LaToya Yvonne Jackson (born May 29, 1956 in Gary, Indiana) is one of the many siblings in the family which has produced such highly successful musical acts as The Jackson 5, Michael Jackson, and Janet Jackson. She was the first Jackson sister to pursue a solo career. However, her albums were always critically panned and, although they sold moderately well, it was generally believed this was due to her siblings' popularity. She did have an American top sixty hit in the 1980s with the song "Heart Don't Lie".

LaToya has caused much controversy; she appeared nude in Playboy magazine, wrote an autobiography called Growing Up in The Jackson Family, went shopping with a boa constrictor around her neck, and stated that the allegations of child abuse against her brother, Michael Jackson, were true. Now she is reconciled with her family and says the image of her being the "black sheep of the family" was the creation of her management. Her manager, Jack Gordon , was also her husband, but he was abusive toward her and they are now divorced.

Her latest album is set to be released in 2005. It produced a Top 20 single, "Just Wanna Dance." She released the song to the radios using the stage name "Toy", thus it was judged by its own merits, not by her surname. The album's second single, "Free The World", reached #24 on the Billboard Hot Dance Music & Club Play chart. The album is planned to be released this summer.

Albums

• LaToya Jackson (1980)
• My Special Love (1982)
• Heart Don't Lie (1984)
• Imagination (1986)
• LaToya (also called You're Gonna Get Rocked, 1988)
• Bad Girl (1989)
• No Relations (1991)
• From Nashville To You: My Country Collection (a compilation of covers of country songs, 1994)
• Stop In The Name Of Love (a compilation of covers of Motown hits of the 60s and 70s, 1995)
• Startin' Over (2005).

External links:

• Official site
• The Universal Love of LaToya
• A fan site