single of "Fresh"/"What We Do". Earlier in the year the band had performed at one of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics victory concerts at Whistler Medals Plaza and donated a collection of objects to the Ohio Historical Society including an energy dome, jumpsuit, stickers, and t-shirts.

On September 16, 2009, Warner Bros. and Devo announced a re-release of and Freedom of Choice, with a tour performing both albums.

Devo was awarded the first-ever Moog Innovator Award on October 29, 2010 during MoogFest 2010 in Asheville, North Carolina. The Moog Innovator Award "celebrates pioneering artists whose genre-defying work exemplifies the bold, innovative spirit of Bob Moog." Devo was scheduled to perform at MoogFest, but due to Bob Mothersbaugh severely injuring his hand three days prior, the band was forced to cancel. Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale did collaborate with Austin, Texas band The Octopus Project to perform "Girl U Want" and "Beautiful World."

Discography

1978 -

1979 - Duty Now for the Future

1980 - Freedom of Choice

1981 - New Traditionalists

1982 - Oh, No! It's Devo

1984 - Shout

1988 - Total Devo

1990 - Smooth Noodle Maps

2010 - Something for Everybody

Line up

{| class="toccolours" border=1 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 style="float: width: 265px; margin: 0 0 1em 1em; border-collapse: collapse; border: 1px solid #E2E2E2;" |- ! bgcolor="#E7EBEE" | Sextet Devo (1973–1974) |

Gerald Casale - Bass Guitar

Bob Lewis - Guitar

Bob Casale - Guitar

Mark Mothersbaugh - Minimoog and Mellotron

Fred Weber - Vocals

Rod Reisman - Drums

The Sextet Devo performed only once in 1973 at the Kent State Performing Arts festival |- ! bgcolor="#E7EBEE" |Devo (1974–1976) |

Gerald Casale ("Chinaman") - Bass Guitar, Vocals

Mark Mothersbaugh ("Booji Boy") - Synthesizers, Vocals

Bob Mothersbaugh ("The Clown") - Guitar

Jim Mothersbaugh ("Jungle" Jim) - Electronic Percussion

Bob Lewis - Guitar ('74 KSU Creative Arts Festival and Pink Flamingos performances)

|- ! bgcolor="#E7EBEE" | Devo Classic Line Up (1976–1985) |

Gerald Casale - Bass Guitar, Bass Synthesizer, Vocals

Mark Mothersbaugh - Synthesizers, Guitar, Vocals

Bob Mothersbaugh ("Bob 1") - Guitar, Vocals, Keyboards (studio)

Bob Casale ("Bob 2") - Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals, Engineer

Alan Myers - Drums, Electronic Percussion

|- ! bgcolor="#E7EBEE" | Enigma Records (1987–1991) |

Gerald Casale - Bass Guitar, Bass Synthesizer, Vocals

Mark Mothersbaugh - Synthesizers, Vocals, Mutated Guitars (Satisfaction)

Bob Mothersbaugh ("Bob 1") - Guitar, Vocals

Bob Casale ("Bob 2") - Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals, Engineer

David Kendrick - Drums

|- ! bgcolor="#E7EBEE" | Current (1996-Today) |

Gerald Casale - Bass Guitar, Bass Synthesizer, Vocals

Mark Mothersbaugh - Synthesizers, Vocals, Mutated Guitars (Satisfaction)

Bob Mothersbaugh ("Bob 1") - Guitar, Vocals

Bob Casale ("Bob 2") - Guitar, Keyboards, Bass Synthesizer, Occasional Vocals, Engineer

Josh Freese - Drums

David Kendrick performed with Devo at several 2003 shows, including their tour of Japan due to the unavailability of Josh Freese.
Neil Taylor, Devo's drum technician also performs when Freese is unavailable, and performed on the 2008 Australian Tour.
Jeff Friedl, drummer for ashes dIVIDE and Puscifer, has been performing with Devo on selected dates while Freese is performing with Weezer, and provided additional drums on the album "Something For Everybody." |}

See also

Church of the SubGenius - A half-serious/half-humorous non-mainstream religion of which several of the band are members.

Devo 2.0 - project between Devo and the Walt Disney Company

Jihad Jerry & the Evildoers - solo project of Devo's bassist, Gerald Casale.

Since 1972 - Josh Freese's solo album

References

Further reading

Dellinger, Jade, and Giffels, David. We Are Devo! Deviants in a Post-Modern World. SAF Publishing. 2003. ISBN 0-946719-49-7.

Lewis, Bob. Devo: the first Postmodern Band, essay on Devo history at Kent State, devo.devaluate.com

Lewis, Bob. Readers vs. Breeders: Didactical Works re De-Evolution, originally appearing in Los Angeles Staff, 1972, cleveland.com

External links

Devo Category:Musical groups established in 1972 Category:Musical quintets Category:American New Wave musical groups Category:Kent State University Category:Musical groups from Ohio Category:Post-punk music groups Category:American SubGenii Category:1970s music groups Category:1980s music groups Category:American punk rock groups Category:Warner Bros. Records artists Category:Virgin Records artists Category:Rykodisc artists Category:1990s music groups Category:2000s music groups Category:2010s music groups Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1991 Category:Musical groups reestablished in 1996 Category:1980s New Wave acts

Coordinates	31°6′12″N77°10′20″N
Name	Jermaine Jackson
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Jermaine La Jaune Jackson
Born	December 11, 1954Gary, Indiana, U.S.
Genre	R&B;, soul, dance
Occupation	Singer-songwriter, dancer, record producer
Years active	1964–present
Instrument	Vocals, electric bass, guitar, keyboards
Label	Motown, Epic, Arista, LaFace
Associated acts	The Jackson 5SwitchWhitney Houston

Jermaine La Jaune Jackson (born December 11, 1954) is an American singer, bassist, composer, a member of The Jackson 5, older brother of American pop stars Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson and occasional film director. He also produced and recorded duets with American singer Whitney Houston in her early years as a recording artist.

Biography

Early life

Jackson is the fourth child of Joseph and Katherine Jackson, born in Gary, Indiana after his brother Tito Jackson. His brothers and sisters are Rebbie, Jackie, Tito, Marlon, La Toya, Michael, Randy and Janet. He was raised as a Jehovah's Witness by his devout mother (though he later converted to Islam in 1989 after a trip to Iraq and has been staunch supporter of peace in the region). Jermaine was the original lead singer of the Jackson Brothers—an earlier incarnation of The Jackson Five—until 1968, when younger brother Michael began assisting with lead vocals. He remained the lead vocalist with Michael for many years. Jackson graduated from Birmingham High School in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California in 1973.

The Jackson 5

Jermaine and his brothers signed with Motown Records in 1968. As the co-lead singer of The Jackson 5 after his brother Michael, Jermaine sang notable parts of "I Want You Back", "I'll Be There", "The Love You Save","Dancing Machine", and many other Jackson 5 songs. In 1975, after six years performing with his brothers, Jermaine split from the Jackson 5 to continue his solo career at Motown Records while the other Jackson brothers left to sign with Epic Records. In 1983, he reunited with his brothers for the television special. After the success of the broadcast, he rejoined the band to record the album Victory and participated in the Victory Tour. He stayed with the group for their final album 2300 Jackson Street in 1990. In 2001, he reunited with his brothers to perform for the of Michael's solo career, in an interview he states," when Michael had his success, me and my brothers were kind of jealous."

Solo career

Like Michael, Jermaine began a solo career while still a member of The Jackson 5, and had a hit with the 1972 Shep and the Limelites cover "Daddy's Home". It sold over one million copies by March 1973, and was awarded a gold disc. When The Jackson 5 left Motown, Jermaine left the group and stayed at Motown, as he had married Hazel Gordy and Motown head Berry Gordy was in father-in-law. In 2009, Jermaine claimed on the family reality series it was because "Motown was gonna make us like the Beatles. We were the Jackson 5 and that's all I wanted."

Jermaine was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Male R&B; Vocal Performance for his 1980 album Let's Get Serious. He had numerous Billboard Top 30 hits throughout the 1970s and 1980s, including "Daddy's Home" (#9), "That's How Love Goes", "Let's Be Young Tonight", "Bass Odyssey", "Feel the Fire", "Let Me Tickle Your Fancy" (featuring Devo on backing vocals) (#18), "Let's Get Serious" (#9, also one of his only two UK hits, peaking at #8), "Dynamite" (#15), "Do What You Do" (#13), and "I Think It's Love" (#16). A duet with his brother Michael, "Tell Me I'm Not Dreamin' (Too Good to Be True)", hit #1 on the dance chart in 1984. He and Michael also collaborated with Rockwell, both providing guest vocals on his 1984 hit single, "Somebody's Watching Me". In 1985, his duet with Pia Zadora, When the Rain Begins to Fall, topped several singles charts in Europe. His final chart success, 1989's "Don't Take It Personal", hit #1 on the Billboard R&B; singles chart. Some of Jermaine's finest moments as a singer can be heard in the soulful "Castle of Sand" and the Earth Wind & Fire inspired "You Need To Be Loved".

Jackson is proficient on the electric guitar and is a talented bass guitar player. Already at an early age he performed the parts of legendary bass player James Jamerson etc., when J5 performed live. Jermaine also composed and produced for other artists like Switch. He also produced and sang a couple of duets on Whitney Houston's debut album on Arista Records. In 1992, he produced , an award-winning and highly-rated miniseries about the history of The Jackson 5. Jermaine Jr. portrayed his father as a young teenager in the miniseries.

Reality TV: Big Brother UK

Jackson was the first housemate to enter the Celebrity Big Brother UK house in 2007. He steered clear of the controversy caused by the series, avoiding confrontation and offering moral support to fellow housemate Shilpa Shetty against alleged bullying from fellow housemates Jade Goody, Danielle Lloyd, and Jo O'Meara. He was often considered to be the most stable minded in the house. During a task in the Big Brother house, the housemates had to create a tribute band for The Jackson 5. The performance of "I Want You Back" helped put The Jackson 5 back in the UK charts at #53. The final three consisted of Dirk Benedict, Jermaine Jackson, and Shilpa Shetty. After leaving Big Brother, Jackson did several interviews on UK television, stating why and how he took his peaceful and mediating stance in the Big Brother house. He also spoke about the Jackson 5 reuniting for a performance. Jackson was part of the second season of the CMT reality show Gone Country. On one episode, he admitted that he needs to sleep with the lights on in an exchange with roomie Sebastian Bach. When Bach probed Jackson further, Jackson said that he "sees people" from the 1800s if he sleeps with the lights off.

Later works

He is planning a stage show based on his family to be released in the UK. He has said that The Jacksons are recording an album and planning a family tour. Jackson returned to the UK in March 2007 to take part in the Channel 4 show Musicool as a mentor.

He is also currently involved in several charity projects and has been working on projects to help orphaned children around the world. Among other countries, he has visited Bangladesh as part of his work to raise funds and help children. He has also figured heavily on the Islam Channel in the UK where he talked about his Islamic faith as well as announcing several charity projects that he plans to undertake.

In April 2007, Jackson returned to the UK to take part in a one-off special of ITV's Challenge Anneka. On the same trip he appeared in Glasgow with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, speaking in support of Searchlight magazine's anti-racism campaign, the Daily Mirror "Hope Not Hate bus".

On November 23, 2007, Jackson appeared on and again talked of a reunion with his brothers on a tour the following year. In 2008, Jackson flew to Australia to be a guest judge and mentor for the top 5 Michael Jackson night on Australian Idol. In March 2008, Jackson was the guest of honour at the Muslim Writers Awards in Birmingham.

He currently appears on the A&E; television series documenting the return of him and his three brothers to music and preparing for a 40th anniversary tour and album. Jermaine Jackson will also be playing a concert at the planet hollywood hotel and casino in Las Vegas on October 2, 2010. The concert is set to be the kick off to his new tour titled "40 Years of Jackson Music", with a special dedication to his brother, Michael Jackson.

Personal life

His middle name "La Jaune" means "The Yellow" in French.

On December 15, 1973, Jackson married Hazel Gordy, who is the daughter of Motown Records founder Berry Gordy. The couple had three children together, Jermaine La Jaune "Jay" Jackson Jr., (born January 27, 1977), Autumn Jackson (born July 10, 1978), and Jaimy Jackson (born March 17, 1987).

While Jermaine was married to Hazel he began an extra-marital affair with Margaret Maldonado and had gotten both women pregnant. After his divorce from Gordy in 1988, Jackson started living with Margaret Maldonado. The couple had two children named Jeremy Maldonado Jackson, (born December 16, 1986) and Jourdynn Michael Jackson, (born January 5, 1989).

Shortly after separating from Maldonado, on March 18, 1995, in that same year Jermaine abruptly married his brothers ex-girlfriend Alejandra Genevieve Oaziaza who also had three children with his youngest brother Randy Jackson. Jermaine Jackson and, Alejandra Genevieve Oaziaza, had two sons, Jaafar Jeremiah Jackson (born July 25, 1996) and Jermajesty Jermaine Jackson (born October 7, 2000). In November 2004 Jackson separated, then discovered that Oaziaza had not divorced her first husband Nicholas Ray, so their marriage was annulled Halima Rashid became Jackson's second wife.

Jackson converted to Islam in 1989 after a trip to Bahrain and publicly expressed his religious beliefs during his appearance on Big Brother; while filming the program, Jackson prayed and fasted. He also expressed his hopes to convert his brother Michael to Islam, saying it would have provided him with peace and heal his problems.

In 2004 Jackson told the media that he married Halima Rashid. They currently live in Los Angeles, but often travel around the world.

He supported his brother Michael Jackson, during the 2005 child-abuse trial. He came to Michael's defense on CNN's Larry King Live and appeared with him in court on many occasions. On June 25, 2009, Jermaine held a press conference at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and broke the news of Michael Jackson's death to the media.

Jackson attended the memorial service for his brother Michael on July 7, 2009 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. He acted as a pallbearer, and performed the song Smile by Charlie Chaplin, which was believed to be his brother's favorite song, in tribute.

Jackson is an avid Los Angeles Dodgers fan. In 2009 while wearing a Manny Ramirez jersey, he made a one-handed catch of a foul ball while seated behind the Dodgers dugout. !! width="30"| USR&B; |- | 1972 || Jermaine || align="center"|27 || align="center"|6 || align="center"|- |- | 1973 || Come Into My Life || align="center"| || align="center"| || align="center"|- |- | 1976 || My Name Is Jermaine || align="center"|164 || align="center"|29 || align="center"|- |- | 1977 || Feel The Fire || align="center"|174 || align="center"|36 || align="center"|- |- | 1978 || Frontiers || align="center"|- || align="center"|- || align="center"|- |- | 1979 || Let's Get Serious || align="center"|6 || align="center"|1 || align="center"|22 |- | 1980 || Jermaine || align="center"|44 || align="center"|1 || align="center"|- |- | 1981 || I Like Your Style || align="center"|86 || align="center"|31 || align="center"|- |- | 1982 || Let Me Tickle Your Fancy || align="center"|46 || align="center"|9 || align="center"|- |- | 1984 || Dynamite (also called Jermaine Jackson) || align="center"|19 || align="center"|13 || align="center"|57 |- | 1986 || Precious Moments || align="center"|46 || align="center"|25 || align="center"|- |- | 1989 || Don't Take It Personal || align="center"|115 || align="center"|18 || align="center"|- |- | 1991 || You Said || align="center"|- || align="center"|39 || align="center"|- |- |align="center" colspan="6" style="font-size:8pt"|"—" denotes releases that did not chart |- |}

Compilations

Singles

Motown releases

{| class="wikitable" |- bgcolor="CCCCCC" ! Year !! Song title !! width="30"| US |- | rowspan=4|1984 || "Sweetest Sweetest" || align="center"|- || align="center"|- || align="center"|52 |- | "Dynamite" || align="center"|15 || align="center"|8 || align="center"|- |- | "Do What You Do" || align="center"|13 || align="center"|13 || align="center"|6 |- | "Tell Me I'm Not Dreamin' (Too Good to Be True)" (with Michael Jackson) || align="center"|- || align="center"|- || align="center"|- |- | rowspan=2|1985 || "When the Rain Begins to Fall" (with Pia Zadora) || align="center"|52 || align="center"|54 || align="center"|68 |- | "(Closest Thing) To Perfect" || align="center"|67 || align="center"|63 || align="center"|- |- | rowspan=3|1986 || "I Think It's Love" || align="center"|16 || align="center"|14 || align="center"|96 |- | "Lonely Won't Leave Me Alone" || align="center"|- || align="center"|- || align="center"|- |- | "Do You Remember Me" || align="center"|71 || align="center"|40 || align="center"|- |- | 1987 || "Words Into Action" || align="center"|- || align="center"|90 || align="center"|- |- | 1989 || "Don't Take It Personal" || align="center"|64 || align="center"|1 || align="center"|69 |- | rowspan=2|1990 || "I'd Like to Get to Know You" || align="center"|- || align="center"|27 || align="center"|- |- | "Two Ships (In the Night)" || align="center"|- || align="center"|21 || align="center"|- |- | rowspan=2|1991 || "Word to the Badd!" (with T-Boz)|| align="center"|78 || align="center"|88 || align="center"|- |- | "You Said, You Said" || align="center"|- || align="center"|27 || align="center"|- |- | 1992 || "I Dream, I Dream" || align="center"|- || align="center"|30 || align="center"|- |- |align="center" colspan="6" style="font-size:8pt"|"—" denotes releases that did not chart |}

References

External links

Only website full dedicated to Jermaine Jackson (fanclub)

Video interview about his Islamic beliefs

VH1 Profile

Jermaine Jackson Complete Motown Discography

Category:1954 births Category:Living people Category:African American guitarists Category:African American singers Category:American dance musicians Category:American expatriates Category:American male singers Category:American Muslims Category:African American Muslims Category:Former Jehovah's Witnesses Category:American pop singers Category:American rhythm and blues musicians Category:American rhythm and blues singers Category:Songwriters from Indiana Category:American soul musicians Category:American soul singers Category:Arista Records artists Category:American bass guitarists Category:Big Brother UK contestants Category:Epic Records artists Category:The Jackson 5 members Category:Jackson musical family Category:1960s singers Category:1970s singers Category:1980s singers Category:1990s singers Category:2000s singers Category:2010s singers Category:Motown artists Category:Musicians from Indiana Category:People from Gary, Indiana Category:Converts to Islam from Christianity Category:African American converts to Islam

Coordinates	31°6′12″N77°10′20″N
Name	Ricardo Autobahn
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	John Matthews
Born	5 March 1978
Alias	Rikki (in Rikki & Daz
Genre	pop, hip hop Dance music Europop
Associated acts	Rikki & Daz Barndance Boys Cuban Boys Attery Squash Ricardo Autobahn,
Url	http://www.dazsampson.co.uk/

John Matthews (born 8 March 1978) better known by his stage name Ricardo Autobahn is an English producer, songwriter and musician.

Matthews is a member of the bands Spray and the Cuban Boys, who are most famous for their "pass off" UK Christmas hit "Cognoscenti Vs. Intelligentsia". The band allowed their label to market C vs I as "The Hampster Dance Song".

In addition, Matthews was Rikki in the duo Rikki & Daz (along with Daz Sampson), and later on, also a member of the kids band the Barndance Boys. With Daz Sampson, he co-wrote and produced the UK's 2006 Eurovision entry "Teenage Life", and the European hit "The Woah Song" by DJ Daz.

Rikki & Daz scored a UK top 20 hit with their version of the song "Rhinestone Cowboy", involving Glen Campbell who re-recorded his vocal and appeared in the video. The Barndance Boys, infamous for their papier mache heads, had a top 40 hit in 2003 with "Yippie-I-Oh". Ricardo Autobahn also remixed Becky's dance single, "Less Than Three", The Crimea's 'Loop A Loop' as well as Minneapolis sound protege Lolly Pop's 2007 eponymous debut.

In 2008 he formed a new project the Attery Squash, who had their single "Devo Was Right About Everything" remixed by Devo members Robert & Gerald Casale

In 2009, he released a video on youtube called "The Golden Age of Video". This was a mash-up of video clips from various TV Shows and movies.

See also

Rikki & Daz

Spray

Cuban Boys

Daz Sampson

References

External links

Official website

Ricardo Autobahn MySpace site

Attery Squash MySpace

Category:English electronic musicians Category:English keyboardists Category:Living people Category:1978 births