3T: No Longer Just A Family Affair
The three Jackson brothers behind Brotherhood have always received advice and criticism from their musically talented family members. Now they're ready to get feed back from you.
Ever since the three T's of 3T- 24-year old Taj, 22-year-old Taryll and 19-year-old TJ Jackson- were little boys playing drums on their kitchen seats while belting out their favorite Jackson 5 songs, they've been performing for their famous family members. And once they were older and became serious about forming a musical trio (complete with real instruments, of course), their family performances turned into professional workshops. "We have performed a lot for our family because they are honest critics," say Taj. "They will let us know. And they give us positive criticism."
Just what type of criticism does 3T get from the likes of Aunt Janet and Uncle Michael Jackson? "All of our aunts and uncles are very supportive and their advice is pretty much the same: 'Just keep working and stick together and have fun, but also it's hard work and you really have to work for it-nothing comes easy.' And that is pretty much it "' Taryll says.
However, the boys find their greatest source of support and advice right at home, in their father, former Jackson 5 member Tito Jackson. "He supports us a hundred percent," Taryll says of his dad. "In anything and everything that we do, he supports us. He is excited because [our new career] is like the same thing [he went through with Jackson 5]." Not surprisingly, as Taryll reveals, Tito's advice for his sons echoes that of their aunts and uncles "Just keep working and always stay hungry and always have fun and enjoy it. And to stay as one."
It seems as if Taj, Taryll and TJ have taken all this advice to heart. The brothers managed to stick together and work through perhaps the hardest time in their lives-the 1994 death of their mother, Delores-to produce their 1995 debut CD, Brotherhood, which includes the singles "Why" and "Anything". And they're planning to release their third single, "I Need You," a gospel-like power ballad with Uncle Michael singing in background, in the United States sometime soon.
Now, with a CD and their recent five-week European tour under their belt, 3T is eager to get feedback from the rest of the world. "I guess deep inside we are looking forward to it," TJ says. "We are excited. We have been working hard."
Given all the publicity that constantly surrounds the Jackson Family-whether it be their mother's murder investigation or Uncle Michael's baby-some may think that the last thing Taj, Taryll and Tj would want is more family publicity. But, on the contrary, 3T looks at the positive side of all the attention. "I think we got what our family went though, so, I mean, if it was something that we would have dreaded, we wouldn't want to deal with the album or being in the public eye," Taryll explains. "We kind of have a taste for it already, so we are all really looking forward to it." And we're all really looking forward to 3T's success.
Article courtesy of "BB" Magazine