Some were born in New Bedford, Massachusetts,[1] and Providence, Rhode Island, and they would move back and forth between the two cities throughout their childhood.

[2] P-Funk keyboardist/architect Bernie Worrell briefly joined the group in 1968, while attending the New England Conservatory of Music.

He was later replaced with drummer Paul Klodner and bassist Steve Strout, which gave them a tight, punchy rhythm section.

Their first album included their brother Victor, who sang lead on "Check It Out", but dropped out of the group shortly afterward.

[4] "Anonymous vocally, the creatures of various cheerfully crass producers, these five brothers are professional entertainers without apology."

[2] In 1977 they also recorded "I Wanna See You Soon", a duet with Capitol labelmate Freda Payne, which received airplay on BBC Radio 1 but failed to chart.

Tavares recorded the Bee Gees song "More Than a Woman", and their version reached the Pop Top 40 that year.

Later albums, such as Madam Butterfly and Supercharged, strayed from the disco format and were less successful on the pop chart (although they continued to have Top 10 R&B hits such as "Never Had a Love Like This Before", and the popular sociopolitical "Bad Times", written by British singer-songwriter Gerard McMahon).

In 2013, the brothers were honored with "Lifetime Achievement Awards" by The National R&B Music Society Black Tie Gala, in Atlantic City, New Jersey.