Why Tito Jackson of the Jackson 5 moved to a small town in Oklahoma

At 70, the member of the iconic band The Jackson 5 — which over the years included his brothers Michael, Jermaine, Jackie, Randy and Marlon — kept looking for silence away from the tours and attention his family still attracts to this day. 

Earlier this year, Tito found that place in a house in the Claremore countryside, where he likes to sit on his patio and enjoy nature, far away from the stages and without the screams and cameras he's heard and seen all his life. 

“I always wanted to get away from the West Coast and experience living somewhere with new people and new culture,” Tito told the Tulsa World. “California is," he said before taking a long pause, "different.”

He recently shared his story at a Juneteenth event at the Claremore Museum of History. His choice to be one of the 20,174 people living in Claremore is not random. His agent and some of his closest friends live in Tulsa. He wanted to spend more time with them.

But what many might not know is that his connection to Oklahoma runs much deeper.

Tito’s uncle, Samuel Jackson, opened Jackson Undertaking Co. in Tulsa in 1917. It was located at 617 E. Archer St.

On the evening of May 31, 1921, it was burned down during the Tulsa Race Massacre. Samuel Jackson was hired by a white-owned funeral home to embalm the bodies of Black residents who were killed.

Samuel Jackson and his wife at the time, Eunice Cloman, rebuilt the funeral home and were business partners until 1948. 

Tito didn't visit his Oklahoma relatives much, but his family did stop by in 1969, and the band performed there multiple times in the 1970s. Tito sang and played guitar in the family band, which traveled all over the world from 1964 through 1989. The Jackson 5 earned four consecutive No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100.   

He then worked as a session guitarist and producer while raising his three children. After The Jackson 5 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997, he eventually got back on stage. This summer, Tito is on tour with two of his brothers, Jackie and Marlon, across the country and Europe. He has new music coming out this year.   

His family's connection to the massacre wasn't something discussed at all in front of him.

"I didn't know anything until maybe five years ago," he said.

Reflecting back on the history of Black people, Tito felt like growing up was not always easy, even with fame and fortune.

“There were a lot of barriers,” he said. “But it has changed. The process is steadily changing all the time.”

What he likes about his home in Oklahoma is the chance to fish when he wants. It's something he can't do at his homes in Nevada and California. So far, the people of Claremore have welcomed him, and he's excited to run into them around town. 

As for plans for other famous Jacksons coming to Oklahoma, Tito said he's invited them all to visit and learn about his new home. One of the questions he was asked at the Juneteenth event was whether his famous sister, Janet Jackson, will drop by after her Oklahoma City concert in July. 

“She is always invited,” Tito said.