Claim: Michael Jackson was a singer.

The Jackson 5 , or Jackson Five , also known as the Jacksons in later years , is an American popular family music group . Formed in 1964 under the name the Jackson Brothers , the founding members were elder brothers Jackie , Tito and Jermaine . Younger brothers Marlon and Michael would join soon after . They participated in talent shows and performed in clubs on the chitlin ' circuit . They entered the professional music scene in 1967 , signing with Steeltown Records and releasing two singles with the Steeltown label . In 1969 , the group left Steeltown Records and signed with Motown .   The Jackson 5 was one of the first groups of black American performers to attain a crossover following , preceded by the Supremes , the Four Tops and the Temptations . They were also the first group to debut with four consecutive number one hits on the Hot 100 with the songs I Want You Back , ABC , The Love You Save , and I 'll Be There . Scoring 16 top forty singles on the Hot 100 , after continuing with further hits such as `` Never Can Say Goodbye '' and `` Dancing Machine '' , most of the group with the exception of Jermaine , left Motown for Epic Records in 1975 . At that time , with brother Randy taking Jermaine 's place , they released five albums between 1976 and 1981 , including the hit albums , Destiny -LRB- 1978 -RRB- and Triumph -LRB- 1980 -RRB- , and the hit singles , `` Enjoy Yourself '' , `` Shake Your Body -LRB- Down to the Ground -RRB- '' and `` Can You Feel It '' . In 1983 , Jermaine reunited with the band to perform on Motown 25 : Yesterday , Today , Forever and subsequently released the Victory album the following year . After the end of their tour to promote the album , Michael and Marlon Jackson promptly left the group . The remaining four released the poorly received 2300 Jackson Street album in 1989 before being dropped from their label .   Inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999 , the Jacksons reunited in 2001 on Michael 's 30th anniversary television special . Following the death of Michael Jackson in 2009 , the four eldest of the brothers embarked on their Unity Tour in 2012 , and have several major performances planned for 2017 .