Legend of Michael Jackson And His Biography

NAME: Michael Jackson

OCCUPATION: Songwriter, Music Producer, Singer

BIRTH DATE: August 29, 1958

DEATH DATE: June 25, 2009

Height : 5' 11" (1.80 m)

PLACE OF BIRTH: Gary, Indiana

The King of Pop, singer-song writer Michael Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana on August 29, 1958. As a child, he was lead singer of the Jackson family's popular Motown group, The Jackson 5. Michael Jackson went on to become one of the most internationally famous award-winning solo pop sensations to date. His 2009 death stirred controversy and was ultimately ruled an accidental overdose.

Glorious Life :

Believing his sons had talent, he molded them into a musical group in the early 1960s. At first, the Jackson Family performers consisted of Michael's older brothers Tito, Jermaine, and Jackie. Michael joined his siblings when he was five, and emerged as the group's lead vocalist. He showed remarkable range and depth for such a young performer, impressing audiences with his ability to convey complex emotions. Older brother Marlon also became a member of the group, which evolved into the The Jackson 5.

Behind the scenes, Joseph Jackson pushed his sons to succeed. He was also reportedly known to become violent with them. Michael and his brothers spent endless hours rehearsing and polishing up their act. At first, the Jackson 5 played local gigs and built a strong following. They recorded one single on their own, "Big Boy" with the b-side "You've Changed," but it failed to generate much interest.

The Jackson 5 moved on to working an opening act for such R&B artists as Gladys Knight and the Pips, James Brown, and Sam and Dave. Many of these performers were signed to the legendary Motown record label, and it has been reported that Gladys Knight may have been the one to tell Motown founder Berry Gordy about the Jackson 5. Impressed by the group, Gordy signed them to his label in 1968.

In 1978, he appeared in the film version of The Wiz, where he met musical director Quincy Jones. The veteran Jones, whose credits in the jazz and pop worlds extended back to the Fifties, would become the producer of Jackson’s best-known albums. The first of these, Off the Wall (1979) introduced Michael Jackson to the world as a vibrant, poised young man bursting with talent and ideas. It was his first solo album in four years, and he turned 21 the month it was released. Off the Wall yielded chart-toppers in “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” and “Rock With You.”

In 1985, Jackson helped topple another sales record. As coauthor of and performer on “We Are the World” - a benefit single for the USA for Africa famine-relief charity, recorded with a cast of music stars - Jackson had a big hand in what became the top-selling single up to that point in history. That same year, he also bought publishing rights to ATV Music – 4,000 songs in all, including about 250 Beatles songs - outbidding his friend and collaborator, Paul McCartney. In 1986, Jackson appeared in Caption Eo, a 15-minute 3D film made for the Disney theme parks by Jackson with renowned producers George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola.

In 1995, Jackson merged his ATV Music catalog with Sony's music publishing division creating Sony/ATV Music Publishing. Jackson retained half-ownership of the company, earned $95 million upfront as well as the rights to even more songs.[139][140] He then released the double album HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I. The first disc, HIStory Begins, was a 15-track greatest hits album, and was later reissued as Greatest Hits: HIStory, Volume I in 2001, while the second disc, HIStory Continues, contained 15 new songs. The album debuted at number one on the charts and has been certified for seven million shipments in the US.[141] It is the best-selling multiple-disc album of all-time, with 20 million copies (40 million units) sold worldwide.[105][142] HIStory received a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year.

On 25th June 2009, it was announced that Michael Jackson had died of a cardiac arrest. He had been at his rented home in Los Angeles when he stopped breathing. His personal physician was with him and attempted to resuscitate him but to no avail. He was pronounced dead at around 2:25 pm local time.

The incident happened less than a month before Michael Jackson was set to undertake a mammoth 50-date residency at the O2 arena in London. Jackson’s life was celebrated at a memorial service at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on July 7. Those who paid tribute by speaking or singing included Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, Jennifer Hudson, Mariah Carey, Rev. Al Sharpton, Jackson’s brothers and sisters, and most movingly of all, his young daughter, Paris Katherine Jackson.