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

The Jackson 5 The Jackson 5 (sometimes stylized as the Jackson 5ive, also known as the Jacksons) are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was founded in 1964 in Gary, Indiana, and for most o ...

from their early

Gary, Indiana Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city has been historically dominated by major industrial activity and is home to U.S. Steel's Gary Works, the largest steel mill complex in North America. Gary is located along the ...

days until the end of their famed career at

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

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

Tito Tito may refer to: People Mononyms * Josip Broz Tito (1892–1980), commonly known mononymously as Tito, Yugoslav communist revolutionary and statesman * Roberto Arias (1918–1989), aka Tito, Panamanian international lawyer, diplomat, and journ ...

Jermaine Jermaine ( ) is a masculine given name of Latin language, Latin origin, derived from the French given name , which is in turn derived from the Latin given name , meaning "brother". The masculine given name Jermaine was popularized in the 1970s b ...

, Marlon,

Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian an ...

, however neither Rancifer nor Johnny Jackson are actually related to the Jacksons. In addition to playing keys for the Jackson 5, Rancifer worked as a songwriter on some of their albums. Rancifer had a long career as a songwriter in Los Angeles, and although the note below infers that he may not have been a member of the group through 1975, it has been confirmed that he was with the group until 1975. * NOTE: References differ on Rancifer's tenure with the

Jackson 5 The Jackson 5 (sometimes stylized as the Jackson 5ive, also known as the Jacksons) are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was founded in 1964 in Gary, Indiana, and for most o ...

. Some indicate he was only a member of the group for 1962 to 1963, while other references state his was a member from 1964 to 1975. He co-wrote " I Am Love" from the 1974 album ''

Dancing Machine "Dancing Machine" is a song recorded by American R&B outfit the Jackson 5, and 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 ...

''. Ronnie Rancifer was a member of the Jackson 5/Jacksons until 1975. 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 singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive director. He was the founder and front man of the Motown vocal group the Miracles, for which he was also chief ...

References

External links

The Jacksons Biography

The Jackson 5
Living people African-American pianists American organists 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 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