May 1977
Jackson Five at the Buttes-Chaumont
t’s the spring of 1977, a few years ago now, and I’m covering legends of pop music like the Rolling Stones, David Bowie and Bob Marley. This time I know the Jackson Five are in Paris. The product of their father’s ambition, they left the CBS label in 1969 to sign with Motown. They’re all stars, but Michael, 18, is already beginning to stand out from his brothers. On that day, the Jackson Five record a program in an SFP studio at the Buttes-Chaumont. When they come out of the studio with their father, I ask permission to take a photo—right there, on the spot. No problem. He says yes right away. So I take the picture without any preparation. Father and son are charming together. Can you believe it? Today you’d need to ask six months in advance to take a picture like that. Back then you didn’t have to fight your way through record labels, press officers, managers and producers.
Jacques Benaroch
40 ans de photojournalisme – Génération Sipa
Michel Setboun and Sylvie Dauvillier
Layout: Grégory Bricout
© 2012, Éditions de La Martinière
239 pages – 39 euros
