Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson | |
|---|---|
| File:Michaeljacksonvibe.jpg | |
| Background information | |
| Years active | 1969–present |
- For other people with the same name, see Michael Jackson (disambiguation)
Michael Joseph Jackson (born August 29 1958), also known as The King of Pop or pejoratively as Wacko Jacko, is an American musician whose controversial personal life and successful music career have been at the forefront of pop culture for the last quarter-century.
Michael Jackson began his professional career at the age of eleven as lead singer of the Motown produced act The Jackson 5 (later "The Jacksons") in the 1960s, and made his first solo recordings in 1971 as part of the Jackson 5 franchise. Jackson began a full-fledged solo career in 1979 and formally parted with his siblings in 1987. Since then he has recorded and co-produced the best-selling album of all-time (Thriller, with a reported sixty million copies sold worldwide), received fourteen Grammy Awards, charted twenty-nine solo number-one singles around the world, and sold over 330 million solo albums and singles worldwide. Michael Jackson has been awarded numerous honors, including the World Music Award for "Best Selling Pop Male Artist of the Millenium" in 2000. Michael Jackson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001.
In 2003, Michael Jackson faced allegations of child sexual abuse, resulting in a trial and acquittal in 2005.
Biography
1958-1974
Michael Joseph Jackson was born to Joseph Jackson and Katherine Jackson in Gary, Indiana. He was the seventh of nine children, including Rebbie, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, LaToya, Marlon, Randy and Janet.
Joseph organised his children into a music group called The Jackson 5. According to a 1993 interview with Michael Jackson, their father was very strict on the children, forcing them into the entertainment industry. The group played local clubs and bars, building up a following and eventually signing a contract with Steeltown Records who released their first recorded track "Big Boy", which became a local radio hit. They were then discovered by Gladys Knight and Bobby Taylor, who brought them to Motown Records in 1968. Label head Berry Gordy bought out their Steeltown contract and signed the group to Motown. Gordy then moved the Jackson family to Los Angeles, California, and proceeded to turn them into international stars. In the fall of 1969, The Jackson 5 were presented to the public by Diana Ross, and were officially launched as the next big Motown act.
The Jackson 5 soon became national stars with their first four singles, "ABC," "I Want You Back," "The Love You Save," and "I'll Be There" charting at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Following the success of their first four singles, The Jackson 5 released a further string of top 40 hits including "Mama's Pearl," "Never Can Say Goodbye," "Sugar Daddy," "Maybe Tomorrow, and "Dancing Machine". The latter of the songs is often claimed as being one of the earliest examples of disco. Michael also released four solo albums and charted many hit singles under the Jackson 5 franchise including the hits "Got to Be There", a popular remake of "Rockin' Robin", "I Wanna Be Where You Are" and "Ben," the theme of a 1972 film of the same name.
Eventually The Jackson 5 reached lower chart positions and sold less copies with each new album and single they released. In an effort to revamp his son's careers, father-manager Joseph Jackson took the Jackson 5 to Las Vegas in the mid seventies and created a well-received family act at the MGM Grand Hotel. The Las Vegas Show was tailored into a hit summer replacement show on network television that lasted two seasons. Despite the success in Vegas and the Variety Show on CBS, the group signed a new contract with CBS Records (first joining the Philadelphia International division and later moving over to Epic Records), citing the need for artistic freedom. However, Jermaine decided to stay with Motown as he was then married to Berry Gordy's daughter Hazel.
1975-1980
The new deal with CBS provided larger royalties and creative freedom that the Jackson 5 were not allowed at Motown. Upon learning that the Jackson 5 had signed a contract with another label, Motown sued the group for breach of contract. As a result, they lost the rights to use the "Jackson 5" name and logo and changed their named to "The Jacksons". The newly named Jacksons, featuring youngest brother Randy in Jermaine's place, continued their successful career, touring internationally and releasing six albums between 1976 and 1984. They became a big part of the disco music era, recording (and often writing) the hits "Enjoy Yourself," "Show You The Way To Go," "Blame It On The Boogie," and "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)."
1978, after recording the successful Destiny album with his brothers, Michael Jackson starred as the scarecrow in "The Wiz," with former-labelmate Diana Ross playing Dorothy. Michael Jackson moved to New York for the filming of Wiz, where he became a regular visitor at the controversial Studio 54. The musical film's songs were arranged by famed producer Quincy Jones, who established a partnership with Jackson and agreed to produce his first solo album.
Michael Jackson's first major solo album Off the Wall, released in August, 1979, was a worldwide hit, and spawned the number-one hit singles "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" and "Rock With You". The ballad "She's Out of My Life" and the album's title track also reached the top ten in 1980. With that accomplishment, Jackson became the first solo artist to have four Top Ten hit singles in the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart from a single album. The album went on to sell over 20 million copies worldwide, establishing Jackson as a musical force without his brothers. The album ranks number sixty-eight on the List of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
Songs on the album (e.g. "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough", "Rock With You" and "She's Out of My Life") contained lyrics about sex and romance. On a 2001 special edition re-release of the album, Quincy Jones doubts if Jackson experienced what these songs were about. When asked if he was a virgin in 1993 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Jackson said he was embarassed to answer and that it was private information, but he did say "I'm a gentleman... call me old fashioned if you want".
Actress Tatum O'Neal claimed in her autobiography years later that Jackson dedicated the Tom Bahler-penned song "She's Out of My Life" to her. Michael Jackson has often stated in interviews and his autobiography that O'Neal was his first girlfriend. The two were often seen together in the late 1970s. His second girlfriend, actress Brooke Shields, starting dating Michael a year after the Off The Wall album was released. The relationship lasted through-out the 1980's and the two were last seen together at the Grammy Awards of 1993.
After Off The Wall's success, Jackson joined with his brothers to record the Triumph album. The album included the hits "Can You Feel It," and "This Place Hotel." After the success of Triumph, Jackson began work on his second solo album with Quincy Jones.
1982-1985
Michael Jackson's 1982 album Thriller produced seven top-ten hit singles, broke sales records, and became the best-selling album in music history. Thriller was nominated for eleven Grammy awards, and won seven. Jackson also won a Grammy in the same year for the E.T. Storybook, breaking the record for the most Grammy awards won in a single year. The album spawned seven top 40 hits, including the title track which was accompanied by a revolutionary music video. The thirteen-minute "Thriller" music video became the world's best-selling home video at the time (packaged with the featurette The Making of Michael Jackson's "Thriller"). By 2001, Thriller had been certified twenty-seven times platinum in the U.S. but has not been certified since.
Often regarded as Jackson's signature song, and perhaps the biggest hit from the Thriller album, was "Billie Jean", which sold short of three million copies and was the first video by a black artist to gain regular airplay on MTV. When performing "Billie Jean" for the Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever special on television on May 16, 1983, Jackson publicly performed the moonwalk dance for the first time. Jackson also used a lyrically-modified version of "Billie Jean" in numerous commercial he did for Pepsi-Cola at the height of Thriller's popularity. On January 27 1984, during a Pepsi commercial shoot in Los Angeles, Jackson's hair caught on fire when a fireworks display erupted behind him, showering him in sparks. He received hospital treatment for second-degree burns to his scalp.
After Paul McCartney appeared in the song "The Girl is Mine" on 1982's Thriller, McCartney's solo album Pipes of Peace featured two McCartney/Jackson duets, "Say Say Say" (US #1, UK #2) and "The Man". However, any hopes of further collaboration were seemingly ended by their subsequent estrangement stemming from Jackson's purchase of Northern Songs/ATV Music and The Beatles' publishing catalogue. Michael Jackson purchased ownership in ATV Music Publishing in 1984, which owns the publishing rights to songs written by The Beatles and many other actsincluding Sly & The Family Stone. Recently, there have been numerous reports that Jackson's financial troubles may force him to sell his ownership ATV catalogue.
In 1984 Jackson reunited with his brothers and recorded the album, "Victory." The Jacksons toured the United States with the Victory Tour and during the last concert of that tour, Michael announced his split from the group. Arond the same time, Marlon split from the group and after recording their final album in 1989, The Jacksons officially disbanded.
Michael Jackson was instrumental in organizing the recording of the single "We Are the World", which he co-wrote with former Motown labelmate, Lionel Richie. The single was released in 1985 to raise money for USA for Africa, a charity working to raise awareness about and give aid to impoverished families in Africa. Jackson is noted for his humanitarian efforts, and has often used his music to support and promote various causes. Named after his hit song, the "Heal the World" foundation was created by Jackson in 1992, with assistance from former President Jimmy Carter. However, the "Heal the World" Foundation no longer exists. Jackson was considering a tour of Africa in May or June 2004 to raise money to fight AIDS; Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Senegal were among the countries he had planned to visit.
1986-1989
In 1986, Jackson starred in the George Lucas/Francis Ford Coppola 3-D film Captain Eo, which was shown in Disney theme parks until 1998. This short film was the most expensive film ever produced at the time, with an estimated total production cost of US$17 million. The film contained the songs "We Are Here to Change the World" and "Another Part of Me". The latter of the songs was included on Jackson's next studio album.
In 1987, Jackson released the album Bad, which sold over 30 million copies and became the second-best-selling album of all time (behind Thriller). It ranked #202 on the List of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Its first five singles ("I Just Can't Stop Loving You", "Bad", "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Man in the Mirror", and "Dirty Diana") provided Jackson with another string of hits, and made him the first artist to generate five number-one singles off of one album.
The next string of singles from the Bad album, "Another Part Of Me", "Smooth Criminal", "Leave Me Alone" and "Liberian Girl", kept Jackson on the charts throughout 1988 and the beginning of 1989 as he embarked on the Bad World Tour. The Bad tour was seen by almost 4.4 million people and became the biggest tour any performer had ever done. While on this tour, Jackson reportedly had a relationship with Tatiana Thumbtzen, who appeared in the music video for "The Way You Make Me Feel". These claims were made by Tatiana Thumbzen and supported by Katherine Jackson on The Maury Povich Show. However, in her January 2005 released book The Way He Made Me Feel, Thumbzten was denied having a romantic relationship with Jackson and stated that their "affair" was made up for the benefit of the press.
Jackson hired film director Martin Scorsese to direct the video for the album's title track, which premiered on television as an 18 minute short film, although subsequent broadcasts would only show the song part of the film, where Jackson and a group of dancers perform in a New York subway. When the music video debuted on TV, it caused controversy as it was apparent that Jackson's appearance had changed dramatically. Although Jackson's skin color was a medium-brown color for the entire duration of his youth, his skin has lightened gradually since 1982, and is today a pale cream color. Jackson has attributed his changing skin color to vitiligo, a skin disease in which the body develops antibodies against its own melanin, a body pigment, resulting in light patches and an eventual loss of all pigment. The public finally became aware of Jackson's condition when he first revealed it in an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 1993. As a result of this disorder, Jackson is said to use make-up to cover-up the imperfections in his skin and has denied numerous reports that he bleaches his skin. His appearance has also changed due to extensive use of plastic surgery. He claims to have had three operations: two rhinoplastic surgeries and the surgical creation of a cleft in his chin. When listing his cosmetic surgery, Jackson often omits mentioning the cleft; however, he confirmed this surgery in his 1988 autobiography, Moon Walk. Jackson also made a mini-movie and released a Sega video game with similar titles.
In the late 1980s, Michael Jackson's record company announced plans to release a compilation of his biggest hits up to that point. The compilation, apparently titled Decade, was to include several new songs. These songs were "Black or White", "Heal the World" and "Who Is It". However, because Jackson had ample new material, he decided to release another full studio album instead. Michael Jackson ended the 1980s by being named "Artist of The Decade" by numerous organisations. Close friend of Jackson's Elizabeth Taylor, presented him with an "Artist of the decade" awarded in 1989, and during her introduction referred to him as "the true king of pop, rock and soul". Since then, Jackson's fans has often referred to him as simply "the king of pop". Many members of the media refer to Jackson as the "self-proclaimed king of pop" as it is sometimes claimed that Jackson gave the title to himself.
1990-1994
Michael Jackson released Dangerous in November, 1991, his first album under the new record-breaking US$890 million contract with Sony, a contract that would later lead to a long-winded battle between Jackson and Sony. Beginning with this album, Jackson ended his association with music-producer Quincy Jones, and began to produce his own music with new producers such as new jack swing pioneer Teddy Riley for his records. While in the U.S., sales for the album reached seven million, internationally Dangerous eclipsed Bad as the second best-selling album of Jackson's career, selling over 32 million albums. The major hits included "Black or White", "Remember the Time" and "Heal The World".
Probably the biggest hit from Dangerous was the debut single, "Black or White". The music video for "Black or White" generated a certain amount of controversy. The controversy was related to the last four minutes (known as the "panther" scene), of the original eleven-minute short film, because it showed scenes of a sexual nature, violence and racial slurs. These final minutes of the video caused such a negative reaction that Jackson was forced to announce a formal apology for its content. Jackson stated he was merely trying to interpret the animalistic instincts of a panther into a dance.
To promote the album, Michael Jackson embarked on his second world tour, the Dangerous World Tour. On October 1, 1992, his Dangerous concert in Bucharest was filmed and sold to HBO. This was the highest paid TV broadcast rights for a concert in history, and attracted one of HBO's highest rating programs ever. This show was later released on DVD in 2005.
The Dangerous tour was cut short in 1993 when allegations of child sexual abuse (main article) were brought against Jackson. In 1993, Jordan Chandler, the son of former Beverly Hills dentist Evan Chandler, represented by civil lawyer Larry Feldman, accused Jackson of child sexual abuse. A law enforcement investigation ensued which resulted in a search warrant being served upon Jackson by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department and the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office, headed by District Attorney Tom Sneddon. The search warrant authorized law enforcement officers to view Jackson's body in order to look for marks on his genitals allegedly described by the young accuser. In 1994, Jackson settled out of court with the accuser for at least USD 23 million and was not charged. (For more information see: Alleged child sex abuse section)
After the allegations were settled and the Dangerous World Tour concluded, Jackson began work on the greatest-hits compilation original intended to be released in 1990. This compilation became a greatest-hits/studio album titled HIStory.
1995-1999
In 1995, Epic released Jackson's HIStory: Past, Present And Future - Book 1, a double-disc album. The first disc, HIStory Begins, was a fifteen-track greatest hits album (in 2001, HIStory Begins was re-released on its own as Greatest Hits - HIStory Vol. I), while the second disc, HIStory Continues, contained fifteen new songs. Of the newer songs, "Scream" a duet with Jackson's sister Janet, "They Don't Care About Us," "Stranger In Moscow" and "Earth Song" became hits. The album sold 36 million copies making it the best-selling multiple-disc album of all-time. HIStory was also the first album where Jackson showcased his instrumental abilities, playing keyboard and synthesizer, guitar, drums and percussion on the album.
One of the album's biggest hits, 1995's "You Are Not Alone", was partnered with a controversial music video which showed a almost-naked Jackson and his then-wife Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of Elvis Presley, who he married in 1994. The marriage was severely criticized by the media and lasted less than two years. Despite some comments questioning the validity of this union, Presley has always maintained that they both shared a married couple's life during their time together and were sexually active. The couple divorced in December 1995 when Jackson was still hospitalized after suffering dehydration during rehearsals for his "One Night Only" special which was cancelled.
To promote the album, Jackson embarked on the HIStory World Tour. When in Sydney for his Australian leg of the tour, Jackson married his dermatologist's nurse Deborah Jeanne Rowe on 14th November 1996, with whom he has fathered a son, Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr. (who publicly goes by the name "Prince"), and a daughter, Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson (the actual parentage is unproven). Jackson and Rowe were divorced in 1999. Rowe later said that she wanted Jackson to have the children as a "gift", which she had offered even while Jackson was married to Presley. She resultantly gave up her parental rights to the children, but as of 2005, a family court case is under way regarding visitation. The godparents of the two children are Macaulay Culkin and Elizabeth Taylor. In December 2005, Debbie Rowe allegedly claimed that Michael Jackson had abducted her children and that she was filing a law suit to try and get them back. This case is still in progress.
In 1997, Jackson released an album of remixes of hit singles from the "HIStory" album titled Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix. Jackson also recorded five original songs which were put on the album ("Blood On The Dancefloor", "Is It Scary?", "Ghosts", "Superfly Sister" and "Morphine"). Of the new songs, three were released globally, including the title track which peaked at number forty-two in the US but reached number-one in the UK. The album was largely ignored on the US charts. The album went on to sell over seven million copies worldwide, becoming the best-selling remix album of all-time.
Other single releases from the album included "Ghosts", and "Is It Scary?", which were songs based on a film Jackson created that year titled "Ghosts". The film, written by Michael Jackson and Stephen King and directed by Stan Winston, features impressive special effects and dance moves choregraphed to orginal music written by Michael Jackson. Ghosts is sometimes seen as a movie-length sequel to his 1983 Thriller short-film.
In a 1997 television interview with Barbara Walters, Jackson stated his wishes that the media and public refrain from calling him "Wacko Jacko". This phrase was reportedly conceived by a British tabloid. The term refers to Jackson's percieved eccentricities and a shortened version of his surname, Jackson. Jackson said in the interview "I'm a Jackson, not a Jacko, and I'm not whacko." Since this interview, the media have often referred to him simply as "Jacko".
In 1999, Jackson announced he was working on a new album. This album later became Invincible.
2001-2002
In October 2001, after two years in production, Jackson's sixth solo album Invincible was released. The album debuted at number-one on the Billboard Top 200 album chart, and went on to sell over eight million copies in worldwide. The singles released from the album include "You Rock My World," "Cry," "Butterflies" and "Heaven Can Wait". On Invincible, Michael Jackson expanded his instrumental involvement on the album, playing most of the instruments and much of the programming in collaboration with producers Rodney Jerkins, Teddy Riley, and Dr. Freeze.
Just before the release of Invincible, Jackson informed Sony Music Entertainment head, Tommy Mottola, that he was not going to renew his contract, signed in 1991, which was about to expire in terms of supplying the label with albums of full-new material for release through ER/SME. In 2002 Mottola cancelled all the singles releases, video shootings and promotions, concerning the Invincible album. Due to this, Jackson made allegations about Sony not supporting its African-American artists. Jackson referred to Sony Entertainment head, Tommy Mottola, as a "devil" and a "racist" who used black artists for his own personal gain. Jackson also insisted that Mottola called Irv Gotti a "fat nigger". Sony issued a statement stating that they found the allegations strange, since Motolla was once married to half-Black R&B star Mariah Carey. However, Carey supported Jackson's claims on Larry King Live.
On October 21, 2001, Michael Jackson performed the song "What More Can I Give" at the United We Stand: What More Can I Give charity concert for the September 11 terrorist attacks, in Washington, D.C. Twenty-seven other artists joined Jackson onstage during the song, including Mariah Carey, Céline Dion, the Backstreet Boys, Justin Timberlake, Beyoncé Knowles, Usher, Anastacia, Mya, Ricky Martin, Julio Iglesias and Tom Petty. After the event raised USD 3 million, Jackson planned to release it as a single. The single release of "What More Can I Give" was cancelled, but the song was made available for paid download on the Internet, and had a video shot for it. Later a catalog featuring the song, called "What More Can I Give: Michael Jackson and Friends", was released instead.
2002-2003
In 2002, a new round of negative publicity surrounded Michael Jackson. He teamed with Martin Bashir to do a documentary and interview about his life titled "Living with Michael Jackson". Bashir and his television crew filmed Michael Jackson for almost a year, capturing some of the most controversial moments of his life. Bashir was with Michael Jackson in Germany for the Bambi Awards when crowds of fans congregated at the hotel where he was staying with his children. Jackson showed the crowd his youngest son, Blanket (born in early 2002 through surrogacy), from the balcony of his suite, briefly suspending him over the railing of the balcony. The incident was caught on tape by the media, who dubbed it the "baby dangling" incident. Jackson apologized for his behavior, however many pundits questioned his responsibilty as a father and whether he should even have custody of his children.
In January and February of 2003, the documentary aired around the world. Jackson was widely criticised for the comments and actions he displayed in the documentary. One particular part of the documentary which stirred controversy and raised concern showed Jackson holding hand with a 13-year-old cancer victim named Gavin Arviso and admitted to sharing his bed with children. Although, since then Jackson has fought back saying what he meant was he lets children sleep in his bed while he sleeps on the floor. He claims he explained this in the interview with Bashir, but his complete comments were edited out of the documentary. In an attempt to redeem himself, Jackson released the same documentary, but filmed by his own personal cameraman who caught Jackson's full explanations on the topics of plastic surgery, the "baby dangling" incident, and his relationships with children.
Months after the documentary aired, rumors spread through-out the Internet that Michael Jackson was working on a new album. The rumored titled for the album was "Resurrection". Not long after a song from the album was leaked to the internet, work on the rumored album was put on hold and plans went underway for a greatest-hits album to be released instead.
November of that year, Michael Jackson and Sony Records released a compilation of his number one hits on CD and DVD titled "Number Ones". The compilation was highly successful selling over six million copies worldwide. On the album's scheduled release date, while Michael Jackson was in Las Vegas filming the video for "One More Chance" (the only new song included in the "Number Ones" compilation), the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Department raided Neverland Ranch and arrested Michael Jackson on charges of child molestation. Jackson was accused of sexual abuse by Gavin Arviso, who appeared in the "Living with Michael Jackson" documentary earlier that year. The allegatations later lead to a trial in which Jackson was found not guilty of all charges. (For more information see: Alleged child sex abuse section)
2005 trial
The criminal case was tried in Santa Maria, California during the spring of 2005. On June 13, Jackson was acquitted of all ten charges, including four additional lesser ones. CNN later reported that two of the jurors, Ray Hultman and Eleanor Cook, believed he had committed child sex crimes in the past but there was not enough evidence to prove it, and announced impending books on their experiences in the trial. It has been reported that one of the jurors is taking legal action against the publisher of his book, claiming he was tricked into it. Others, during after verdict press-conference, indicated that they did not see evidence of any recent or older crime whatsoever, even though all the previous cases of alleged molestation were considered.
In his first interview since the acquittal, Michael Jackson told the Associated Press that the trial was "the hardest thing I've ever done in my life". He also spoke briefly about the charity single and added that he and his children were still in Bahrain "resting and recovering" from the ordeal.
In 2006 more allegations of sexual assault were levelled against Michael Jackson by a man who claims Michael Jackson molested him, intoxicated him with drugs and alcohol, and forced him to undergo unnecessary cosmetic surgery. The lawsuit, filed in Orange County Superior Court, claims Jackson "repeatedly and forcefully" sexually molested the plaintiff from 1987 (when he was two years old) until December 1999, at locations that were owned, leased or rented by defendants. Other defendants in the case include various divisions of Sony Music (Jackson's record label). The plaintiff accuses Sony of conspiring with Jackson and allowing the alleged acts to occur. Michael Jackson's lawyer Thomas Mesereau, who successfully defended him against allegations of child molestation in 2005, said "the charges are ridiculous on their face. They will be vigorously defended."
2005-present
After being acquitted of child molestation charges on June 13 2005, Jackson relocated to the Gulf island of Bahrain, where he reportedly bought a house formerly owned by a Bahrain MP. While in Bahrain, Jackson has also taken on the role of entertainment consultant in a business venture to develop the Gulf's music and entertainment industry. Jackson is currently in talks with a Bahrain-based company over a string of possible entertainment projects in the Gulf, from theme parks to music academies, to help improve the music and entertainment sector in the Gulf. One top of his various business ventures, Jackson has spent his time in the Gulf writing new music, including a charity single dedicated to the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
In September 2005, Jackson's publicist, Raymone Bain, announced that Jackson was busy working with various recording artists to produce a single dedicated to victims of Hurricane Katrina in order to raise funds for relief. Hoping to rekindle the success of "We Are the World", which raised millions for aid to Africa, Jackson enlisted the involvement of other recording artists to help him record the single. Not all of the enlisted recording artists have been confirmed. But a statement released January 10, 2006 by Jackson's spokeswoman Raymone Bain, reveals that Keyshia Cole, Ciara, Snoop Dogg, Babyface and R Kelly are among the artists taking part in the song, "I Have This Dream". The single is set for a mid-late February release, according to Jackson's spokesperson. Jackson is the executive writer and producer of the single which will be released through 2 Seas Records, owned by Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Khalifa of Bahrain. All proceeds from the sale of the single will be donated to the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
Each week over a five-month-period starting in February, 2006, Sony BMG will release twenty of Michael Jackson’s biggest hit singles in a box-set titled Visionary - The Video Singles. Each single will be issued as a DualDisc allowing not only his most popular singles to be collected but also their accompanying music videos. Michael Jackson worked on the project as executive producer, giving final approval on the music, video editing and packaging design. The first CD single from the box set to be released is "Thriller", which will be released with the collector's box on February 20th 2006. All the singles from the box will be eligible to chart, as they will be released individually as regular singles.
After the Visionary box set is complete, it's been reported that Jackson will begin his European tour in September, 2006. A rumour that spokeswoman Raymone Bain claims she has no knowledge of. Michael Jackson has said in numerous interviews that he probably will not tour for a while because he is more interested in doing film at the moment. Jackson says that he wants to get at least six films behind him before he goes back in the music industry.
Discography
Billboard number-one singles
|
Major studio albums
|
Videography
Notable short films
- Billie Jean (1983) - Directed by Steve Barron
- Beat It (1983) - Directed by Bob Giraldi
- Thriller (1983) - Directed by John Landis
- Bad (1987) - Directed by Martin Scorsese
- The Way You Make Me Feel (1987) - Directed by Joe Pytka
- Smooth Criminal (1988) - Directed by Colin Chilvers
- Leave Me Alone (1989) - Directed by Jim Blashfield
- Black or White (1991) - Directed by John Landis
- Remember The Time (1992) - Directed by John Singleton
- Scream (1995) - Directed by Mark Romanek
- Earth Song (1995) - Directed by Nicholas Brandt
- Blood on the Dance Floor (1997) - Directed by Michael Jackson & Vincent Paterson
- You Rock My World (2001) - Directed by Paul Hunter
Filmography
Films
|
Video games
|
See also
References
External links
Official Michael Jackson sites
- Sony's Michael Jackson site - Official Sony website for Michael Jackson
- 2 Seas Records - Official website for Hurricane Katrina single
- Sony's Visionary site - Official website for the Visionary project
Others
- Michael Jackson at IMDb
- MJJForum - Michael Jackson news, info and discussion
- Michael Jackson lyrics
- Ultimate Michael Jackson Stats Site - Michael Jackson's record sales and chart positions
- Songwriters' Hall of Fame page on Michael Jackson
- Michael Jackson Chinese Database
- Michael Jackson in Relationships
- Michael Jackson symbols and psychology
- The American Vitiligo Research Foundation Site
- Sony/ATV music publishing site
| Studio albums |
| ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album |
| ||||
| Live albums |
| ||||
| Compilations |
| ||||
| Concert tours | |||||
| Specials | |||||
| Television | |||||
| Related articles | |||||
- 1958 births
- African-American singers
- African-American songwriters
- American child singers
- American dancers
- American film actors
- American guitarists
- American male singers
- American pianists
- American pop singers
- American R&B singers
- American record producers
- American rock singers
- American singer-songwriters
- American soul musicians
- Artist-producers
- Autobiographers
- Beatboxers
- Dance Top 40 acts in United States
- Disco musicians
- Drummers
- Former Jehovah's Witnesses
- Funk musicians
- Gay icons
- Grammy Award Winners
- Hollywood Walk of Fame
- Jackson 5 members
- Living people
- Michael Jackson
- Motown performers
- MTV Music Award Winners
- Multi-instrumentalists
- Oz actors
- People from Indiana
- Rhythmic Top 40 acts
- Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees
- World record holders