Michael Jackson was one of the most successful and influential entertainers of all time. He was a pop icon who transcended racial and cultural barriers and who was adored by fans around the world. Jackson began his career as a child star with the Jackson 5 and went on to enjoy a hugely successful solo career. He was a talented singer, dancer, and songwriter, and his groundbreaking music videos and live performances influenced a generation of artists. Jackson’s personal life was often shrouded in controversy, and he was accused of child molestation on several occasions. He maintained his innocence, but the accusations took a toll on his reputation. In 2009, Jackson died of a drug overdose at the age of 50.
Table of Contents:
1. Early Life
2. The Jackson 5
3. Solo Career
4. Death
5. Legacy
6. Top Michael Jackson Quotes
Early Life
Michael Joseph Jackson was born on August 29, 1958, in Gary, Indiana. He was the eighth of nine children in the Jackson family, a working-class African-American family living in a housing project. His father, Joseph Jackson, was a steelworker who later managed the Jackson 5. His mother, Katherine Jackson, was a homemaker.
As a child, Jackson was a shy, introverted boy who was heavily influenced by his father. Joseph Jackson was a strict disciplinarian who often beat his children. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Jackson said that his father would tell him, “I’m going to beat you the way my daddy beat me.”
Despite the abuse, Jackson had a close relationship with his father. He later said that his father’s tough love was a positive influence on him. “My father was my best friend,” he told Winfrey. “I always wanted to please him.”
Jackson’s mother was kind and loving, and he later said that she was the one who instilled in him a love of music. She would often sing gospel songs around the house, and she took the family to see live music performances whenever she could.
The Jackson 5
In 1964, Jackson’s older brothers, Jackie, Tito, and Jermaine, formed a musical group called the Jackson 5. Joseph Jackson served as their manager, and soon the boys were performing on local talent shows and at nightclubs.
In 1968, the Jackson 5 auditioned for Motown Records. Their performance impressed Motown founder Berry Gordy, and the group was signed to the label.
The Jackson 5’s first single, “I Want You Back,” was released in 1969 and quickly rose to the top of the charts. The group followed up with a string of hits, including “ABC” and “I’ll Be There.”
In 1971, Michael Jackson released his first solo single, “Got to Be There.” He also released his first solo album, titled “Off the Wall,” in 1979. The album was a huge success, selling more than 20 million copies worldwide.
Solo Career
In 1982, Jackson released his groundbreaking album “Thriller.” The album was an instant success, selling more than 100 million copies worldwide and becoming the best-selling album of all time. Jackson’s music videos for the album’s singles, “Billie Jean” and “Beat It,” were groundbreaking and influenced a generation of artists.
In 1984, Jackson starred in a feature film, “The Wiz,” a retelling of “The Wizard of Oz” featuring an all-black cast. Jackson also wrote and produced the film’s soundtrack.
In 1987, Jackson released his album “Bad.” The album’s title track and its music video were hugely successful. Jackson also embarked on a world tour in support of the album, performing to sold-out crowds in stadiums around the world.
Death
On June 25, 2009, Jackson was found unresponsive at his home in Los Angeles. He was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Jackson’s death was later ruled a homicide, and his personal physician, Conrad Murray, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter.
Legacy
Jackson was one of the most significant entertainers of the 20th century. He helped to redefine the scope and possibilities of popular music and popular culture. His influence is still felt today, more than a decade after his death.
Top Michael Jackson Quotes
“Just doing as well as you did last time is not good enough.” – Michael Jackson
“In a world filled with despair, we must still dare to dream.” – Michael Jackson
“I love to read. I wish I could advise more people to read. There’s a whole new world in books.” – Michael Jackson
“We have to heal our wounded world. The chaos, despair, and senseless destruction we see today are a result of the alienation that people feel from each other and their environment.” – Michael Jackson
“I believe I’m one of the loneliest people.” – Michael Jackson
“But they told me a man should be faithful, and walk when not able, and fight till the end but I’m only human.” – Michael Jackson
“Consciousness expresses itself through creation. This world we live in is the dance of the creator.” – Michael Jackson
“But I will never stop helping and loving people.” – Michael Jackson
“Human knowledge consists not only of libraries of parchment and ink – it is also comprised of the volumes of knowledge that are written on the human heart, chiselled on the human soul, and engraved on the human psyche.” – Michael Jackson
“Lies run sprints, but the truth runs marathons.” – Michael Jackson
“You can’t do your best when you’re doubting yourself. If you don’t believe in yourself, who will?” – Michael Jackson
“And in a world filled with distrust, we must still dare to believe.” – Michael Jackson
“Children show me in their playful smiles the divine in everyone.” – Michael Jackson
“In spite of the risks, the courage to be honest and intimate opens the way to self-discovery. It offers what we all want, the promise of love.” – Michael Jackson
“You’re a vegetable!” – Michael Jackson
“This world we live in is the dance of the creator. Dancers come and go in the twinkling of an eye, but the dance lives on.” – Michael Jackson
“I’m just like anyone. I cut and I bleed and I embarrass easily.” – Michael Jackson
“Dancers come and go in the twinkling of an eye but the dance lives on. On many an occasion when I am dancing, I have felt touched by something sacred.” – Michael Jackson
“I’m really very self-confident when it comes to my work. When I take on a project, I believe in it 100 percent. I really put my soul into it. I’d die for it. That’s how I am.” – Michael Jackson
“In a world filled with anger, we must still dare to comfort.” – Michael Jackson
“In a world filled with hate, we must still dare to hope.” – Michael Jackson
“My fans truly are a part of me, we share something that most people will never experience.” – Michael Jackson
“I’m going to search for my star until I find it. It’s hidden in the drawer of innocence, wrapped in a scarf of wonder.” – Michael Jackson
“You can’t hurt me, I found peace within myself.” – Michael Jackson
“When they say the sky’s the limit to me that’s really true.” – Michael Jackson
“Please go for your dreams. Whatever your ideals, you can become whatever you want to become.” – Michael Jackson
“All of us are products of our childhood.” – Michael Jackson
“Some friends are like shadows, you only see them when the sun shines.” – Michael Jackson
“My attitude is if fashion says it’s forbidden, I’m going to do it.” – Michael Jackson
“Before you judge me, try hard to love me.” – Michael Jackson
“If you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself, and make a change.” – Michael Jackson
“To give someone a piece of your heart, is worth more than all the wealth in the world.” – Michael Jackson
“When all life is seen as divine, everyone grows wings.” – Michael Jackson
“They say that parenting is like dancing. You take one step, your child takes another.” – Michael Jackson
“Without the heart’s wise rhythm, we could not exist.” – Michael Jackson
“The meaning of life is contained in every single expression of life. It is present in the infinity of forms and phenomena that exist in all of creation.” – Michael Jackson
“The greatest education in the world is watching the masters at work.” – Michael Jackson
“When children listen to music, they don’t just listen. They melt into the melody and flow with the rhythm. Something inside starts to unfold its wings – soon the child and the music are one.” – Michael Jackson
“Look beyond yourself.” – Michael Jackson
“Before you judge me, try hard to love me, look within your heart? Then ask, – have you seen my childhood?” – Michael Jackson
“People ask me how I make music. I tell them I just step into it. It’s like stepping into a river and joining the flow. Every moment in the river has its song.” – Michael Jackson
“If you can’t afford to travel, you travel mentally through reading. You can see anything and go any place you want to in reading.” – Michael Jackson
“I keep on dancing then it is the eternal dance or creation. The creator and creation merge into one wholeness of joy.” – Michael Jackson
“To live is to be musical, starting with the blood dancing in your veins. Everything living has a rhythm. Do you feel your music?” – Michael Jackson
“Each song is a child I nourish and give my love to. But even if you have never written a song, your life is a song. How can it not be?” – Michael Jackson
“In their innocence, very young children know themselves to be light and love. If we will allow them, they can teach us to see ourselves the same way.” – Michael Jackson
“Hope is such a beautiful word, but it often seems very fragile. Life is still being needlessly hurt and destroyed.” – Michael Jackson
“Let us dream of tomorrow where we can truly love from the soul, and know love as the ultimate truth at the heart of all creation.” – Michael Jackson
“A star can never die. It just turns into a smile and melts back into the cosmic music, the dance of life.” – Michael Jackson
“If you enter this world knowing you are loved and you leave this world knowing the same, then everything that happens in between can be dealt with.” – Michael Jackson
Source: Wikipedia Facebook Spotify Twitter Instagram Britannica History Twitter Imdb Billboard