Deemed as the ‘King of Pop’ and considered to be one of most successful and popular musicians, Michael Jackson is a thorough entertainer. Plagued by controversies in his personal life and getting commercial success with every album he made, Michael Jackson gave a new meaning to the adage 'been there, done that’. He has been in show-business ever since he was kid and has always portrayed exceptional musical abilities. During the prime of his career, he reached incredible heights and got success and in fact holds eight Guinness World Records, thirteen Grammy Awards, thirteen Number One singles in his solo career and sale of over 750 million units worldwide. Michael Jackson is one of those rare artists to have been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice. Check out his childhood and career profile in this biography.
Childhood and Early Years
Michael Jackson was born Michael Joseph Jackson on August 29, 1958 in Gary, Indiana. His father Joseph Walter was an employee at a steel factory and mother Katherine was Jehovah's Witness and raised her kids in that faith. Michael was the seventh of nine children and had 5 brothers and 4 sisters. As a young kid of 5, he performed a Christmas recital in his school and was applauded for his voice. When he was 11 years old, he joined the band his brothers had formed and soon got to sing lead vocals. The band was called ‘The Jackson 5’ and released a number of singles before being signed by Motown Records label in 1968. The young Jackson was described as a child prodigy by the Rolling Stone as he used to sing famous numbers of Sam Cooke, James Brown, Ray Charles, and Stevie Wonder like a grown up.
The Jackson 5 set a record of sorts when their first four singles charted at No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100. These songs were ‘I Want You Back’, ‘ABC’, ‘The Love You Save’, and ‘I'll Be There’. In the year 1978, Michael Jackson portrayed the role of the Scarecrow in the movie adaptation of the Broadway Musical, ‘The Wiz’. The songs were arranged by Quincy Jones who agreed to produce Jackson’s following solo album. The first album in the history of music to have four Top 10 hits was ‘Off the Wall’ in the year 1979. The album was jointly produced by Jackson and Quincy Jones, and the music was composed by various artists like Heatwave's Rod Temperton, Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney. The album sold over 15 million copies all over the world. A star had been launched and he was about to shine even more brightly!
Childhood and Early Years
Michael Jackson was born Michael Joseph Jackson on August 29, 1958 in Gary, Indiana. His father Joseph Walter was an employee at a steel factory and mother Katherine was Jehovah's Witness and raised her kids in that faith. Michael was the seventh of nine children and had 5 brothers and 4 sisters. As a young kid of 5, he performed a Christmas recital in his school and was applauded for his voice. When he was 11 years old, he joined the band his brothers had formed and soon got to sing lead vocals. The band was called ‘The Jackson 5’ and released a number of singles before being signed by Motown Records label in 1968. The young Jackson was described as a child prodigy by the Rolling Stone as he used to sing famous numbers of Sam Cooke, James Brown, Ray Charles, and Stevie Wonder like a grown up.
The Jackson 5 set a record of sorts when their first four singles charted at No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100. These songs were ‘I Want You Back’, ‘ABC’, ‘The Love You Save’, and ‘I'll Be There’. In the year 1978, Michael Jackson portrayed the role of the Scarecrow in the movie adaptation of the Broadway Musical, ‘The Wiz’. The songs were arranged by Quincy Jones who agreed to produce Jackson’s following solo album. The first album in the history of music to have four Top 10 hits was ‘Off the Wall’ in the year 1979. The album was jointly produced by Jackson and Quincy Jones, and the music was composed by various artists like Heatwave's Rod Temperton, Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney. The album sold over 15 million copies all over the world. A star had been launched and he was about to shine even more brightly!
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