Wannabe Week: The Finger 5

I must confess that my all-time favorite wannabe group is a Japanese family act who called themselves The Finger 5. The group started out in 1967 with the three oldest brothers of the Tamamoto family, Kazuo, Mitsuo and Masao. Originally they performed at the bar owned by their parents in Okinawa as the "All Brothers" and later changed their name to the Baby Brothers in 1970 when they signed with King records and released three singles which did not sell well.

In 1972, they added their younger brother Akira and little sister Taeko to the group and were rechristened Finger 5. Borrowing heavily from the Jackson 5's look and style, they unabashedly released several cover versions of Jackson 5 songs, including "I Want You Back," "The Love You Save," "I'll Be There" -- all in Japanese. They were pop sensations in Japan, where they had several hit singles, made countless concert and television appearances, and even made their own movies. Their music, like that of the Jackson 5 in their early Motown days, consisted mostly of bubblegum songs about puppy love and school-yard affairs. Here they are singing one of their early hits, "Love Call 6700." Akira, the smallest brother here, wearing the gigantic glasses, sings lead vocals, with little sister Taeko joining in for an extra dose of cute.

Unfortunately, fame took its toll on the young pop stars, and in 1975 the oldest brother Kazuo dropped out of the act. After a goodbye tour in Japan that year, they relocated to the United States and sank into obscurity -- otherwise known as adulthood.

Tomorrow: The Brady Bunch