*All About Miss Janet Jackson*
birthdate: may 16, 1966
birthplace: gary, indiana
parents:joseph and katherine jackson
siblings:maureen, sigmund, toriano, latoya, jermaine, marlon, micheal, steven
height:5'4''
occupation:entertainer
Janet was and is one of the most popular female pop stars in the 1980s,90s and in the millinieum, Janet Jackson was born on May 16, 1966 to a talented music inclined family. As the youngest of nine children, Janet grew up in the music world with her older brothers, which were the '70s popular pop group the Jackson 5. Janet began performing as a child, opening for the Jackson 5 in Las Vegas, and became known to the public mostly through her appearances on TV shows such as "Good Times," "Diff'rent Strokes" and "Fame." At age 16 her father, Joseph Jackson, helped her into a professional singing career, wanting to capitalize on the growing success of her brother Michaeland the rest. Signing to A&M Records, her popular 1982 debut reached No. 63 and sold over a quarter-million copies based on the famous Jackson name alone. Two years later, against her family's wishes, Jackson married James Debarge of the R&B group Debarge. Also that same year she released her second album, Dreamstreet, which did not sell well as its predecessor but still was a great album. During her career, Jackson had her marriage to Debarge annulled and returned to her father's guidance to continue her overwhelming career.
In 1985 Joseph Jackson called in his friend John McClain, a record executive, to help remake Janet's image. McClain brought in top popular producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis to make and re-make new material, then led her into seclusion to tone up and develop dance moves. Her 1986 single "What Have You Done For Me Lately" reached the Top 5, sending her sales sky-rocket, of her new LP, Control, which reached No. 1 on the Pop and R&B charts and sold 10 million copies worldwide. Jackson began work on a follow-up which, but McClain, attempting to create a "bad girl" image for Janet, wanted the record to be called Scandal. After more disagreements between artist and manager, in 1989 Jackson released Rhythm Nation 1814, another pop smash. The album spawned four No. 1 hits, such as "Miss You Much," and three more Top 5 hits, eventually selling 10 million copies reaching No. 1 in the Billboard Pop and R&B charts. A massive world tour followed, along with several charity events.
Discontent with A&M, in 1991 Janet signed a $32 million, two album deal with VirginRecords, at the time the biggest recording contract in history. The following year her single "The Best Things In Life Are Free," a duet with Luther Vandross, reached No. 1; she also filmed scenes for the John Singleton film Poetic Justice (also featuring gangsta rapper Tupac Shakur). With a new, more sexual image, Jackson's 1993 Virgin debut, Janet., continued to expand the pop singer's fan base, spawning six Top 10 hits and selling over 15 million copies. Another elaborate world tour followed. After dueting with brother Michael on his Grammy-winning single "Scream," Janet released a 1996 greatest hits collection, Design of a Decade, which also featured two new singles. Later that year Jackson re-signed with Virgin for a reported $80 million, making her the highest paid recording artist of all time. To date she has sold 40 million albums, won three Grammy awards, and an Oscar nomination.
The Velvet Rope, released on Virgin in October 1997, was an intensely personal album that spawned the hits "Together Again" and "I Get Lonely."
Four years later, Jackson returned with All For You, released in the spring of 2001.
