Born: August 29, 1958
Died: June 25, 2009 Place of Birth: Gary, Indiana
Major Notes:
Michael Jackson made a significant contribution to American music, videos, and fashion.
Although there were serious charges brought against him over his career, the law judged him innocent.
Jackson came from a large family of ten children whose father had a rhythm and blues musical background.
His father exerted strong discipline on the family and was known for using his belt when necessary.
In the mid 60's, while Jackson was still at a young age, his father organized the children to form a group known as The Jackson 5.
After The Jackson 5 became a popular musical group, it was given a recording contract with Motown Records in 1969.
The group, with Jackson as one of the lead singers, produced several number 1 hit records such as "I Want You Back."
In 1976, the group left Motown and signed with Epic Records changing its name to The Jacksons.
The group toured internationally and had considerable success with several hit songs and albums.
Jackson, in 1978, caught the attention of Quincy Jones, a musical producer for the movie Wiz.
Jackson had an acting role in the movie and Jones produced Jackson's next solo album, Off the Wall.
The album was very successful and Jackson had several hits which resulted in his gaining three American Music Awards and a Grammy award.
In 1982, Jackson and Jones released an album called Thriller which distinguished Jackson's musical career.
It became the highest selling record album of all time reaching over 100 million copies.
Moreover, Thriller remained on Billboard Magazine's list of top ten albums for 80 consecutive weeks.
Jackson in the early 80's was diagnosed as having vitiligo and lupus which lightened his skin and made him sensitive to light.
He perfected a dance move known as the moonwalk and in 1983 performed it on a special television show celebrating Motown's 25th anniversary.
Jackson had an unfortunate accident in 1984 when, while making a commercial for Pepsi-Cola, his hair caught on fire.
The incident led to Jackson undergoing scalp and facial surgery but he won a 1.5 million dollar settlement with Pepsi which he donated to charity.
In 1985, he and fellow singer Lionel Richie wrote "We Are the World"; a best-selling song where all profits were donated to the USA for Africa charity.
Over the next decade, Jackson continued his success with writing and recording songs and making innovative musical videos.
He also purchased a large ranch called Neverland which had a play land or circus format for children and their families.
It was at the Neverland Ranch where Jackson faced allegations of sexual misconduct that were upsetting to his career.
Police conducted a full search of the ranch but found nothing incriminating and a later trial exonerated Jackson.
Michael Jackson won or was nominated for dozens of awards including Lifetime Achievement Awards, Humanitarian Awards, and Hall of Fame Awards.
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