Michael Jackson Biography

Born Michael Joseph Jackson on 29 August 1958 (died on 25 June 2009), the artist was called the “King of Pop” and became a worldwide culture figure.

Early Years

Michael debuted in the music scene with his family band. He was part of the band the Jackson 5, together with his brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, and Marlon. After issuing top hits like “I Want You Back” and “Got to Be There”, the band signed with Epic Records. They chose the name the Jacksons.

Around this time, Michael’s talent was blooming. The Jackson prodigy became the lead singer and the lead songwriter for the group. During his years with the family band, he also started a solo career when he was 13.

Jackson co-wrote his fifth solo album Off the Wall (1979) together with Rod Temperton, Stevie Wonder, and Paul McCartney. The album reached number three on the Billboard 200. Singles like “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough”, “Rock with You” and “She’s Out of My Life” topped the charts.

Becoming a Legend

Michael issued his next album Thriller in 1982. With singles like “The Girl is Mine”, “Billie Jean” and “Beat it”, it’s the best-selling album in the United States. Jackson won with this album seven Grammy Awards and eight American Music Awards. Thriller was the first album to have seven Billboard Hot 100 top 10 singles.

The artist’s two next albums were titled Bad (1987) and Dangerous (1991). The latter won a Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album.

HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I was released in 1995. The album debuted at number one in the US, Canada, Australia, France and the UK. The album created controversy with one of its singles, “They Don’t Care About Us”. The tune was considered to contain antisemitism.

Michael issued the album Invincible in 2001. It debuted at number one in 13 countries and it spawned singles like “You Rock My World” and “Cry”. In 2002, Jackson won the American Music Award for Artist of the Century.

Photo Source: Discogs