Janet Damita Jo Jackson was born on May 16, 1966, in Gary, Indiana, to Katherine Jackson (née Katherine Esther Scruse) and Joe Jackson, a musician. She is the youngest of ten children, with her brothers forming a band later called The Jackson 5 before her birth. Janet lived at home with her sisters while her brothers and father lived an extravagant life in Los Angeles, later moving in with them as her brothers made a name for themselves and signed a deal with Motown.
As she was touring and making appearances with her brothers and the rest of the family, Janet co-starred with the rest of them in "The Jacksons". In 1977, she landed the part of Penny Gordon on "Good Times", showcasing her acting abilities early on. She also made memorable appearances on the hit TV show "Diff'rent Strokes" as Charlene Dupree and later on "Fame".
Janet married boyfriend James Debarge, but they divorced just months later. She signed with A&M Records and recorded her first solo album, titled "Janet Jackson", which did poorly on the music charts. Two years later, she recorded "Dream Street", which turned out to be another disaster. A year later, she signed on Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis to record a third album, "Control", which was a hit, selling 5 million copies in the U.S. alone, spawning six hits, and the number one single "When I Think of You". After this success, Janet fired her father, her manager, to truly gain control.
Janet was determined to make this happen again. She then recorded "Rhythm Nation 1814", which sold 9 million copies in the U.S. - a bigger hit than "Control"! She happened to fall in love with a dancer named René Elizondo, Jr. from one of her sister's music videos and later secretly married him in March of 1991. The year before, she received a star on the Hollywood walk of fame. Janet went to work on her fifth album, simply called "Janet.", which was her biggest hit to date, selling over 10 million copies in the U.S. alone and includes her biggest hit single to date, "That's The Way Love Goes". Two years later, she released a Greatest Hits album, "Design of a Decade", which included two new hits, "Runaway", and "Twenty-Foreplay". Her sixth album, "The Velvet Rope", clarified her pop culture status.
In the midst of the release of "Nutty Professor II", René Elizondo filed for divorce, which is when it emerged they had been secretly married. Janet recorded her seventh album, "All For You", which was another hit. She was honored by MTV as an MTV Icon. In 2003, Janet went to work on her next album, "Damita Jo", which was another hit.
