...the
very name conjures up images of superstardom an success, but most
people fail to realize the amount of hard work, determination, and
talent that it required to bring this small gifted child from a
small steel town in Indiana, to his current position as the most
acclaimed and loved pop star of all time.
Michael
Joseph Jackson was delivered to his parents, Katherine and Joseph
Jackson, on August 29, 1958, in the small town of Gary, Indiana. He
was the seventh of nine children. His older siblings included
Rebbie, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Latoya and Marion. Randy and Janet
were soon to join the ever-growing family. Michael's father spent
his days working in a steel mill and moonlighted as a musician in a
local band, but never really achieved the success he was searching
for. During the long days while their dad was at work, Michael's
older brothers would sneek into his room and practice playing his
guitar along to the songs on the radio. This fueled Michael's love
for music from a very young age and became the humble beginning to a
very successful future.
When Michael was a mere five years old, his father created the
Jackson Five which included Michael and his four older brothers,
Jackie, Jermaine, Marion, and Tito. In the beginning, Michael's
primary responsibillity was playing the bongos; however, his strong
stage presence, vocal abilities, and dancing style quickly placed
him at the front of the group.
The
band played mostly in talent shows and nightclubs until they were
signed to Motown Records in 1969, where they recorded and released
hits included "The Love You Save", "ABC", and "I Want You Back".
Soon they were an international success and "Jackson-mania" had
begun! Michael also began his solo career during this time period
by releasing the single "Got To Be There", which was a smash hit
around the world, and soon followed with more smash hits like "ben",
and "Rockin' Robin". This was only the beginning of a long career of
chart-topping singles for Michael that has spanned than 35 years.
Michael's teenage years were filled with more success as a member
of the Jackson Five and also brought him many opportunities to
expand his horizons and move out on his own.
The
Jacksons were growing musically and becoming more interested in
writing and creating their own music. In 1976, the band left Motown
and signed with Epic records. After changing their group's name to
"The Jacksons", they released several successful albums including
"Destiny", and "Triumph". Michael ventured into acting in 1978, with
a role as the Scarecrow in a musical produced by Quincy Jones
entitled "The Wiz". He co-starred with his good friend and confidant
Diana Ross, whom he had know for several years and was responsible
for introducing the Jackson Five to the world. While Michael was
enjoying the success with his movie and his music, he had no idea of
what lay ahead.
A Legend is Born
Michael's collaborated again with Quincy Jones in 1979, when
Jones produced "Off The Wall", a highly successful collection of
light-hearted dance songs and soulful ballads. This album went on to
sell over 15 million copies worldwide and Michael received a Grammy
Award for "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough". Michael once again
collaborated with Jones for his next album, Thriller. This record
was released in 1982 and went to the top of the charts where it
remained for 37 weeks. Thriller remains the best-selling album of
all time with world-wide sales in excess of 50 million copies.
Michael's state-of-the-art video for "Billie Jean" became the first
from a black artist to be played on MTV, and the subsequent films
for "Thriller", and "Beat It" solidified his place as one of the
most innovative artists of all time. The short film for "Thriller"
remains one MTV's most requested and most played videos to date. It
also set the record for the most expensive video ever made, and to
offset the cost of the film, Michael released "The Making Of
Thriller", which in turn, became the best selling home video of all
time. Michael went on to receive seven Grammy Award for his
"Thriller" album, plus one more for his narration on the "ET"
storybook, making him the only artist to ever receive eight Grammys
in a single evening. This record still has not been broken. On March
25, 1983, Michael performed with his brothers on "Motown 25", a
televised event honoring Motown Artists. After his brothers left the
stage, Michael brought the house to their feet with a
pelvic-thrusting, gravity-defying rendition of "Billie Jean". It was
during this performance that he unveiled the "Moonwalk". This "often
imitated, never dublicated" backwards glide remains one of his most
recognizable dances moves to this day. By the close of 1983, Michael
Jackson was a living legend.
Michael released his next album, Bad, in 1987. This was another
collaboration with Quincy Jones and quickly became the first album
in history to have five #1 singles. Michael undertook his first solo
world tour in support of the album which set even more records and
landed him in the Guiness book of World records for the most
attended concert series ever. In 1991, Michael began the frenzy that
was to accompany his next album with the world premiere of the short
film for "Black & White". This video was shown simultaneously
around the world to an estimated 500 million viewers and immediately
sparked a global controversy, which merely helped the "Dangerous"
album debut at #1, where it remained for 4 weeks and went on to
subsequently sell over 7 million copies in the US alone.
The release of the "HIStory" album was preceded by the
fantastical, space-age short film for "Scream", a duet between
Michael and his sister, Janet. The elaborative video became the most
expensive ever, with a budget over seven million dollars. HIStory -
Past, Present, and Future, Book 1, was released on June 17, 1995.
The double-disc set contained fifteen remastered greatest hits and
fifteen entirely new songs including "Scream" and "They Don't Care
About Us". Michael continued to set and break records with his new
album and accompanying short films. The single "You Are Not Alone"
became the first release in history to debut at the top of
Billboard's Hot 100 chart. On May 26, 1994 Michael was married to
Lisa Marie Presley (daughter of Elvis Presley) in the Dominican
Republic. They filed for divorce in January 1996, but they are still
friends. On November 14, 1996 he married Deborah Rowe and Michael's
dream to have a child finally came true on February 13, 1997, with
the birth of his first son, Prince Michael Jackson Jr. A daughter,
Paris Michael Katherine, was born April 3, 1998. Michael and Debbie
filed for divorce in 1999, after three years of marriage and they
are too in good contact. Only days after the birth of his new son,
Michael attended legend Elisabeth Taylor's birthday bash, where he
performed the song "Elizabeth, I Love You" that he had written
exclusively for the film diva. The tears in Elisabeth's eyes spoke
volumes of how much that his tribute meant to her. Their
extraordinary relationship began through their mutual understanding
of the file of a child-star, and had grown into a real support
system for each of the celebrities. Each has been there for the
other through all of the ups and downs in life, and both have proven
themselves as true survivors.
In 1997 Sony released Michael's next album "Blood On The Dance
Floor". The album contained five new songs including the title
track, and several remixed songs from the HIStory album. Michael
continues his legacy of creating and breaking virtually every record
imaginable with his album releases, short films, world tours and
charity work. He has received more awards and accolades than any
other artist, including the Grammy Living Legend award, the Diamond
Award, and he was named the best Selling Artist of the Millenium at
the World Music Awards 2000. On August 24, 2001 the new single "You
Rock My World" was released to the radio stations. The new album
"Invincible" will be released in October 2001. At the World Music
Awards 2000 he
...the
very name conjures up images of superstardom an success, but most
people fail to realize the amount of hard work, determination, and
talent that it required to bring this small gifted child from a
small steel town in Indiana, to his current position as the most
acclaimed and loved pop star of all time. 
Michael
Joseph Jackson was delivered to his parents, Katherine and Joseph
Jackson, on August 29, 1958, in the small town of Gary, Indiana. He
was the seventh of nine children. His older siblings included
Rebbie, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Latoya and Marion. Randy and Janet
were soon to join the ever-growing family. Michael's father spent
his days working in a steel mill and moonlighted as a musician in a
local band, but never really achieved the success he was searching
for. During the long days while their dad was at work, Michael's
older brothers would sneek into his room and practice playing his
guitar along to the songs on the radio. This fueled Michael's love
for music from a very young age and became the humble beginning to a
very successful future.
The
band played mostly in talent shows and nightclubs until they were
signed to Motown Records in 1969, where they recorded and released
hits included "The Love You Save", "ABC", and "I Want You Back".
Soon they were an international success and "Jackson-mania" had
begun!
The
Jacksons were growing musically and becoming more interested in
writing and creating their own music. In 1976, the band left Motown
and signed with Epic records. After changing their group's name to
"The Jacksons", they released several successful albums including
"Destiny", and "Triumph". Michael ventured into acting in 1978, with
a role as the Scarecrow in a musical produced by Quincy Jones
entitled "The Wiz". He co-starred with his good friend and confidant
Diana Ross, whom he had know for several years and was responsible
for introducing the Jackson Five to the world. While Michael was
enjoying the success with his movie and his music, he had no idea of
what lay ahead.
