Michael Jackson, an American singer-songwriter and dancer, is regarded as the “King of Pop". He was the most popular artist the modern world had ever witnessed and was considered as the greatest entertainer of the world. His has given outstanding contributions in the field of music and dance. Jackson is well known for his Pop music and Moon Walk dance. He performed as a lead singer of the Jackson’s Family’s Motown group, Jackson 5, as a child. (BARNES) His award winning career as ‘the king of Pop’ transformed the face of pop music and popular culture.

Michael Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana, on August 29, 1958. Michael's mom was a house wife and his dad was a middle class worker and a former musician. In the early 1960s, Jackson was molded into a musical group by his father. His older brothers had formed Jackson Brother’s, a musical band. Michael joined his older siblings, Tito, Jermaine and Jackie, when he was five years old. Very talented Michael emerged as a group’s lead vocalist. Michael could convey complex emotion in his acts which impressed the audience. His older brother Marlon joined the group, which turned into the Jackson 5. At first, Jackson 5 played local gigs and built strong following. They came to Los Angeles later, and started to work on their music and dance with their father as manager. Their first album, ‘Diana Ross presents the Jackson five’, hits the chart in December of that year. Rolling Stone magazine wrote that Michael was a 'prodigy' with 'overwhelming musical gifts'. Michael’s childhood was far from happiness however enthusiastic he was in performing music. His authoritarian father used to beat and threaten him regularly. Michael was left scarred throughout his adult life due this legacy of abuse. At the age of 13, Michael started his solo career with an album ‘Got to be there’ and continued with his group. During 1971-1973, the Jackson 5 group became so popular that they had their own self-titled cartoon show. Working with the music producer, Quincy Jones, in 1979, Michael produced a solo album 'Off The Wall' which was a great success, selling over 20 million copies of the album. His next solo album, ‘Thriller’ (1982) generated seven top hits and became the best-selling album in the history of music. It set the Guinness World Record for Michael Jackson, gaining 110 million global sales and 29 million sales in the US itself. ‘Thriller’ included number one hits such as Beat it, Billie Jean. In March 1983, Michael Jackson performed live on Motown 25. He debuted his soon- to- be- famous dance move called ‘The Moonwalk’ in which he effortlessly moves backwards with seemingly keeping one leg perfectly straight. His performance made him a global icon of not only pop music, but also dance. The Thriller’s video was an immense success which stayed on the charts for 80 weeks, out of which 37 weeks in the no. 1 spot. ‘Thriller’ made twelve Grammy Awards Nominations, winning eight, along with his unparalleled commercial success. Jackson broke many records as an artist by earning several Guinness World Records Titles, which included the achievement in the longest span of US top 40 singles. He won a total of 13 Grammy awards and was the first artist to have five singles reach No 1 from the same Album (1987’s Bad). For his work with the Jackson 5 and as a solo artist, he was double inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

In 1987, Michael reached the top of the chart once again with another album ‘Bad’. It featured five No.1 hits. To promote the album, Jackson spent more than a year playing concerts on the roads. Michael released his next album ‘Dangerous’ in 1991 which featured the hit “Black or white". This song’s video included an appearance by child, Macaulay Culkin, and was directed by John Landis. During late 80s, there were numbers of stories pertaining on Jackson’s physical appearance, personal life and health. It is said that Michael Jackson underwent numerous plastic surgeries to fix his nose and add a dimple in his chin. Due to a rare skin pigment disease, his skin started to lighten up during 1980s. Many rumors started to flow that he was bleaching his skin color. It is said that Michael Jackson tried to change his appearance to look white man even though his being a black had in no way stopped him from being a global icon in the history of music. Despite of the changes that he made to himself, Michael Jackson continued to be regarded as the greatest entertainer in the world. In 1994, Michael Jackson married Lisa Marie who was the daughter of rock icon Elvis Presley. Their relationship lasted for two years, though they remained friendly after divorce. Jackson, soon after his divorce with Lisa, married Debbie Rowe, a nurse by profession. They had two children. His son, Michael Joseph “Prince" Jackson, was born in 1997, and his daughter, Paris Michael Katherine Jackson, was born in 1998. But, the couple divorced in 1999 and Jackson received full custody of their two children. There were some dark periods in Jackson’s life when he was accused of child molestation. First allegation of child abuse was raised in 1980s and re-appeared in 1990s. He was haunted by media which continued to dwell on the topic even though his innocence was proved. In 2001, Jackson released his final album, ‘Invincible’. The album sold pretty well, but his older controversies started to overshadow his talent. By this time, Jackson’s image was not so good due to the criticism he had received for his odd behaviors. In 2004, Jackson again got into trouble when he was arrested on charges related to the incidents with a teenage boy the last year. Jackson faced the trial in the courthouse in January 2005 and eventually was acquitted of all charges after five months of high publicity. Then after, his reputation became low, and his finances were in disaster. He was invited by the prince of Bahrain as a personal guest, and therefore, he left America for the gulf island of Bahrain. In 2009, Jackson announced that he would be performing a series of concerts in London in July. He named the event as “final curtain call". Despite all of his earlier stories and allegations, Michael Jackson remained a figure of interest in all pop music lovers of the world. All of the tickets of the concert were sold in only four hours which demonstrated a strong response to his concert plan. Unfortunately, Michael Jackson did not get to experience the expected success of his comeback concert. Michael Jackson was 50 years old on June 25, 2009, when he suffered from cardiac arrest in his Los Angeles home and died later that morning. Michael Jackson, despite of ups and downs in his career, is regarded the greatest artist of the entertainment industry. His music and dance style have touched the heart of each and every one of us.

Works Cited

Brackett, David. “Black or White? Michael Jackson and the Idea of Crossover." Popular Music and Society 35.2(2012): 169-185. Academic Search Complete.

"Michael Jackson." 2013. The Biography Channel website. Nov 13 2013, 08:45 http://www.biography.com/people/michael-jackson-38211.

BARNES, BROOKS. "A Star Idolized and Haunted, Michael Jackson Dies at 50." Music. The New York Times, 25 June 2009. Web. 13 Nov 2013. .

Pettinger, Tejvan. "Biography of Michael Jackson", Oxford,www.biographyonline.net, 28th Jul. 2010