HemaybeconsideredweirdtodaybuttherewasatimeMichaelJacksonhadtheworldathisfeet.Readabouthisearlylife.NooneexpectedMichaelJosephJacksontoonedaychangethefaceofthemusicindustry.Hewasbornon29August1958,andhasbeenanentertainerandapopiconforalmosthisentirelife.However,thisearlysuccesshascomeataprice.Alongwithfame,MichaelJacksoncourtscontroversywhereverhegoes.Findouthowherevolutionisedthemusicsceneasayoungman.InthisarticleTheJacksonFiveSoloCareerCharitableWorksTheJacksonFiveMichaelJacksonisthesonofJosephandKatherineJackson.HewasborninIndiana,theeighthoftenchildren.Hisfatherwasemployedinasteelmillandplayedinaband.In1964,fiveoftheJacksonbrothers,includingMichael,formedabandoftheirown.Althoughhewasonlyfiveyearsoldatthattime,hissinginganddancingabilitiesdrewpeopletohimandhequicklybecameoneofthemainstaysoftheband.Likeallbands,theJacksonbrothersstartedbyplayingatlocalclubs.Afterwinningatalentshowin1966,theychangedthenameoftheirbandtoJacksonFiveandmovedontoperforminginbiggerclubsincitiesacrossAmerica.In1968,theyfinallysignedacontractwithMotownrecords,whichcatapultedthemintothebigleague.Michaelwasalwaysthestarofthegroup.Whenthebandfirststarted,bothheandhisbrotherJermaineweretheleadsingers.BythetimeMotownsignedtheband,Michaeldidmostofthesinging.AftertheypartedwayswithMotown,Michaelalsotookoverastheleadsongwriterofthegroupfrom1976to1984.Eventhoughtheywerefamous,thebrotherswerestillboundbyrules.JoeJacksonwasverystrictwithhischildrenanddisciplinedthemoften.Manyoftheolderbrothershavespokenofbeingspankedandwhippedwhenevertheymisbehaved.Michaelwasusuallysparedpunishmentduetohisage.SoloCareerAsMichaelgrewolder,histalentstartedtobecomemoreevident.In1979,hereleasedhisfirstsoloalbumtitledOffthewall.ThealbumwasproducedbymusicheavyweightQuincyJonesandhadlyricscontributedbystarslikeStevieWonderandPaulMcCartneyinadditiontothosewrittenbyMichaelhimself.Thealbumwasahitthroughouttheworldandbecamethefirstalbumevertohavefourtop-tencharthits.WhileMichaelcontinuedtobeapartoftheJacksons,thisalbumprovedthathecouldachievesuccessallbyhimself.Inspiteofthesuccessofhisdebutalbum,Michaelwasnotsatisfied.Hewantedtoachievemore.ThiscamewiththereleaseofhissecondalbumThrillerin1982.Thrillerbecamethebiggestsellingalbuminmusichistory,sellingmorethanahundredmillioncopiesworldwide.Itwasthefirstalbumtohaveseventop-tensinglesontheBillboardcharts.Thealbumalsochangedthewaymusicvideosweremade.Thevideoforthetitletracklasted13minutesandhadthemostelaboratestorylineandeffectsanyonehadeverseen.Tilldate,ithasremainedthehighestsellingmusichomevideo.Thrillerdidnotjustsellwell.ItmadeMichaelaforcetobereckonedwith,inthemusicindustry.In1984,hewoneightGrammyawards,themostwonbyanartistinasingleyear.Throughouthiscareer,Michaelhaswonmoreawardsthananyotherartistinhistory.HehasmadeittotheGuinnessbookofWorldRecordsasthemostsuccessfulentertainerofalltime.CharitableWorksMichaelisalsowellknownasaaphilanthropist.Hehasgivenaround300milliondollarstovariouscharities,makinghimthemostphilanthropicmusicianofalltime.In1985,heco-wrotethesongWearetheworldtoraisemoneytocombatthefamineineasternAfrica.MostofMichaelscontributionsaretoorganisationsthatworkwithchildrenindisadvantagedpartsoftheworld.Inthelastfewyears,Michaelhasnotbeenactiveonthemusicfront.Inhispersonallifetoo,hehasbecomesomewhatofarecluse.Yet,thereisnodenyingthathewillalwaysbetheKingofPop.
He may be considered 'weird' today but there was a time Michael Jackson had the world at his feet. Read about his early life. No one expected Michael Joseph Jackson to one day change the face of the music industry. He was born on 29 August 1958, and has been an entertainer and a pop icon for almost his entire life. However, this early success has come at a price. Along with fame, Michael Jackson courts controversy wherever he goes. Find out how he revolutionised the
music scene as a young man.
The Jackson Five
Michael Jackson is the son of Joseph and Katherine Jackson. He was born in Indiana, the eighth of ten children. His father was employed in a steel mill and played in a band. In 1964, five of the Jackson brothers, including Michael, formed a band of their own. Although he was only five years old at that time, his singing and
dancing abilities drew people to him and he quickly became one of the mainstays of the band.
Like all bands, the Jackson brothers started by playing at local clubs. After winning a talent show in 1966, they changed the name of their band to Jackson Five and moved on to performing in bigger clubs in cities across America. In 1968, they finally signed a contract with Motown records, which catapulted them into the big league.
Michael was always the
star of the group. When the band first started, both he and his brother Jermaine were the lead singers. By the time Motown signed the band, Michael did most of the singing. After they parted ways with Motown, Michael also took over as the lead songwriter of the group from 1976 to 1984.
Even though they were famous, the brothers were still bound by rules. Joe Jackson was very strict with his children and disciplined them often. Many of the older brothers have spoken of being spanked and whipped whenever they misbehaved. Michael was usually spared punishment due to his age.
Solo Career
As Michael grew older, his talent started to become more evident. In 1979, he released his first solo album titled 'Off the wall'. The album was produced by music heavyweight Quincy Jones and had lyrics contributed by stars like Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney in addition to those written by Michael himself. The album was a hit throughout the world and became the first album ever to have four top-ten chart hits. While Michael continued to be a part of the Jacksons, this album proved that he could achieve success all by himself.
In spite of the success of his debut album, Michael was not satisfied. He wanted to achieve more. This came with the release of his second album 'Thriller' in 1982. Thriller became the biggest selling album in music history, selling more than a hundred million copies worldwide. It was the first album to have seven top-ten singles on the Billboard charts. The album also changed the way music videos were made. The video for the title track lasted 13 minutes and had the most elaborate storyline and effects anyone had ever seen. Till date, it has remained the highest selling music home video.
Thriller did not just sell well. It made Michael a force to be reckoned with, in the music industry. In 1984, he won eight Grammy awards, the most won by an artist in a single year. Throughout his career, Michael has won more awards than any other artist in history. He has made it to the Guinness book of World Records as the 'most successful entertainer of all time'.
Charitable Works
Michael is also well known as a a philanthropist. He has given around 300 million dollars to various
charities, making him the most philanthropic musician of all time. In 1985, he co-wrote the song 'We are the world' to raise money to combat the famine in eastern Africa. Most of Michael's contributions are to organisations that work with children in disadvantaged parts of the world.
In the last few years, Michael has not been active on the music front. In his personal life too, he has become somewhat of a recluse. Yet, there is no denying that he will always be the 'King of Pop'.
