Weinland 1

• Born: August 29, 1958 in Gary, Indiana, United States

• Died: June 25, 2009 in California, Los Angeles, United States
• Nationality: American
• Occupation: Pop singer

Michael Joseph Jackson

Grammy Award, rhythm and blues vocal--male, 1979, for "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough"; American
Music Award, favorite male soul/rhythm and blues vocalist, 1980; American Music Award, favorite male
soul/rhythm and blues vocalist, 1981; American Music Award, favorite soul/rhythm and blues single, 1981,
for "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough"; Rolling Stone Magazine Music Awards Critics' Picks, best singer--
male, best artist, and best soul artist, all 1983; Rolling Stone Magazine Music Awards Critics' Pick, best
video, 1983, for "Beat It"; Grammy Award, recording for children, 1983, for E.T. The Extra Terrestrial;
People's Choice Award, all-around favorite male entertainer, 1984; Grammy Award, album of the year,
1984, for Thriller; Grammy Awards, record of the year and best male rock performance, both 1984, for
"Beat It"; Grammy Award, best contemporary/pop male solo vocal, 1984, "Thriller"; Grammy Awards, best
rhythm and blues song and best rhythm and blues male solo vocal, both 1984, for "Billie Jean"; Grammy
Award, best video album, 1984, for Making Michael Jackson's Thriller; Grammy Award (with Quincy
Jones), non-classical producer of the year, 1984; American Music Award, soul/rhythm and blues video,
1984, for "Beat It"; American Music Awards, soul/rhythm and blues favorite male vocalist, pop/rock
favorite male vocalist, and special award of merit, all 1984; NAACP Image Award, 1984; Grammy Award
(with Lionel Richie), song of the year, 1986, for "We Are the World"; Grammy Award, best engineered
non-classical recording, all 1988, for Bad; Grammy Award (with Quincy Jones), non-classical producer of
the year, 1988; American Music Award, soul/rhythm and blues favorite single, 1988, for "Bad"; Grammy
Award, best music video--short form, 1989, for "Leave Me Alone"; H. Claude Hudson Award, 1989;
Grammy Award, best engineered non-classical recording, 1992, for Dangerous; "Living Legend" Grammy
Award, 1993; Soul Train Music Award for Humanitarian of the Year, 1993; CableAce Award, performance
in a music special or series, 1993, for Michael Jackson in Concert in Bucharest: The Dangerous Tour;
The Innovator's Award, Institute for Musical Arts, 1996; World Music Award, 1996; named best male
artist, MTV-Europe, 1996; American Music Award, favorite male artist pop/rock, 1996; inducted (as a
member of The Jackson Five) into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, 1997; inducted into the Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame as a solo artist, 2001; American Music Awards, Artist of the Century, 2002; inducted into
Songwriters Hall of Fame, 2002; Bambi Award, for Pop Artist of the Millennium, 2002; Diamond Award,
World Music Awards, 2006, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Thriller; numerous Billboard Awards
and American Music Awards.

One of the most popular singers in history was Michael Joe Jackson (born 1958). A performer since he
was five years old, he was one of the few child stars ever to achieve greater success as an adult than as
 Weinland 1

a child. Through his record albums and music videos he created an image imitated by his millions of fans,
whose style of dressing and dancing was instantly recognizable all over the world.

Michael Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana, on August 29, 1958, the fifth of nine children (his mother,
Katherine, had ten children; Marlon's twin brother, Brandon, died at birth). He was raised in a family that
listened to music constantly and sang continuously, and regarded music as a ticket to success. Jackson's
father ran a crane at a steel plant, but he dreamed of becoming a successful rhythm and blues musician.
This dream eluded him, but relentlessly drove him to promote the careers of his children. The fact that he
had marginal success with a group of his own caused him to attempt to exert control over his children's
careers even after they were adults. The struggle for the control of the musical destiny of the Jackson
family was a constant source of turmoil.

The Jackson 5 Is Born

The Jackson children were taught the gentler aspects of music by their mother, Katherine, who sang folk
songs and spirituals to them. The boys sang along with her, and their joyful harmonizing took on a life of
its own when the boys formed a family band that became a success at amateur shows and talent
contests throughout the Midwest. From the age of five, Michael's amazing talent asserted itself; his
dancing and stage presence caused him to become the focus of the group. The fame and popularity of
the group spread until they were booked at the Apollo Theater in New York City's Harlem. While
performing at the Apollo in 1968, they were discovered by Motown recording artist Gladys Knight and
pianist Billy Taylor. Later that year Diana Ross, who would become a crucial figure in Michael Jackson's
life and career, became associated with the boys during a "Soul Weekend" in Gary, Indiana. With the
support of Ross, the Jacksons signed a contract with Motown Records. Berry Gordy, the legendary
Motown mogul, became the caretaker of the Jacksons' careers, which he nurtured zealously. As the lead
singer, Michael took his brothers to the top of the charts with the group known as the Jackson 5.

Destined for Solo Stardom

Almost immediately, Gordy recognized Michael's special appeal and released solo albums of the child.
These solo albums sold as well as those of the Jackson 5. Two years later, in 1970, the Jackson 5 were
topping the charts and riding a wave of youth adulation with such hits as "ABC," "The Love You Save,"
and "I'll Be There," each selling over one million copies. However, the longer the Jackson 5 existed, the
more apparent Michael's importance to the group's success became. The group managed to survive his
voice change and a bitter break with Motown Records in 1976. The squabbles among the siblings and
between them and their father might well have caused Jackson to withdraw from his family, even as he
continued to live with his mother.
 Weinland 1

Having been successful in his appearances in a television variety show and as an animated cartoon
character, it was not surprising to Jackson's fans that his appearance in the musical film The Wiz (1978)
was the only distinguished aspect of this African American version of The Wizard of Oz. He sang the only
hit to emerge from its soundtrack album ("Ease On Down the Road") in a duet with the film's star, Diana
Ross. His success as the Scarecrow may also be seen as a preview of what was to come in his videos,
for Jackson seemed to care most about dancing. He dedicated his autobiography to Fred Astaire, and its
title, Moonwalk, refers to a dance that he popularized.

Emergence of a Pop Icon

Jackson's work in The Wiz was also notable in that it introduced Jackson to producer Quincy Jones, who
arranged and conducted the film's score. In 1979, Jackson and Jones collaborated on Jackson's solo
album Off the Wall. The album sold ten million copies and earned critical praise. In 1982, Jackson and
Jones again collaborated on the blockbuster Thriller album. Thriller fully established Jackson as a solo
performer and his trio of hit songs from the album--"Beat It," "Billie Jean," and "Thriller"--made him the
major pop icon of the early 1980s. Jackson was also notable as a crossover performer. The spectacular
success of the Thriller album and video enabled him to break the color barrier of album-oriented radio
stations and the powerful music video channel, MTV. By 1983, Jackson had established himself as the
single most popular entertainer in America.

Although Jackson's next two albums, Bad (1987) and Dangerous (1991), did not produce the phenomenal
results of Thriller, Jackson remained in the entertainment spotlight throughout the 1980s and into the
1990s. In 1993, he was presented with the "Living Legend Award" at the Grammys and the Humanitarian
of the Year trophy at the Soul Train awards. He also involved himself in many philanthropic efforts. In
1985, he reunited with Quincy Jones, this time on the vocal arrangement for USA for Africa's "We Are the
World" to raise funds for the impoverished in Africa. In 1992, Jackson founded "Heal the World" to aid
children and the environment.

Rocked By Scandal

Despite Jackson's popularity and philanthropic efforts, he became the subject of a major scandal. In
1993, a 13-year-old boy accused Jackson of sexually abusing him at the star's Neverland ranch. Jackson
settled out of court, while always maintaining his innocence. The scandal cost Jackson his endorsement
contract with Pepsi and a film deal. His sexual preference was called into question and his public image
was severely damaged.
 Weinland 1

In 1995, Jackson was again the subject of scandal following the release of his new album HIStory: Past,
Present, and Future, Book I. One of the songs on the album, "They Don't Care About Us", seemed to
contain anti-Semitic lyrics. Jackson publicly apologized and changed the lyrics. He told the Associated
Press that the song was supposed to "say no to racism, anti-Semitism, and stereotyping." He wrote a
letter to Rabbi Marvin Hier, dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies, who had
protested the lyrics, stating that "my choice of words may have unintentionally hurt the very people I
wanted to stand in solidarity with. I apologize to anyone I might have hurt." Hier replied, "It's the ambiguity
I'm concerned of when it [the song] reaches 20 million buyers around the world."

Marriage and Fatherhood

In May of 1994, Jackson stunned the world when he married Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of the late rock
legend Elvis Presley, at a private ceremony in the Dominican Republic. Many critics of Jackson
speculated that the marriage was an attempt to improve his public image. In August of 1996, Jackson and
Presley divorced. Many of Jackson's fans were shocked when he announced, in November of 1996, that
he was to be a father. The child's mother was Debbie Rowe, a long-time friend of Jackson. They married
later that month in Sydney, Australia. On February 13, 1997, their son, Prince Michael Jackson, Jr., was
born at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. The couple's second child, daughter Paris Michael
Katherine Jackson, was born in 1998. Rowe filed for divorce from Jackson on October 8, 1999. Jackson
later had a second son, Prince Michael Jackson II, with an unknown woman.

Despite the demands of fatherhood, Jackson continued to keep a busy schedule during 1997. He and his
brothers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio on May 6, 1997. He also
attended the showing of his 40-minute musical Ghosts at the Cannes film festival on May 8, 1997.
Another album, Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix, containing re-mixes of songs from HIStory
plus five new songs, was released on May 29, 1997. The album received good reviews from both the
New York Times and Rolling Stone, although the New York Times preferred the new songs, calling the
re-mixes the "least interesting" music on the CD. Village Voice reviewer Armond White said of the new
material, "His singing . . . has never been so tormented, or audacious."

As the 20th century drew to a close, the world's fascination with the talent and career of Michael Jackson
overflowed into the 2000s. Early in 2001 he was inducted as a solo artist into the Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, and later that year he released his first all-new album in ten years, called
Invincible. Additionally he made an appearance at the MTV Music Video Awards and appeared as a
headliner at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., at a benefit concert for victims of terrorist attacks against
the United States. Invincible only sold about 2.1 million copies in the United States, and six million
worldwide by July 2002. Though Sony spent $25 million promoting the record, Jackson accused his label
 Weinland 1

of not supporting his album or career properly. He released his greatest hits box set, Michael Jackson:
The Ultimate Collection, in 2003. It might have been his last release on Sony/Epic, as their contract was
set to expire in 2004.

Scandals and Legal Woes

Jackson's private life overshadowed his musical career in the early 2000s. In February of 2003, an
unflattering television documentary by British journalist Martin Bashir called Living With Michael Jackson
was broadcast. In the program, Jackson defended as "loving" his practice of letting young boys sleep in
his bed. In November of 2003, California authorities searched Jackson's Neverland Ranch, following
allegations that he molested a young boy who had visited the Neverland Ranch and spent the night there
several times. Jackson was booked on child-molestation charges that month and released on $3 million
bail. Formal charges against Jackson were filed in December 2003. In April 2004, a grand jury indicted
the 46-year-old pop star on charges of molesting the boy at the center of the trial; the charges also
included Jackson giving alcohol to the boy, as well as plotting to kidnap the youngster and his family in
2003. The case remained in the public eye through 2004, with both sides allegedly leaking information.
Because of the leaks and related issues, the judge issued a gag order for both sides. This order did not
prevent some of the grand jury testimony of the young victim from being released shortly before the trial
was to begin.

Jury selection began on January 31, 2005, and Jackson's trial started at the end of February. According
to CNN.com, testimony and closing arguments lasted nearly 14 weeks before the jury got the case.
"Prosecutors alleged that, following the broadcast of the Bashir documentary in 2003, Jackson and five
associates plotted to control and intimidate the accuser's family to get them to go along with damage-
control efforts, including holding them against their will at Neverland. The molestation charges related to
alleged incidents between Jackson and the accuser after the Bashir documentary aired. Jackson's
lawyers, however, consistently portrayed the singer as a naive victim of the accuser's family, who, they
claimed, were grifters--schemers--with a habit of wheedling money out of the rich and famous," CNN.com
summed up. After seven days of deliberation, the jury exonerated Jackson of all ten charges against him.
If he had been convicted, he could have been sent to prison for nearly 20 years. By this point in Jackson's
life, his private troubles had overtaken the depth and breadth of his musical accomplishments to many
observers, though fans continued to insist on his innocence and rally to his side.

Although Jackson was found not guilty, many observers were skeptical about the validity of the trial
results. Hounded by the press, reviled by the public, Jackson sought refuge after the trial in the tiny
Middle Eastern emirates of Dubai and Bahrain, where he stayed as a guest of Sheik Abdulla bin Hamad
al-Khalifa, a son of the king of Bahrain, and rally champion Mohammed Bin Sulayem. As James
 Weinland 1

Montague wrote in the New Statesman, "Bahrain and Dubai give Jackson something that few places can:
tightly controlled media. Criticism of the government, of its friends and business interests, is simply not
tolerated." As a guest of the royal family in Bahrain, Jackson could enjoy a level of seclusion that was
simply not possible to find in the Western world.

However, Jackson's troubles did not end when he disappeared from the public view. His former wife,
Debbie Rowe, sued him for not paying what he had promised to pay after their divorce in 1999. In
addition, she was considering suing for custody of their two children, saying that she feared they were
vulnerable to mistreatment. On another front, his Neverland Ranch was ordered closed in 2006 by
California authorities, who fined him $169,000 for failing to pay his former employees or provide workers'
compensation insurance for them.

Final Years

Jackson reappeared in public for the World Music Awards in London late in 2006; he was given the
Diamond Award to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Thriller. This was his first public appearance
since the molestation trial. He was planning to release a new album in 2007, produced by 2 Seas
Records, a label owned by the son of the king of Bahrain. The partnership with Sheikh Abdulla bin Hamad
Al Khalifa ended in a lawsuit. Jackson emerged again in March 2009 when he announced his plans for a
highly anticipated concert series called "This Is It," planned for London in July 2009. However, Jackson
never had the chance to make his triumphant return; his untimely and shocking death on June 25, 2009,
crushed his family, friends, and the entertainment world. With a global outpouring of sorrow at his
passing, it was clear that even in death, Jackson remained the King of Pop.

June 25, 2009: Jackson died on June 25, 2009, in Los Angeles, California, after suffering cardiac arrest.
He was 50. Source: CNN.com,
http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/06/25/michael.jackson/index.html, June 26, 2009.

August 24, 2009: It was announced that the Los Angeles County coroner had ruled Jackson's death a
homicide. Source: MSNBC.com, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32542682/?GT1=43001, August 24,
2009.

September 3, 2009: It was announced that Jackson will be interred on the evening of September 3,
2009, in the Great Mausoleum at Forest Lawn cemetery in Glendale, California; only family and close
friends will be in attendance. Source: CNN.com,
http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/09/03/michael.jackson.funeral/index.html, September 3, 2009.
 Weinland 1

October 12, 2009: The Jackson recording, ôThis Is It,ö was released posthumously. Source: USA
Today, http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2009-10-09-michael-jackson_N.htm, October 12, 2009.

Source Citation:

"Michael Joseph Jackson." Encyclopedia of World Biography. Detroit: Gale, 1998. Gale Student Resources
In Context. Web. 27 Oct. 2010.

Jackson Five were five brothers who became one of the most famous American popular music groups. The brothers were
known for their bright vocal harmonies and exciting, tightly synchronized dance moves. The Jackson Five, later known as
the Jacksons, performed together from the mid-1960’s to the early 1990’s and had hits in a variety of musical styles,
including bubblegum pop, soul, rock, rhythm and blues, funk, and disco.

The Jackson brothers were born in Gary, Indiana. The Jackson Five were Jackie (Sigmund Esco, 1951-...); Tito (Toriano
Adaryll, 1953-...); Jermaine (Jermaine LaJaune, 1954-...); Marlon (Marlon David, 1957-...); and Michael (Michael Joseph,
1958-2009). The Jacksons were guided in their early careers by their father, Joseph Jackson, a former musician. In 1964,
the three older brothers performed as the Jackson Brothers, with Jermaine as lead singer. In addition to singing, Jermaine
played rhythm guitar and bass and Tito played lead guitar. Michael and Marlon later joined the group as singers and
percussionists.

In 1968, the group signed with Motown Records as the Jackson Five, with 10-year-old Michael as the lead singer and
dancer. The group became a sensation with the string of hits "I Want You Back" (1969) and "ABC," "I'll Be There," and
“The Love You Save” (all 1970). The Jackson Five later had hits with “Never Can Say Goodbye” and “Mama’s Pearl” (both
1971) and “Dancing Machine” (1974). The brothers moved to Epic Records in 1976. That year, the Jacksons’ youngest
brother, Randy (Steven Randall, 1961-...), replaced Jermaine, and the group began performing as the Jacksons. The
Jacksons' first hit was “Enjoy Yourself” (1976). In addition to singing, Randy played a number of instruments and, with
Michael, co-wrote the hits “Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)” (1978) and “Lovely One” (1980). The Jacksons had
success with their “Triumph Tour” (1981) and “Victory Tour” (1984).

Michael Jackson went on to become an international superstar as a solo artist. His album Thriller (1982) is the world’s
best-selling album. He died suddenly on June 25, 2009, from an accidental overdose of an anesthetic administered by his
physician because of insomnia. The Jackson Five was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. Janet Jackson,
the Jacksons’ sister, is also a major recording artist.

See also Gordy, Berry, Jr.; Jackson, Michael.

______________

Contributor:
• Shawn Brennan, B.A., Senior Editor, World Book, Inc.; independent filmmaker and record producer.

How to cite this article:

To cite this article, World Book recommends the following format:

Brennan, Shawn. "Jackson Five." World Book Advanced. World Book, 2010. Web. 27 Oct. 2010.

This page was last modified on 2 November 2010 at 08:09.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jackson#External_links

http://books.google.com/books?
id=sMquvCkamFMC&pg=PA48&lpg=PA46&ots=ZvnRXqtlRx&dq=michael+jackson+goi
ng+solo
 Weinland 1

Pratt, Mary K. Michael Jackson: King of Pop. Edina, MN: ABDO Pub., 2010. Print.
http://www.biography.com/articles/Michael-Jackson-38211?part=1

Works Cited

Pratt, Mary K. Michael Jackson: King of Pop. Edina, MN: ABDO Pub., 2010. Print.

Brennan, Shawn. "Jackson Five." World Book Advanced. World Book, 2010. Web. 27 Oct.

2010.

"Michael Joseph Jackson." Encyclopedia of World Biography. Detroit: Gale, 1998. Gale Student

Resources In Context. Web. 27 Oct. 2010.

"Michael Jackson Biography." Biography.com. Web. 08 Nov. 2010.

<http://www.biography.com/articles/Michael-Jackson-38211?part=1>.

"Michael Jackson." Wikipedia.org. 27 Oct. 2010. Web. 27 Oct. 2010.