(August 6, 2026) — John “Sly” Wilson, founding member of the veteran soul group Sly, Slick & Wicked, has announced the release of a new book offering his personal perspective on one of popular music’s most discussed figures.
Joe Jackson: Through My Eyes — By the One Who Knew Him Best recounts Wilson’s experiences with the late Jackson family patriarch, with whom he says he began working in 1985. According to Wilson, their professional relationship developed into a friendship that lasted nearly three decades and included extensive personal conversations about Jackson’s life, family and career.
Wilson also worked with La Toya and Janet Jackson and says he maintained a relationship with members of the Jackson family for more than 40 years.
“There have been many stories told about Joe Jackson,” Wilson said. “This is my story, based on what Joe shared with me and what I personally experienced during our years together.”
Joe Jackson, who died in 2018 at age 89, managed the Jackson 5 from their early days in Gary, Indiana, through their rise at Motown. The group’s first four nationally released Motown singles — “I Want You Back,” “ABC,” “The Love You Save” and “I’ll Be There” — all reached number one, establishing the family as one of the biggest musical acts of the early 1970s. Jackson later played an important role in launching the recording careers of several of his children, including Michael and Janet. His legacy remains both influential and controversial, with his accomplishments as a manager often discussed alongside accounts of his severe disciplinary methods.
Wilson has his own place in soul music history. Formed in Cleveland in 1970, Sly, Slick & Wicked worked with James Brown’s People Records and later recorded for the O’Jays’ Shaker label, Motown-affiliated Ju-Par Records and Epic. The group is best remembered for such songs as “Stay My Love” and “Sho’ Nuff,” the latter of which was later sampled by Justin Timberlake and J. Cole. Sly, Slick & Wicked was inducted into the Rhythm & Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2013.
Wilson has also written or produced for artists including Barry White, Janet Jackson, La Toya Jackson and the O’Jays.
Joe Jackson: Through My Eyes is being promoted as a firsthand account of Jackson as a father, manager and architect of one of music’s most celebrated families. The book is available through Amazon under the title Joe Jackson: Through My Eyes by John Sly Wilson.
