Michael Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana on 29 August 1958.
Michael Jackson’s extraordinary musical career started at the age of five as the lead singer of the Jackson Five, alongside four of his brothers. These early days saw the Jacksons play the local clubs and bars near their hometown. They were soon discovered by another artist and got to audition for Motown in 1968.
Immediately after their signing the Jacksons moved to California and the hits started rolling in. ABC and I’ll be there were among the No.1 hits in the US and they went on to record 14 albums.
In 1976 The Jackson Five became The Jacksons and they signed a deal with Epic with whom they went on to record a further six albums up until 1984. In 1977 Michael Jackson teamed up with Quincy Jones who produced his first solo album Off The Wall which became a huge success around the world and realised four No.1 singles in the US. But it was in 1982 that Jackson was to find true stardom as a solo artist with the release of Thriller.
Selling 50 million copies worldwide and producing no fewer than seven No.1 singles, Thriller is the world’s largest selling album of all time. In conjunction with this, working with the best film directors and producers, Jackson used state of the art video technology and special effects to create a 14 minute film to accompany the title track of the album. Thriller led to Jackson winning 8 Grammy awards.
An album, Bad and a world tour followed in 1987 and in 1991 Jackson signed to Sony and released his fourth solo album Dangerous. In 1994 Jackson wed the daughter of Elvis Presley, Lisa Marie Presley. The marriage lasted only 19 months and they divorced in 1996.
Following the release of his fifth album HIStory, Michael Jackson married for a second time to a nurse, Debbie Rowe.
Recent years have revealed a darker side to Jackson’s life. Rumours of child molestation in 1993, an accusation denied by Jackson, led to an out of court settlement and in 2005 the singer stood accused of a similar act committed at his ranch, Neverland, in Santa Barbara County.
In June 2005, Michael Jackson was found not guilty of all charges.
The BBC’s Michael Jackson on Trial provides excellent background on the Michael Jackson trial.
Michael Jackson’s apparent obsession with plastic surgery and his ever changing appearance, have also kept him in the media spotlight.
In March 2006, Jackson, who at the time resided in Bahrain, closed down the house on his Neverland ranch. He also paid overdue staff costs after threats of legal action.
