The Jackson 5

Template:Infobox musical artist 2

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 phenomenons in pop music^[1]" during the early 1970s, the Jackson 5 are also notable for launching the career of their lead singer Michael 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.

The Jacksons were a working-class family from Gary, Indiana. Katherine, being a Jehovah's Witness, raised the children as such, while their father, Joe, was not of that faith. Their father, a steel mill employee who often performed in an R&B band called "The Falcons" with his brother Luther, was a strict disciplinarian. Many of the Jackson children recall being severely beaten by Joe for misbehaving.

The children found an outlet in music, with elder brothers Jackie (born Sigmund Esco Jackson, 1951), Tito (born Toriano Jackson, 1953), and Jermaine (b. 1954) borrowing their father's guitar without his permission and playing along to the radio. Younger brothers Marlon (b. 1957) and Michael (b. 1958) were allowed to watch as long as they did not tell. Joseph eventually discovered that the older three boys were playing his guitar when one of the strings broke^[2]. Although he was furious at first, Joseph realized the boys had talent and began making plans to create a musical act for them.

In 1965, Jackie, Tito, and Jermaine began performing around the Gary area with two neighborhood children, Milford Hite (on drums) and Reynaud Jones (on keyboards), in a group called The Jackson Brothers. Joe Jackson served as the manager, at first only part-time, and then eventually quitting his job at the steel mill. Jermaine sang lead and played bass, and Tito played guitar.

In 1966, younger brothers Marlon and Michael, joined the group as its tambourine and bongo players. Already showing talent as a singer and dancer^[3], Michael replaced Jermaine as lead vocalist by mid-1967. Shirley Cartman, Tito's junior high orchestra teacher, noticed the group's talents and served as an early mentor to the group, by then calling itself The Jackson Five.

During this period, the boys toured Indiana extensively, and after winning a major local talent show in 1966 with a rendition of The Temptations' "My Girl", led by Michael, they began playing professional gigs in Chicago, Illinois and across the mid-eastern U.S. Many of these gigs were in a string of black clubs and venues collectively known as the "chitlin' circuit", and the young kids sometimes had to open for strip teasers and other adult acts in order to earn money.

Shirley Cartman got the Jackson Five a record deal with Gordon Keith's local Steeltown label, and the group began making their first recordings in 1967. Their first single, "Big Boy", became a regional hit. During this period, Johnny Jackson (no relation) on drums and Ronnie Rancifer on keys replaced Milford Hite and Reynaud Jones.

The Jackson Five had a number of admirers in their early days, including Sam & Dave, who helped the group secure a spot in the famous Amateur Night competition at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. The group won the August 13, 1967 competition during the Amateur Night showdown at the Apollo, impressing Motown Records artist Gladys Knight of The Pips. Knight recommended the group to Motown chief Berry Gordy, but Gordy, who already had teenager Stevie Wonder on his roster, was hesitant to take on another child act because of the child labor laws and other problems involved.

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The Jackson Five's sound was influenced by many of the biggest stars of the 1960s, especially including family funk bands Sly & the Family Stone and The Isley Brothers, soul pioneer Marvin Gaye, doo-wop boy band Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers, and soul shouters like Wilson Pickett, Jackie Wilson, Stevie Wonder and James Brown ^[4]. At the time of their early success, soul and funk stars, especially coming from Motown Records, were among the most popular musicians; Motown had launched the careers of dozens of the decade's biggest stars, most notably Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, and Diana Ross & the Supremes.

From these sources, The Jackson Five developed many of their vocal arrangement styles and dance movements. The group's multi-lead vocal style was inspired by that of The Family Stone, while young Michael adapted Jackie Wilson and James Brown's impassioned singing and dancing styles into his own.

By 1968, the Jackson 5 were a headlining act for the All Star Floor Show at Chicago's The Guys' and Gals' Cocktail Lounge and Restaurant. From July 12 - 27, 1968, the Jackson 5 opened for Motown group Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers at Chicago's Regal Theater. Taylor was also very impressed with the boys, and he decided to make the commitment to bring them to Detroit and Motown. Joseph and the Jackson Five stayed on the floor of Bobby Taylor's Detroit apartment the night of July 22, while Taylor and Motown executive Suzanne de Passe arranged for the Jackson Five to audition for the label.

On July 23, the Jackson Five had their Motown audition, for which they performed James Brown’s then current hit "I Got the Feelin’". Berry Gordy was not in attendance, but the audition was videotaped and sent to him in Los Angeles. Gordy's initial reluctance to sign the group disappeared when he finally saw the boys perform. Gordy decided to sign the Jackson Five to Motown, and hosted a party at his Detroit mansion on November 251968 to introduce them to the Motown staff and stars.

Motown began negotiations to buy out the Jackson Five's Steeltown contract, completing the deal in March 1969. By the summer, Bobby Taylor began producing the group's first recordings at Motown's Hitsville U.S.A. recording studio in Detroit. The early Taylor-produced Jackson Five records were all covers of both contemporary hits and Motown-standards, including Sly & the Family Stone's "Stand!" and their famous rendition of The Miracles' "Who's Lovin' You", written by Smokey Robinson.

In mid-August 1969, Gordy moved the Jackson Five and Joseph to California, and he and Suzanne de Passe began the process of grooming them as the label's next big act, while the rest of the family remained in Gary. While looking for a house in California, Joseph, Jermaine, Tito, and Jackie lived with Berry Gordy, while Michael and Marlon lived with Motown star Diana Ross.

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In the meantime, Motown's marketing team began preparing press kits and other promotion material to begin the Jackson 5's entrance into the mainstream music industry. Motown publicity significantly altered the group's history, reducing Michael's age from eleven to eight to make him appear cuter, identifying unrelated band musicians Johnny Jackson and Ronnie Rancifer as cousins of the Jacksons, and crediting Diana Ross with discovering the group ^[5]. According to their official Motown biography, referenced in several early interviews and liner notes, Diana Ross (and, in some versions of the story, Berry Gordy alongside her) was introduced to the Jackson 5 by Gary, Indiana's mayor, Richard G. Hatcher, at a benefit concert that the Jackson 5 were described as having played for the mayor in 1969. Impressed, Ross (and Gordy) had the act signed to Motown and Ross personally acted as their mentor.

While Ross was active in the Jackson 5's early development, and housed Michael and Marlon for several months until Joseph Jackson found the family a home, there is no truth to the story involving her discovering the group at a benefit show for the mayor. The people who were more instrumental in the Jackson 5's early success, including Shirley Cartman, Sam & Dave, Gladys Knight, and Bobby Taylor, did not receive credit for their contributions until two decades later.

The Jackson 5 practiced and rehearsed continuously during the late summer and early fall of 1969. Diana Ross formally introduced the Jackson 5 to the public on August 111969, at a Beverly Hills, California club called The Daisy. Towards the end of August, the Jackson 5 made their first television appearance, singing The Isley Brothers' "It's Your Thing" at the Miss Black America Pageant in Madison Square Garden, New York City.

The Jackson 5's first single, "I Want You Back," was written and produced by four Motown songwriters and producers - Berry Gordy, Alphonzo Mizell, Deke Richards, and Freddie Perren - who were collectively billed as The Corporation™. "I Want You Back" was released as a single for The Jackson 5, as Motown decided to officially bill the group, on October 7. The group performed "I Want You Back", Sly & the Family Stone's "Sing a Simple Song", The Delfonics' "Can You Remember", and James Brown's "There Was a Time" as part of their appearance on The Hollywood Palace as special guests of Diana Ross & the Supremes. "I Want You Back" was the only single from the Jackson 5's first album, Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5, which was released in December 1969. The song reached number one in January 1970, ousting The Beatles' "Let It Be" from the top spot of Billboard Hot 100.

Most of the early Jackson 5 singles were written and produced by The Corporation, who crafted for the Jackson 5 a combination of the "Motown Sound" and bubblegum pop that they termed "bubblegum soul". The Jackson 5 became an instant sensation, with "I Want You Back" and its 1970 follow-ups "ABC", "The Love You Save", and "I'll Be There" all going to #1 on both the Billboard Pop Singles chart and the Billboard Soul Singles (R&B) chart. Other early Top 5 hits included "Mama's Pearl" and "Never Can Say Goodbye."

Now successful, Joseph was finally able to arrange to move Katherine and the rest of the family out to California in 1970. First moving into a two-story residence at 1616 Queens Road in Los Angeles, the Jackson family moved to a gated mansion they called "Hayvenhurst", which was purchased by Joseph in March 1971.

"Jacksonmania" swept the nation, and within a year of their debut the Jackson 5 were among the biggest names in popular music. The group essentially replaced The Supremes as Motown's main marketing focus, and, capitalizing upon the youth-oriented appeal of the Jackson brothers, Motown licensed dozens of Jackson 5-related juvenile products, including stickers, sewable patches, posters, and coloring books. A new teen magazine aimed at African-American youth, Right On!, began publication in 1971, and focused heavily on the Jackson 5; at least one Jackson adorned the cover of every issue published between January 1972 and April 1974. Animation producers Rankin-Bass produced The Jackson 5ive, a Saturday morning cartoon that debuted on September 11, 1971 and ran for two seasons on ABC. The Jackson 5 starred in two of their own television specials, Goin' Back to Indiana (aired September 16, 1971) and The Jackson 5 Show (aired November 5, 1972).

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In 1971, Motown began a spin-off solo career for Michael, whose first single, "Got to Be There", was a Top 5 hit. Michael also sang the title track for the 1972 motion picture Ben. His other successful solo singles included "Rockin' Robin" and "I Wanna Be Where You Are" (both 1972). Jermaine started a solo career of his own in 1972, and had a Top Ten hit with his Shep and the Limelites cover "Daddy's Home." Jackie also recorded a solo album, but his releases failed to chart. Despite fan rumors that all three Jacksons might leave the group as they released solo work, the solo careers of Michael, Jermaine, and Jackie co-existed alongside that of the group as a whole, allowing Motown to expand the success and sales of Jackson 5-related releases.

The Jackson 5 was also notable for its significant popularity with adolescent girls during the early 1970s. Thousands of young girls fell in love with the Jackson brothers, especially Jermaine and Michael. Michael Jackson's biographer, J. Randy Taraborrelli, has said that the elder brothers engaged in sexual relations with several of their female fans, sharing the girls with father Joseph, while younger brothers Michael and Marlon watched in the same room^[6]. Michael himself, despite being the most popular member of the group, would remain shy about dating for most of his adolescence. Tito was the first Jackson brother to marry, marrying his high school girlfriend Dee Dee in June 1972.

Against the wishes of his father, Jermaine began a relationship with Berry Gordy's daughter Hazel. Jermaine and Hazel Gordy's relationship was highly publicized in magazines such as Right On!, Ebony, and Jet, and the two were married at a gala wedding ceremony held on December 15 1973 at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

After 1972, the Jackson 5's releases were less immensely successful, but they still did very well. Later Top 20 hits, mostly written and produced by Hal Davis, included "Lookin' Through the Windows" (1972) and the disco-styled "Dancing Machine" (1974), which popularized the "Robot" dance routine. Jackson 5 albums declined somewhat in critical acclaim and financial success during the latter part of their Motown tenure, although LPs such as Lookin' Through the Windows (1972) and G.I.T.: Get It Together (1973) frequently included successful album tracks, including their version of "Hum Along and Dance", a popular number in their live act.

Critics, the Jackson 5, and Joseph Jackson agreed that the main reason for the group's declining success was Motown's refusal to update their image or allow them creative control. Although they played their own instruments on stage and had begun writing songs of their own, the Jacksons were not allowed to play on their own records or record their own material. Feeling that the Jackson 5 could be more of a success without Motown, which was by this time declining in success and popularity, Joseph began shopping for a new record deal for his sons.

In 1975, Joseph negotiated a new recording contract with CBS Records, who offered a royalty rate of 20% per record, compared to Motown's standard 2.8%; and would allow the Jackson brothers to write and produce their own records and play their own instruments. After unsuccessfully attempting to talk the group into staying on the label, Motown sued for breach of contract. Although Motown eventually let the group go, the Jackson 5 were forced to change their name to The Jacksons, because Motown retained the "Jackson 5" trademark during the settlement of the lawsuit. The Jacksons were also forced to trade Jermaine for the youngest Jackson brother, 14-year-old Randy, since Jermaine chose to stay with Motown and the Gordys. Randy had been an unofficial member of The Jackson 5 since 1972, playing congas onstage as part of their live act.

After losing the Jacksons, Motown would not have another success of their caliber for the duration of Berry Gordy's ownership of the label. Gordy often said of the Jackson 5 that they were, coming after the label's most famous acts, "the last big stars to come rolling off [the Motown] assembly line"^[7].

In summer 1976, CBS television executive Fred Silverman signed the Jackson family (including Michael, Marlon, Tito, Jackie, Randy, Rebbie, LaToya, and Janet) to appear in their own variety show, to compete with ABC's The Osmonds. The Jacksons debuted on June 16, 1976, and ran on CBS until its cancellation the following March. The show was the first variety show hosted by an African American family.

At first part of CBS's Philadelphia International Records division, and later moving over to Epic Records, the Jacksons continued releasing popular singles such as "Enjoy Yourself" (1976) (produced by Philadelphia International's Kenneth Gamble & Leon Huff. After two LPs produced by Gamble and Huff, the Jacksons wanted artistic control, and produced their next LP, 1978's Destiny, on their own. The album included the Jacksons' biggest post-Motown single, "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)", which charted at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 and at number three on the Billboard R&B Singles chart. "Shake Your Body", written by Michael and Randy, sold over two million copies, attaining double-platinum status. Destiny also went platinum, and peaked at number 11 on the Billboard 200 album chart and number three on the R&B album charts. In 1979, the Jacksons received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

In 1978, Michael starred alongside Diana Ross in the Motown/Universal Pictures motion picture The Wiz, an adaptation of the Broadway musical based upon L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Quincy Jones was the producer of the film's songs, and he and Michael began work on Michael’s first Epic solo album, Off the Wall, the next year. Off the Wall, released in 1979, sold seven million copies and featured four Top 10 hit singles and two number-one singles, causing some speculation about whether Michael would leave the Jacksons.

Michael continued to perform with his brothers, releasing the album Triumph in 1980, which featured the hits "Lovely One" and "Can You Feel It". 1981 saw the release of the gold-selling The Jacksons Live!, using recordings from the "Triumph" tour. In 1988, Rolling Stone magazine described the Triumph tour as one of the best 25 tours from 1967 to 1987. The Triumph LP and tour were successful, but were outperformed by Michael's 1982 LP Thriller. Thriller went on to become the second most successful album ever in the U.S.A (after the Eagles Greatest Hits Album), and to date, stands as the World's Biggest Selling Album of all time.

The Motown 25 television special, broadcast on NBC on May 16, 1983, featured a reunion performance between Jermaine and the other brothers. Outside of one 1979 appearance on the TV show Midnight Special this was the original Jackson 5's first performance in nearly seven years. The Motown 25 Jackson 5 reunion was overshadowed, however, by Michael's landmark performance of "Billie Jean" on the same program, which introduced his trademark "moonwalk" dance.

The Jacksons released the album Victory in 1984, featuring the hit single "State of Shock" with guest star Mick Jagger, and supported the album with the massively successful Victory World Tour. The Victory album and tour marked the official return of Jermaine to the group's lineup, making them a sextet.

Shortly after the Victory Tour, Michael left the Jacksons, as his solo career had led to the success of Thriller and its singles. His name recognition as a solo act had also grown, despite touring as part of a group. The other brothers eventually drifted apart to take on solo projects (although most of them appeared with Michael on the U.S. For Africa single "We Are The World" in 1985). The Jacksons reunited for one last album, 2300 Jackson Street in 1989. While every Jackson sibling except for LaToya appeared on the title track, a #9 R&B hit single, most of the album featured Jermaine, Jackie, Tito, and Randy as the line up. Jason fame as a solo act as well as the growing fame of the group's youngest sister, Janet Jackson, had overshadowed the group entirely. A CD compilation of hits from the CBS/Epic years, The Essential Jacksons, was released in 2004, as was a separate compilation assembled by Universal/Hip-O, The Jacksons Story.

The only public reunion performance of the Jacksons after 1990 was at Michael's September 7, 2001 concert at Madison Square Garden, which was later broadcast as a television special on November 13 on CBS. Otherwise, each member of the group primarily focused on careers and interests of their own.

During the 1980s, Michael Jackson became one of the biggest music stars in the world, and released Thriller and Bad, two of the best-selling LPs of the century. His notable success continued into the 1990's, where he became the world's biggest selling recording artist of the 1990's, thanks to his "Dangerous" and "History" albums, which both achieved sales of over 25 Million each. His success tapered off in the U.S. during the 2000s, a period during which he became notorious for behavior that was considered eccentric and allegations of child sexual abuse, two of which resulted in major criminal cases. A 1993 case was settled out of court, and a second case in 2005 ended with Michael being found not guilty on all charges.

Following the dissolution of The Jacksons, Jermaine Jackson returned to his solo career. He had major success but not as big as Michael. Now Jermaine records singles and puts them out around the world. Marlon Jackson also began a solo career, he had one successful single. Eventually, Marlon then became a real estate broker and co-owner of the Black Family Channel.

Tito Jackson, like his father before him, organized his three sons into a musical group called 3T, who had a Number Two UK hit, titled "Why?", in August 1996, (which featured a guest appearance from Michael). Soon afterwards, Tito began a low-key career as a blues musician. Randy Jackson remained out of the spotlight, mostly assisting his brothers in various ventures. For 2 years (2004/2005), Randy was the webmaster for Michael's last official website, mjjsource.com (now closed).

The Jackson 5's influence on later performers has been profound, inspiring a number of performers from diverse fields, including indie rock band Dashboard Confessional ^[4], R&B groups New Edition ^[8] and B5 ^[9], and boy band Hanson ^[10]. One of the most archetypal Jackson 5 followers were Five Star, a British black family act from the mid-80's comprising of siblings Stedman, Doris, Lorraine, Deniece and Delroy Pearson. The group were also managed by their father, Buster Pearson and began recording when youngest member Delroy was twelve years old. The group were often compared to the Jackson 5 by the press.

The Jackson 5 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999. In addition, two of their songs ("ABC" and "I Want You Back") are among the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.

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Main Entry: The Jacksons: An American Dream.

In 1992, Suzanne de Passe and Jermaine Jackson worked with Motown to produce The Jacksons: An American Dream, a five-hour television miniseries broadcast based on the history of the Jacksons in two parts on ABC. The first installment of the miniseries covered the decades from Katherine and Joseph Jackson's first meeting in 1945 up until the first Jackson 5 releases on Motown in 1969, while the second part covered the years from 1970 to 1984, and the effects of the Jackson 5's phenomenal success on the family.

Among the actors featured in the miniseries were Angela Bassett as Katherine Jackson, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs as Joseph Jackson, Billy Dee Williams as Berry Gordy, Vanessa L. Williams as Suzanne de Passe, Holly Robinson Peete as Diana Ross, Bumper Robinson as teenage Jackie, Jason Weaver as pre-teenage Michael, and Wylie Draper as adult Michael. The miniseries was the highest rated show of the week, won an Emmy Award and was nominated for three more, and won two Young Artist Awards. The Jacksons: An American Dream was later rebroadcast on VH1 and released to VHS and DVD.

On 30 January 2007Jermaine Jackson stated on the UK Television show This Morning that the Jackson 5 are reuniting to record a new album.

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• Jackie Jackson (1962–1990), vocals and tambourine
  • The eldest brother, Jackie was a high tenor singer and, prior to a musical career, a baseball player. He had a solo career, releasing two albums, and eventually married Enid Jackson.
• Tito Jackson (1962–1990), vocals and lead guitar
  • Another original member, baritone singer and guitarist Tito has enjoyed a solo career as a blues musician. In 2007 he took part as a judge on the British celebrity singing show Just The Two Of Us[1].
• Jermaine Jackson (1962–1975; 1984 - 1990), vocals and bass guitar
  • A singer and bass player, Jermaine stayed with the group until the others switched from Motown to CBS Records. He stayed with Motown to pursue a solo career, achieving major success.In January 2007 he took part in the British reality television show Celebrity Big Brother.
• Marlon Jackson (1963–1987), vocals and tambourine
  • Joining the year after the band was formed along with Michael, Marlon was sometimes beaten for his failure to live up to his brother's dancing skills. He eventually eloped with Carol Parker, and, due to friction with his brothers, did not perform on the group's last album. He released one solo LP. Marlon then became a real estate broker and co-owner of Major Broadcasting Corporation. He is the only Jackson brother to never divorce.
• Michael Jackson (1963–1984), vocals and percussion
  • During his tenure with the Jackson 5, Michael was clearly the most popular member. He was the only one of the brothers to have a consistent solo career, and statistically stands today as the most successful entertainer of all time. Michael became the world's best selling recording artist of the 1990s, and holds the record for the best selling album of all-time with his 1982 LP Thriller.
• Randy Jackson (1972–1990), vocals bongo, congas, keyboard, synthesizer and bass guitar
  • Randy unofficially began performing with the Jackson 5 in 1972, playing congas. He became an official member of the group in 1975, replacing Jermaine when the Jackson 5 moved to CBS Records and officially changed their name to "The Jacksons". (He is not to be confused with the musician and record producer Randy Jackson, who serves as a judge on the television series American Idol).

• Milford Hite (1962–1967), drums
  • The original drummer of the group, before he was replaced during the early years in Indiana.
• Reynaud Jones (1962–1967), lead guitar
  • The original lead guitarist of the group, until Tito took to lead guitar.
• Johnny Jackson (1967–1975), drums
  • Jackson was the group's on-stage drummer until the end of its Motown tenure. He died in 2006.
• Ronnie Rancifer (1967–1975), keyboards
  • Rancifer was the group's on-stage keyboardist from its inception until the end of its Motown tenure.

For a full listing of albums and singles, see Jackson 5 Discography.

• List of best-selling music artists
• List of number-one hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (U.S.)
• List of number-one dance hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart

The three girls of the Jackson family, although never members of the group, also enjoyed musical careers of their own:

• Rebbie Jackson (b. 1950)
• LaToya Jackson (b. 1956)
• Janet Jackson (b. 1966)

• Bierbaum, Tom (18 November 1992). Week's Nielsen win easy as ABC. Variety.
• Cadman, Chris and Craig Halstead. Michael Jackson: the Early Years. Authors Online. ISBN 0-7552-0064-0
• Green, Dave (producer/director). (29 January 2005). VH1 News Presents: Michael Jackson's Secret Childhood [television broadcast]. New York, NY: MTV Networks.
• (2005). J5-Collector.com. Retrieved from http://www.j5-collector.com on August 20 2005. Site no longer online, available from the Wayback Machine from this link.
• Manning, Steve. The Jacksons. Indianapolis. Bobbs-Merrill. 1976.
• Posner, Gerald (2002). Motown : Music, Money, Sex, and Power. New York: Random House. ISBN 0-375-50062-6.
• Ward, Ed, Geoffrey Stokes and Ken Tucker (1986). Rock of Ages: The Rolling Stone History of Rock and Roll. Rolling Stone Press. ISBN 0-671-54438-1.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

• Tito Jackson's official website (includes Jackson 5 information and video performance clips)
• Rock and Roll Hall of Fame page on The Jackson 5
• 'Jackson Five' Vocal Group Hall of Fame Page.
• Jackson5abc.com (site is in French)
• "A FUNKY Jackson Five Site" @ SoulPatrol.com
• The Jacksons 5 Lyrics