The Jackson 5 (also spelled The Jackson Five or The Jackson 5ive, abbreviated as J5, and later known as The Jacksons) was an American popular music quintet from Gary, Indiana. The group, active from 1962 to 1990, regularly played from a repertoire of R&B, soul, funk, and later disco. Considered "one of the biggest phenomenon's in pop music[1]" during the early 1970s, the Jackson 5 are also notable for launching the career of their lead singers Michael Jackson and Jermaine Jackson. The Jackson 5 were the eldest five sons of Katherine & Joseph Jackson: Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael. Joseph Jackson formed the band in 1962 and served as its manager, with Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and unrelated youths Reynaud Jones and Milton Hite comprising its original lineup. Within a year, Michael and Marlon joined the band, and Michael became lead singer.



Signed to the Motown label from 1968 to 1975, and to Epic/CBS Records (as "The Jacksons") from 1975 until their disbanding in 1990, the Jackson 5 were one of the most popular groups of the era and became the first recording act to have their first four major label singles ("I Want You Back", "ABC", "The Love You Save", and "I'll Be There") reach the top of the American charts. Several future singles, among them "Mama's Pearl", "Never Can Say Goodbye" and "Dancing Machine", were Top 5 pop hits and number-one hits on the R&B singles chart. Most of the early hits were written and produced by a specialized songwriting team known as The Corporation?; later Jackson 5 hits were crafted chiefly by Hal Davis.



While not the first act considered a "boy band", The Jackson 5 is one of the earliest examples of the type as it is defined today: five adolescents specifically packaged and marketed by a record label for crossover pop success. Significantly, they were the first black teen idols to appeal equally to white audiences. Upon their departure from Motown for CBS in 1975, the Jacksons were forced to change their name and trade Jermaine (who remained at Motown) for Randy. The group took control of their songwriting, production, and image, and their success continued into the 1980s with hits such as "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" and "State of Shock", and the highly successful Victory Tour. The Jacksons officially disbanded in 1990, after the commercial underperformance of their 1989 album 2300 Jackson Street, recorded mostly without Michael.