Ronnie Rancifer (born 1952) is an American keyboardist, musician and songwriter, noted for being a keyboardist for

The Jackson 5 The Jackson 5, later known as the Jacksons, are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was formed in Gary, Indiana in 1964, and originally consisted of brothers Jackie, Ti ...

from their early

Gary, Indiana Gary ( ) is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The population was 69,093 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it Indiana's List of municipalities in Indiana, eleventh-most populous city. The city has been historical ...

, days until the end of their famed career at

Motown Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

. The label presented Rancifer and drummer Johnny Jackson as the cousins"About The Jackson 5"
MTV. of Jackie,

Tito Josip Broz ( sh-Cyrl, Јосип Броз, ; 7 May 1892 – 4 May 1980), commonly known as Tito ( ; , ), was a Yugoslav communist revolutionary and politician who served in various positions of national leadership from 1943 until his death ...

Jermaine Jermaine ( ) is a masculine given name of Latin origin, derived from the French given name , which is in turn derived from the Latin given name . The masculine given name Jermaine was popularized in the 1970s by Jermaine Jackson (born 1954), a m ...

Marlon Marlon is a masculine given name. According to the ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', the popularity of Marlon Brando led to general awareness of the name (his father was also named Marlon), though the origin of the name is not known. Speculatio ...

Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * he He ..., a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name * Michael (bishop elect)">Michael (surname)">he He ..., a given nam ...

, however neither Rancifer nor Johnny Jackson are actually related to the Jacksons. He co-wrote " I Am Love" from the 1974 Jackson 5 album ''

Dancing Machine "Dancing Machine" is a song recorded by American R&B group the Jackson 5; it was the title track of their ninth studio album. The song was originally recorded for the group's 1973 album '' G.I.T.: Get It Together'' and was released as a remix. ...

''. In addition to playing keys for the Jackson 5, Rancifer worked as a songwriter on some of their albums and was with the group until 1975. Rancifer had a long career as a songwriter in Los Angeles. During the 1980s he worked with other Motown artists, and toured with

Smokey Robinson William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an American R&B and soul singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. He was the founder and frontman of the pioneering Motown vocal group the Miracles, for which he ...

References

External links

The Jacksons Biography

The Jackson 5
Living people African-American pianists American male organists American rhythm and blues keyboardists American soul keyboardists American funk keyboardists Songwriters from California Musicians from Gary, Indiana Musicians from Los Angeles Writers from Gary, Indiana American male pianists 21st-century American pianists 21st-century American organists 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century American keyboardists 20th-century American keyboardists 20th-century American male musicians African-American songwriters 20th-century African-American musicians 21st-century African-American musicians American male songwriters 1952 births {{songwriter-stub