Michael Jackson Biography

Michael Joseph Jackson was born on August 29, 1958 in Gary, Indiana. His parents were
Katherine Jackson and former guitarist, Joe Jackson. Michaels parents would continuously
encourage their childrens musical interests. In the early 1960s, Michaels older brothers Jackie,
Tito, and Jermaine started performing around the city. In 1964, Michael and his brother Marlon
joined the crew.
Michael was a musical prodigy. In his youth, people noted that his singing and dancing
skills were surprisingly mature. It didnt take long for Michael to become the dominant voice of
the Jackson 5. The Jackson 5 would often perform opening acts for souls groups. It was actress
Gladys Knight who would make mention of the talented family to Berry Gordy, the founder of
Motown Records. By 1969, the Jackson 5 was producing back-to-back chart-busting hits such
as, I Want You Back, ABC, and Never Can Say Goodbye. In the 1970s the boys became one of
the most accomplished black pop/soul vocal groups in history.
After the Jackson brothers time with Motown, they would sign with Epic Records in
1975 with ambitions to start writing and producing their own music. Motown attempted to stop
the deal, but in the end could only stop the brothers from using the same name, Jackson 5. The
talented Jackson brothers would from now on be known as the Jacksons.
In 1978, the Jacksons would release, Destiny, which songs would consist of the Jacksons
own desired, authentic sound. By the time the album was finished, however, Michael decided to
move on and face the music world on his own as a solo artist. He would fire his father as his
manager and join with producer Quincy Jones, a respected jazz musician, bandleader, and
composer. Michael mentioned, It was the first time that I fully wrote and produced my songs,
and I was looking for somebody who would give me that freedom, plus somebody whos
unlimited musically.
Jones and Jackson proved to make a good team. They would make Jacksons first solo
album, Off the Wall, which established Michael as a mature solo artist. This album was a
massive hit and sold more than 5 million copies in the USA alone by 1985. Michael Jackson had
become one of the biggest black artists America had ever produced. He would win a Grammy
Award for Best Male R&B vocal from his newest album. Michael was expecting much more,
however, and his family would be led to think he was going crazy due to his excessive weeping
over the ordeal. Although unsatisfied with the award, Michael would move on to create more
music. He told Jones that his next album wouldnt just be bigger than Off the Wall, it would be
the biggest album ever.
In November of 1982, Thriller was released. This newest Michael Jackson album was
more of an assembly of singles, much like a greatest hits album. This was brilliant because
each song had been designed with many crossover audiences in mind. For example, Billie Jean
was for the dance crowd and Beat It was for the white rockers. His career would sky-rocket.
The album would place seven singles in Billboards Top 10 and would become the biggest-
selling album in history. Around 50 million copies or more have been sold to date.
Jackson would perform for one of the first times in public as a solo star at a 25th
anniversary celebration for Motown Records on May 16th, 1983. Jackson would deliver an
electrifying performance of Billie Jean. It was evident then to all who would see that Michael
was not only one of the most thrilling live performers in pop music, but he was perhaps more
capable of inspiring an audiences imagination than any single pop artist since Elvis Presley.
 Michael would start seeing some backlash from the press. The mid-1980s was a time
where many in the music press had misgivings about mass popularity. It didnt help that the
racial dimensions of Michaels image proved complex. Jackson seemed willing to trade his
former black constituency for an overwhelmingly white audience. How else could he have made
such astounding sales for his works? Not to mention the uproar that would ensue as Jacksons
face would slowly turn whiter and his nose slimmer. Some saw this as an opportunity for
mockery and others would see it as a totally grotesque mutilation. Many believed he wanted to
transform himself into a white person.
Jackson would continue in his music career. His 1987 release, Bad, was as good as
anything he had already made. This album consisted of more famous works like Bad and Man in
the Mirror. It would sell millions and launch five number one singles, which was three more
than Thriller. However, because it couldnt match the earlier albums accomplishments, Bad
would be viewed as a flop.
In a matter of four years, Michael would face a brutal turnaround. Although famous, his
newest album would take countless criticisms and the pop star would never really regain his
momentum or ambition. Things would only get worse as in 1993 Michael would be accused of
molesting a 13 year-old boy. No criminal charges were filed, but in 1994 Jackson settled the
matter himself outside of court with something near $20 million. This whole ordeal would do
immense damage to Jacksons image and some claim to his psychology as well. He would
develop a dependency on medications that stayed with him for the rest of his life. In the same
year, Michael would marry Lisa Marie Presley, Elvis Presleys daughter. This was seen as an
attempt to bolster his image. The marriage only lasted 18 months. In 1996, Jackson would
marry again. Debbie Rowe, a nurse from his dermatologists office, became the new Mrs.
Jackson. The couple divorced in 1999 after having two children.
Through the course of all this, Jackson had lost his musical drive. The music that did
emerge was sporadically successful. His final album, Invincible, wouldnt be enough to live up
to his previous title. Jackson was now known for his bad choices. He had a child, Prince
Michael II, who he had dangled over a balcony in Berlin. He would also make an absurd
statement that he still shared his bed at Neverland with children who were not his own. Even
after an apparent attempt to get some good vibes from the public when he held a 13 year-old boy
cancer survivors hand, the public would respond swiftly and hypercritically. Their reaction was
devastating to Jackson and according to some rumors, he would attempt a morphine overdose
later in the year.
To make matters worse, the boy accused Michael of fondling him. Jackson would end up
in court and although he would be acquitted on all charges, he walked away from the trial at the
lowest of lows. His finances were running out and he was a disgrace to the public eye.
In early 2009, Jackson announced an ambitious series of 50 concerts he would dub, The
Final Curtain Call. On June 24th, 2009, Jackson showed more talent than he had before in a 6
hour dress rehearsal. All witnesses of the rehearsal admitted that he looked better than ever
before. Sadly, the next day, June 25th, 2009, Michael Jackson was dead. He had a disturbing
dependence on Ambien and other prescriptions. His autopsy report ruled his death a homicide,
the number one suspect being Dr. Conrad Murray who, in 2010, was charged with involuntary
manslaughter.
After his death, his image as the King of Pop began to revive. People were again
obsessed with his music, music videos, and dance moves. The documentary This Is It, which
documented the rehearsals for the anticipated world-tour grossed more than $250 million
worldwide. Although the end of his life was grim, Michael Jackson remains the King of Pop and
one of the greatest performers to this day.

Sources:

Burmburgh, Gary. Michael Jackson Biography. IMDb. IMDb.com, Inc. Web. Accessed: 4 Dec
2017. www.imdb.com/name/nm0001391/bio

Michael Jackson Bio. Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone 2017. Web. Accessed: 4 Dec 2017.
www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/michael-jackson/biography