The Jackson 5

Released: June 20, 1970

Songwriter: The Jackson 5

Producer: The Jackson 5

[Spoken Intro: Announcer]
Three years ago, Diana Ross and the Supremes set a record here at The Forum
The following year, The Temptations
This year, tonight, 18,675 persons came out to see this group
The only group in the history of recording has ever knocked The Beatles out of first place on the charts across the nation
They hail from Gary, Indiana
One, two, three, four, five
Jackson 5, Motown

The Jackson 5 were originally formed in 1963 under the name, The Jackson Brothers. The founding members were Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, and Marlon. Michael would join the group as the lead singer a year later, a move which pushed Jermaine to sing the backing vocals and play the lead guitar.

After participating in a series of talent shows, they entered the professional music scene in 1967, signing with Steeltown Records and releasing ten singles. In 1969, they left Steeltown Records in order to sign with Motown.

In 1975, most of the Jacksons had opted out of recording any more music for Motown, expressing desires to have creative control over their songs, as well as royalties. Learning that they were earning only 2.8% of royalties from Motown, Joe Jackson, the father and manager of the group, began to negotiate a lucrative contract with Epic records, which offered a royalty rate of 20% per record. The deal was completed in June 1975. As Motown owned the name The Jackson 5, the group simply renamed themselves The Jacksons.

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Introduction (Live at The Forum, June 20, 1970)The Jackson 5

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