THE GREATEST ENTERTAINER IN THE WORLD! :)
Biography taken from ~ The American/International
Michael Jackson Fan Club
Michael Jackson is the King of Pop. This is not a title that he gave
himself. It was given to him by his millions of fans around the world and by
his peers, among whom he has no equal. How did he get the title, you ask? He
came by it the old fashioned way. He earned it! No other performer in
history has generated the massive sales that he has. No other performer in
history has received as many awards and accolades as he has. No other
performer in history draws the kind of excitement and mass hysteria that he
does. And no other performer in history has done so much in the way of
humanitarian efforts than he has. There has never been one like him before,
and there will never be one like him again. He is in a class all by himself.
Michael became a superstar at an age when most other children are learning
things like the alphabet and how to count to 20. Born the seventh child in a
family of nine, Michael and his older brothers (Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, and
Marlon) were thrust into the spotlight when their father, Joseph Jackson, a
steel mill worker in Gary, Indiana, formed a singing group out of his sons
and called them The Jackson 5. Even though Michael was the youngest, it
became immediately obvious that he had something special. Armed with a
magical voice mature beyond its tender years and a crowd-charming charisma
that rivaled any seasoned entertainer, little Michael lead his brothers from
winning local talent contests to a recording contract with Motown Records in
the late 1960's. The group quickly began turning out hit after hit for their
new record label and remained a hit-making machine throughout the '70's.
During their time at Motown, Michael also began a successful solo recording
career that would run parallel to his work with his brothers.
In 1976, the Jacksons left Motown and signed with Epic Records where they
continued to crank out one hit after another. In 1978 Michael ventured into
film when he starred opposite Diana Ross in The Wiz, an African-American
remake of the Wizard of Oz. The film itself was unexceptional but it did put
Michael on a collision course with destiny because it introduced him to
legendary producer Quincy Jones who arranged the film's score.
Michael and Quincy collaborated on his next solo project, Off The Wall. And
with that album Michael was immediately transformed from a cute little kid
act into an adult superstar. The album was released in 1979 to critical
praise for its crossover blending of soul and rock and its non-stop boogie
grove. With the help of number one hits "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" and
"Rock With You", the album sold 10 million copies and went multiplatinum.
It's hard to believe that any artist could top a success like that.
But in 1982, that's just what Michael did with the release of a monster of
an album called Thriller.
Thriller broke all kinds of records. It sold more than 50 million copies
worldwide (that's more than any other album before it or since). The album
spawned a record six top ten singles and spent a record breaking 37 weeks at
number one. It remains the best selling album of all time. That year Michael
also won an unprecedented eight Grammy Awards - 7 for Thriller and 1 for
E.T.-The Storybook. Much of Thriller's success was due, in part, to a new
thing called music videos. Hits like "Billie Jean," "Beat It," and
"Thriller" came alive before our very eyes when paired with a cool story
line and Michael's amazing dancing ability. Michael's short films not only
helped pioneer the video medium but also broke MTV's color barrier in the
process. Thriller made Michael Jackson an American pop icon.
So, what do you do after recording the number one best-selling album in
history? You record the number two best-selling album in history, of course!
Bad, Michael's next solo project released in 1987, sold over 25 million
copies worldwide and included the hit singles "I Just Can't Stop Loving
You," "The Way You Make Me Feel," and "Man In The Mirror." Accompanied by
his first ever solo world tour (the biggest concert tour in history), the
Bad album generated 5 consecutive number one hits (a feat unequalled since).
In 1991,with his next album, Dangerous, Michael continued the astronomical
sales figures with 23 million copies sold worldwide. With Dangerous came
more state of the art videos and another amazing concert tour. Michael also
made history in 1993 when the notoriously private superstar sat down for a
90-minute live interview with talk show host extraordinaire, Oprah Winfrey.
The interview was conducted from Michael's home, Neverland Valley Ranch in
Santa Ynez, California and was the most watched program of 1993 attracting
nearly 100 million viewers around the world.
In 1995, Michael released his most ambitious project yet. HIStory Past,
Present and Future Book I was a massive double album containing 15 of
Michael's greatest hits from his previous four albums and 15 brand new
songs. HIStory saw Michael turning a corner creatively as the 15 new songs
were some of the most personal songs he has ever recorded. By January of
1996, HIStory had been certified six times platinum in the United States
alone and it is still the most successful double album of all time. In 1997
Michael released Blood On The Dance floor: HIStory In The Mix. The album
contained 5 new songs (some of the best work he's ever done, according to
many critics), and 8 remixes from HIStory. Some saw this remix CD as a
brilliant idea because it brought a two-year-old album back to the
forefront.
1997 also saw the beginning of a whole new world for Michael on a personal
level. In February of that year his wife Debbie, whom he married in November
of 1996, gave birth to their first child, a son named "Prince" Michael
Joseph Jackson Jr. A daughter, Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson followed in
1998. Michael has said that fatherhood is his greatest dream come true.
After two charity concerts held in Seoul (South Korea) and Munich (Germany)
in June 1999, the King of Pop released his new solo album entitled
'Invincible' at the end of October 2001. Just before this, Michael held two
extraordinary concerts on September 7 and 10 of 2001 at the Madison Sqaure
Garden in New York (USA) to celebrate the 30th anniversary of his career.
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