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Biography

Janet Damita Jo Jackson was born on May 16, 1966 in Gary, Indiana. She's the youngest of 9 children born to Joe and Katherine Jackson. Growing up in the Jackson family, Janet was aware of the lures of performance early on.



Since The Jackson 5 were already stars by the time Janet was a teenager, it may never have occurred to her that it was possible to fail in show business. As she grew older, her interests branched out into several directions -- dancing, acting and singing. She appeared on stage in her brothers' show in 1973, when she was only seven years old. In 1977, Norman Lear offered her a job on Good Times on CBS. After that, Janet Jackson began appearing on other TV shows such as Different Strokes and A New Kind of Family. In 1982, Janet Jackson released her first self-titled album.



Only 16 years old at the time, Janet had yet to find a style and a specific audience. She began touring and during her tour, she met two members of the band The Time -- Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis -- two men who ultimately became major figures in her career. In 1983, Janet landed a role on the television series Fame. During her time on the show, she remained in the protective clutches of her parents who were often on the set. By 1984, Janet eloped with singer James DeBarge. But the following spring, she moved back with her parents and had the marriage annulled. Also in 1984, Janet released her second album, Dreamstreet, and although it was a little more personal, it was not well received by fans or critics.



The album that helped Janet shine was 1986's Control. It was her first album created with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. This album hit No.1, putting six singles on various charts. It marked the point that Janet Jackson began to express herself verbally, musically and rhythmically. Janet's sex symbol status began to ignite and the singles from the album just kept coming:



Five of the tracks from the album became top-five pop hits. Janet spent the following two years supporting the album and remixing the songs into dance versions.