THE Jacksons will play Scarborough Open Air Theatre on June 17 as the soul brothers from Gary, Indiana mark the 50th anniversary of signing their first record contract.

Tickets will go on sale on Friday at 9am on 01723 818111, 01723 383636 and 0844 844 0444; at scarboroughopenairtheatre.com and ticketmaster.co.uk or in person from the theatre box office in Burniston Road and the Discover Yorkshire Coast Tourism Bureau in Scarborough Town Hall, St Nicholas Street.

Jermaine, Tito, Jackie and Marlon Jackson, all original members of The Jackson 5 alongside the late Michael, re-formed in 2012 for their Unity Tour and have performed at theatres and arenas around the world ever since.

The Jacksons sold more than 200 million records during their time with the Motown label, including such hits as I Want You Back, ABC, The Love You Save, I'll Be There, Never Can Say Goodbye, Show You The Way To Go and Dancing Machine. They made history in 1970 as the first recording act whose first four singles reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, going on to achieve 17 Top 40 singles on that chart and 22 British Top 40 singles.

After the brothers' success in the 1970s, they concentrated on solo careers in the 1980s and 1990s before re-forming for the first time for a series of concerts in 2001.

Looking forward to playing in Britain this summer, Tito Jackson said: "We had the privilege of performing for Her Majesty The Queen when we first came to the UK in 1972 and we’re always excited to return. The British audiences love their music and we can’t wait to share ours with them when we bring our show to Scarborough this summer."

The Jacksons are the latest addition to a Scarborough Open Air Theatre summer calendar already boasting Tom Jones; Kaiser Chiefs; Little Mix; Jess Glynne; Olly Murs; Madness; Cliff Richard; The Beach Boys; UB40 featuring Ali, Astro and Mickey Virtue; George Benson; Michael Ball and Alfie Boe and The Charlatans. An 80s v 90s night on August 5 will bring together The Human League, Midge Ure, Technotronic, Betty Boo, Johnny Hates Jazz and Living In A Box with Kenny Thomas.