Michael Jackson
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Michael Jackson | |
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| 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 by the tabloid title 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 fifty one million copies sold worldwide) http://www.guinnessrecords.com/content_pages/record.asp?recordid=50890, received fourteen Grammy Awards, charted twenty-nine solo number-one singles around the world, and sold 350 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 Millennium" in 2000. Michael Jackson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001.
In 1993, and again in 2003, Michael Jackson faced allegations of child sexual abuse, and was eventually tried and acquitted of these allegations in 2005.
Biography
The Jackson 5
Michael Joseph Jackson was born to Joseph 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". 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. 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. 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 1974, 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. 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.
In 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.
Off the Wall and Thriller
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. 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.
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.
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. Around the same time, Marlon split from the group and after recording their final album in 1989, The Jacksons officially disbanded. A year after Jackson's spilt from the group, he co-wrote the hit charity single "We Are The World" 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.
Success and controversy
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, 1987's Bad album, 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.
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 (main article) 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. This album became Dangerous, released in November, 1991. The album was Jackson's first release under his 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".
Allegations and History
To promote Dangerous, Michael Jackson embarked on his second world tour, the Dangerous World Tour. The 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. In 1994, Jackson settled out of court with the accuser for at least USD 23 million and was not charged.
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. In 1995, Jackson released 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 18 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.
Marriage and fatherhood
During the making of the HIStory album, Jackson married Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of Elvis Presley. The two were wed 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. Not long after the divorce, 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.
Late 1990s and Invincible
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 Dance Floor", "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. This was the first album that suffered lower-than-average sales compared to Jackson's standard. His next series of releases would also sell less than expected.
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 choreographed to original music written by Michael Jackson. Ghosts is sometimes seen as a movie-length sequel to his 1983 Thriller short-film.
In 1999, Jackson announced he was working on a new album. This album later became Invincible. Invincible was released in October 2001, after two years in production. The album debuted at number-one on the Billboard Top 200 album chart, and went on to sell over 10 million copies worldwide according to Jackson himself. 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"[citation needed]. Sony issued a statement stating that they found the allegations strange, since Motolla was once married to half-Black R&B star Mariah Carey. Carey seemed to be nonchalant about Jackson's claims on Larry King Live[1].
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.
Living with Michael Jackson
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". The documentary aired in January and February of 2003. 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 a significant level of concern showed Jackson holding hands with a 13-year-old cancer victim named Gavin Arviso and admitting 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 seven 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 allegations later lead to a trial in which Jackson was found not guilty of all charges.
Child molestation 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.
After being acquitted of the child molestation charges, 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 titled, "I Have This Dream".
Currently, Michael Jackson is staying in Hamburg, Germany with close friends and family, and has a video box-set due out in February 2006 which will be released bit by bit over a five-month period.
Artistry
 | The neutrality of this section is disputed. |
Michael Jackson has written and composed the majority of his solo music including the hits, "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough," "Billie Jean," "Beat It," "The Way You Make Me Feel," "Smooth Criminal" and "Earth Song." In 2002, Jackson was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He began writing and composing music in 1965, at the age of seven. His first published song, which he wrote and composed himself, was "Blues Away" released in 1976, which he wrote at the age of fifteen[citation needed]. "Blues Away" was the first use of beat-boxing in a commercial record. Jackson later displayed his beat-boxing skills on live television in 1993 during in interview with Oprah Winfrey. In the interview he beat-boxes and sings a capella a song from his Dangerous album titled, "Who Is It." The recording of this song also featured beat-boxing performed by Michael Jackson [citation needed].
As a vocalist, Michael Jackson is described by his vocal coach, Seth Riggs as a high tenor with a four octave range. He goes from two C's below middle C to two B's above middle C (basso love C2 - high B5, which is 48 notes)[citation needed]. According to Riggs, Michael Jackson has the highest range of all tenor voices, including that of Pavarotti, and has the ability to hold notes for a longer duration of time then Pavarotti, meaning he has a greater lung capacity or vocal wind capability.[citation needed]
Michael Jackson is also world renowned for his unique dancing style[citation needed]. He was taught by the Electric Boogaloos, which he referred to as "some kids from the street."[citation needed] He is most famous for popularizing the backslide, which he first showcased during his performance of "Billie Jean" at the Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever concert[citation needed]. In his early years, Jackson also popularized "the robot", incorporating it into the live performance of the Jackson 5 song, "Dancing Machine"[citation needed].
Personal life and controversy
 | It has been suggested that Michael Jackson home, recreation, friends, charity be merged into this article. (Discuss) |
- See also the main articles linked from the subsections, and Religious beliefs.
Since coming to fame in the early 1980s, Michael Jackson has lived a controversial life under the watchful eye of the media.
Alleged child sex abuse
In 1988, Jackson bought a 2,600 acre (11 km²) ranch in Santa Ynez, California, which he built into his own personal theme park and zoo which became Neverland Ranch. Jackson has opened up his home to many under-privileged, ill and homeless children. This practice was caused a significant level of concern amongst the public as Jackson has been accused of child molestation on three separate occasions.
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.
In 2003, Jackson was accused of sexual molestation by Gavin Arvizo, who appeared with Jackson on the Living with Michael Jackson television documentary. Like Chandler, Arvizo was represented by civil lawyer Larry Feldman, and an investigation was once again launched by Sneddon. Jackson was served a search warrant for Neverland, and the singer was arrested in November 2003. 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.
In 2006, allegations of sexual assault were levelled against Jackson by a man who claims Michael Jackson molested him, intoxicated him with drugs and alcohol, and forced him to undergo unnecessary cosmetic surgery. 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."
Physical appearance
Jackson's physical appearance has been a controversial issue of the last twenty-odd years as it became apparent in the late 1980s and early 1990s that his appearance had changed significantly due to extensive use of plastic surgery. Jackson claims to three operations: two rhinoplastic surgeries and the surgical creation of a cleft in his chin. 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. It is sometimes claimed that this was the beginning of Jackson's extensive use of plastic surgery. Jackson skin tone has also changed from a medium-brown to a pale-white. Jackson has attributed this 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. Some say Jackson's dramatic change in appearance has blurred the traditional barriers surrounding age, race and gender in society.
Marriages and children
Jackson's marriages and children have received significant press coverage, especially in recent times, as the public have begun to doubt if Jackson is the biological father of his children. When the children were seen in the 2003 documentary "Living with Michael Jackson", it was apparent that they had no African features. Also in the documentary, Jackson was shown suspeding his youngest son (Blanket, born in early 2002 through surrogacy) over a balcony railing in Berlin, Germany. This was seen by many members of the media and public as child endangerment.
Finances
Recently, Michael Jackson's financial woes have been in the news because there have been reports that he might lose his share in the Sony/ATV 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 acts, including Sly & The Family Stone. Many believe that Paul McCartney (as the only living member of the Lennon/McCartney song writing team) should have ownership of the Beatles songs, this has made some view Jackson in a negative light.
Post-trail lawsuits
Since his acquittal of child molestation charges in June 2005, Michael Jackson has been involved in many civil lawsuits, including allegations of animal neglect which were deemed unfounded in January 2006, and allegations of anti-Semitism which may lead to a counter-suit by Jackson's lawyers.
Discography
Billboard number-one singles
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Major studio albums
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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
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Video games
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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 Romania - MJR: Michael Jackson Romania.
- 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
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- 1958 births
- African-American singers
- African-American songwriters
- American child singers
- American dancers
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