Any fans here of their work? I enjoy most of their major songs, my favourite being 'Heartbreak Hotel' from 1980. They are in many ways the prototype of all popular acts, except they were the pioneers, had originality and vision and weren't like the manufactured pap of today's musical groups.

jackson 5??

Yes, same as Jackson 5. By the late 70s they were going by just the name "Jacksons". But I have to submit that they are far removed from being a "prototype". Before them, early Motown acts like the Supremes, the Temptations, the Four Tops, and others were providing the prototype for what the Jacksons would do. Before Motown, you had the great 50s and early 60s "doo wop" groups like the Drifters and the Ink Spots. We could go even further back into early R&B and 40s Swing. It's all connected.

That said, the Jacksons were in fact very influential on the course of pop music after them, no question about it.