Taj Jackson

There they were, bigger than life. More colorful in their sequined costumes than a fireworks display and twice as explosive. The Jackson 5 in concert, singing and dancing and inciting gleeful pandemonium among audiences across the globe. While most fans savored the excitement of the Jacksons' nifty dance moves and their Motown sound, brothers Taj, Taryll and T.J. committed it all to memory--every step, slide and musical note.

There they were, bigger than life. More colorful in their sequined costumes than a fireworks display and twice as explosive. The Jackson 5 in concert, singing and dancing and inciting gleeful pandemonium among audiences across the globe. While most fans savored the excitement of the Jacksons' nifty dance moves and their Motown sound, brothers Taj, Taryll and T.J. committed it all to memory--every step, slide and musical note.

Buckley COACH: Rick Weber, 1st season LAST SEASON: 4-14; 4th in league, 4-6 PLAYERS TO WATCH: Weber coached from 1981-88 at league member Bel-Air Prep, so he knows the terrain. He sees pitching as the team strength. Left-hander Taryll Jackson was 4-2 in league play and accounted for all of the team's wins last year as a freshman. Richard Haskin, a junior right-hander, also pitched a year ago, as did No. 3 starter Taj Jackson, a senior right-hander and Taryll's brother.

At the age of 6, Gabe Whitcher clambered up on a chair to play a sprightly fiddle version of an old Texas swing tune, "Take Me Back to Texas--I'm Too Young to Marry," and won third place in the 1986 Topanga Banjo/Fiddle Contest intermediate category. He was already a contest veteran, having won first place in the beginners' category when he was 5.

In Southern California, a region that values the new and takes pride in being a trendsetter, traditions are sometimes hard to come by. But the Topanga Banjo Fiddle Contest qualifies. In 40 years, it has survived six governors and eight presidents, not to mention wars, earthquakes, rock music, rap, recessions and the wrath of county bureaucrats. The family-oriented music event has never missed a beat. Even the weekend after the L.A. riots in 1992, the event went on as scheduled.