NCCU and Local High School Band and Dancers to Open for Rebbie Jackson in Durham

Rebbie Jackson, the eldest child of the Jackson family of musicians, is coming to Durham, North Carolina to headline a very important cause. Ms. Jackson, whose own daughter Yashi Brown, suffers from bipolar type 2 and other mental health issues is headlining the 2011 National Alliance on Mental Illness Pick Up The Phone Mental Health Awareness Concert Tour.

The tour moves into the Hayti Heritage Center at 7 p.m. and The NCCU Vocal Jazz Ensemble will perform a special 45 minute set to kick off the night while the South Durham High School dancers and the Green Hope High School Jazz Band will also perform before Ms. Jackson takes center stage to perform notable Jackson favorites such as her own “Centipede,” and Michael Jackson’s “You Rock My World,” “Rock With You,” the Jackson Five’s “I Want You Back,” “Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground),” and others.

Rebbie Jackson first performed on stage with her siblings during shows in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in 1974, before subsequently appearing in the television series The Jacksons.

At age 34, Jackson released her debut album Centipede (1984). The album featured songs written by Smokey Robinson, Prince and her younger brother Michael, whose contribution (the title track “Centipede”) became Rebbie’s most successful single release. By the end of the 1980s, the singer had released two more albums in quick succession: Reaction (1986) and R U Tuff Enuff (1988).

Rebbie Jackson returned with the 1998 album Yours Faithfully. The production of the album, her last to date, had the singer collaborate with artists and producers such as Men of Vizion’s Spanky Williams, Keith Thomas and Eliot Kennedy. It also featured contributions from her children. Most notably, the album would feature the last time Michael Jackson ever recorded a duet with a family member on the memorable, yet un-released “Fly Away.”

Now, the eldest of the Jackson clan and the caretaker to Michael, Janet, and the others is taking on the biggest and most fulfilling challenge of her long and storied career.

Mental illness is a major problem in our community as it is in others. A major problem as to why many don’t seek help is the stigma, the embarrassment that so many feel.

Rebbie is delighted to announce that she is headlining a major tour and partnering with the National Alliance on Mental Illness to help raise awareness to various mental illnesses. Ms. Jackson’s concert tour has been dubbed the “2011 Rebbie Jackson Pick Up The Phone Mental Health Awareness Tour.”

Thus far the tour has gained national attention with Ms. Jackson and her daughter, Yashi Brown who suffers from bipolar disorder, being interviewed on ABC’s “The View,” and NBC’s “Today Show.”

National and local coverage is expected at each of the show’s planned 40 stops in U.S. cities.

Rebbie invites all to come join us for a special event that will help raise awareness to Depression, BiPolar, Mental Illness, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Eating Disorders, ADHD, Schizophrenia, Autism, Alcohol and Substance Abuse and Suicide.

LINKS:

http://bethesda.wusa9.com/news/arts-culture/rebbie-jackson-s-pick-phone-2011-tour-kicks-tonight/54467

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2011/02/16/exclusive-rebbie-jackson-pain-raising-daughter-bipolar-disorder-schizophrenia/

http://www.venicemag.com/news-article/rebbie-jackson-answers-the-call/342

http://www.aunniydesign.com/blog/2011/02/24/Rebbie-Jackson-A-Very-Beautiful-Mother-Wife-and-Sister-of-the-Legendary-Jackson-Family.aspx