Luckily, fame and fortune were beckoning. Joe cottoned on to his children's talent early on and formed the Jackson Brothers quartet in 1964, which became the Jackson 5 the following year when Michael (middle) joined. Scraping together the money for professional equipment, Joe served as the group's professional manager and booked a series of tour dates.

Their big break came in 1968 when the Jackson 5 won the amateur night talent show at Harlem's Apollo Theater, wowing singers Gladys Knight, Bobby Taylor and Diana Ross, who persuaded Motown Records boss Berry Gordy to sign the quintet. Here they are in 1969 performing for the first time on TV for The Ed Sullivan Show.

Inside the multimillion-dollar homes of the Jackson family