Michael Joseph Jackson (born August 29, 1958, in Gary, Indiana), is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, and philanthropist. He began his career as the lead singer of the Motown act, The Jackson 5, in the 1960s, and made his first solo recordings in 1971 as part of the Jackson 5 franchise. Jackson began a full-fledged solo career in 1979 and formally parted with his siblings in 1987, and has since become the most successful recording artist in black music history, and one of the most successful solo artists in music history.His 1982 album Thriller currently holds the title of being the best selling album in history, it has been said that 60 million copies have been sold worldwide. In addition to his albums, Jackson has also recorded thirteen number-one hits, including "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough", "Rock With You", "Billie Jean", and "Beat It". In addition to his thirteen number-one singles, he also is credited with a further four number-one singles with his brothers in the group The Jackson 5, giving him a total of seventeen number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. His distinctive dance moves, music videos, and pop appeal have inspired and influenced many of today's singers, such as Janet Jackson, Usher, Beyoncé, and Justin Timberlake.Despite his career success, he has been dogged by media attention over allegations of child sexual abuse, which resulted in a trial and acquittal in 2005.Early childhood.Jackson was born the seventh of nine children in Gary, Indiana, to Joseph and Katherine Jackson. The entire family - including older siblings, Rebbie, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, LaToya and Marlon, and younger siblings Randy and Janet - lived together in a tiny two-bedroom house, and Jackson's father earned a meager living working in a steel mill. At the behest of their mother, but against Joseph's wishes, the Jackson children were raised as Jehovah's Witnesses and practiced door-to-door evangelism.In accordance with Joseph Jackson's strict rules, the children were kept locked in their house while he worked the night shift. However, the children would regularly sneak out of the house to their neighbors' homes, where they practiced singing and playing music. The older Jackson brothers would sometimes play Joseph's prized guitar without his permission while he was at work. Eventually, Joseph found out about their musical abilities and decided to capitalize upon it, in order to leave Gary for California.The Wiz and Off The Wall.In 1978, Michael co-starred in The Wiz as the Scarecrow, with former labelmate Diana Ross as Dorothy. The musical film's songs were arranged and produced by famed producer Quincy Jones, who found a rapport with Jackson. After Jackson signed a solo contract with Epic in 1978, he began work on his first of several albums with Jones.Michael Jackson's 1979 album Off the Wall was a worldwide hit, and spawned the number-one hit singles and music videos "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" and "Rock With You". The ballad "She's Out Of My Life" also reached the top ten in 1980. With that accomplishment, Jackson became the first solo artist to have four Top 10 hit singles in the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart from a single album. The album went on to sell over seven million copies in America, establishing Jackson as a musical force without his brothers.
My favourite singer is Michael Jackson. I like his songs very much because they are full of energy and very melodic. I also like the way he dances.There were nine children in Michael's family. They lived in a small fourroom house. Later he lived in a house which has seventeen rooms downstairs and sixteen rooms upstaires. It stands in 2,700 acres of ground. Besides the house there are guest houses, a golf course, a swimming pool, tennis courts, stables, gardens, lakes, forests and a zoo.A lot of strange stories are told about Jackson. It's difficult to decide whether they are true or not. Michael never gave interviews and was rarely seen in public, except on stage. Certainly his behaviour may seem eccentric. In public he often wore a face mask to protect himself from germs, he slept inside an oxygen capsule, which he believed would help him to live longer. But his manager says that Jackson wasn't eccentric. He was just shy. Michael sang in public for the first time when he was five. Since that time he had always been in the public eye. And since that time he had been working like a grown-up.There were times when he came home from school and he only had time to put his books and get ready for the studio. He often sang until late at night, even if it was past his bedtime. There was a park across the street from the studio, and Michael looked at the kids playing games. And he just stared at them in wonder — he couldn't imagine such freedom, such a carefree life.He said about himself that in the crowd he was afraid, on stage he was safe. Off stage he felt happiest with animals and children. It's not a secret that his favourite hero was Peter Pan.Michael has been called "the child who never grew up", but I think he was a grown-up who was never allowed to be a child.Whether he was crazy, childish, eccentric or just shy, he was no fool. He created a brilliantly successful image, he made a lot of money and spent it on the things he wanted. Who wouldn't like to do the same?
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