Michael Jackson Bio

Michael Jackson Biography

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This Michael Jackson biography contains information believed to be accurate as extracted from sources around the internet including Wikipedia. If you believe there are errors or omissions in this Michael Jackson bio, please let us know so that we can correct any inaccuracies.

Michael Joseph Jackson (born August 29, 1958), often referred to as The King of Pop is an American musician and entertainer. The seventh child of the Jackson family, he debuted on the professional music scene at the age of eleven as a member of the Jackson 5. Having signed with the national Motown Records label in 1968, the Jackson 5 set a record when their first four singles charted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. In 1976, the group signed a new contract with CBS Records and changed their name to "The Jacksons"; Jackson left the group in 1984. He started a solo career in 1972, becoming a pop icon in subsequent years. Five of his albums, Off the Wall, Thriller, Bad, Dangerous and HIStory, have become some of the world's best selling pop records. His successful career and controversial, enigmatic personal life have been a part of pop culture for almost four decades.

Jackson became a dominant figure in popular music in the late 1970s, becoming the first black entertainer to amass a strong cross-over following on MTV. He transformed the music video into an art form and a promotional tool through complex story lines, dance routines, special effects and famous cameo appearances. The popularity of his videos aired on MTV, such as "Beat It" and "Billie Jean", helped to put the relatively young channel "on the map", while videos such as "Black or White" and "Scream" made Jackson a dominant staple on MTV into the 1990s. Jackson popularized physically-complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk, along with a distinctive musical sound and vocal style that have influenced a generation of hip hop, pop, and R&B artists.

Jackson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 as a group act and 2001 as a solo artist, becoming one of the few to be inducted twice. In 2006, Jackson received eight Guinness World Records; these included "Most Successful Entertainer of All Time", and best-selling album ever for Thriller. Jackson has received 13 Grammy Awards (eight of them on a single night in 1984), and two of his solo albums have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Jackson has charted 13 number one singles in his solo career, more than any other male artist in the Billboard Hot 100 era.  In November 2006, the World Music Awards announced that Jackson had sold 750 million units worldwide.

Jackson's personal life has caused significant controversy; while the singer has given several hundred million dollars to charity, his appearance and actions have damaged his reputation amongst some of the public, and album sales have declined since the mid-1990s. From 1988 to 2005, Jackson lived on his Neverland Ranch property, where he built an amusement park and private zoo that was often attended by disadvantaged and terminally ill children. Rumors of sleepover parties received both negative media coverage and public attention after it was revealed that children had slept in his bed or on the floor in his bedroom. This first came to light when Jackson was accused of child sexual abuse in 1993. Jackson's relationship with children was brought into the spotlight again in 2003 when the TV documentary Living with Michael Jackson was broadcast. This became a catalyst for Jackson being tried, and later acquitted, of more child molestation allegations and several other charges in 2005. After this, Jackson traveled to a number of countries that included Bahrain, before starting work on new material in Ireland. Despite several years of negative publicity, in early 2008, Jackson issued Thriller 25, a commercial success, selling more than 1.7 million copies worldwide in 10 weeks.

Michael Jackson: Career

Michael Jackson - 1964-1975

Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana to a working-class family. Born to Joseph Walter (Joe) and Katherine Esther (née Scruse), Jackson was the fifth of six brothers and the seventh of nine children. His famous brothers and sisters are Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, Randy, Janet, La Toya and Rebbie. Katherine, a Jehovah's Witness, raised the children in that faith. Jackson's father was a steel mill employee who often performed in an R&B band called "The Falcons" with his brother Luther. The father was a strict disciplinarian, and many of the Jackson children recall being spanked or whipped by their father for misbehaving.

Jackson showed musical talent early in his life, performing in front of his classmates and other participants during a Christmas recital in his school at the age of five. After his brothers Jackie, Tito, and Jermaine formed the Jackson Brothers in 1964, Jackson and Marlon joined their brothers' backup band playing congas and tambourine respectively. Jackson later began doing backup vocals and dancing; at the age of eight, he and Jermaine assumed lead vocals and the group's name was changed to "The Jackson 5". The group recorded a number of singles for the local label Steeltown Records in 1967, and signed with the national Motown Records label in 1968. Rolling Stone has said that the young Jackson was a "a prodigy" with "overwhelming musical gifts," noting that after Jackson began to dance and sing with his brothers, "he quickly emerged as the main draw and lead singer." Even though he sang with a "child's piping voice, he danced like a grown-up hoofer and sang with the R&B/gospel inflections of Sam Cooke, James Brown, Ray Charles, and Stevie Wonder."

The Jackson 5 toured Indiana extensively from 1965 through 1967. After winning a major local talent show in 1966 with a rendition of Motown hits and James Brown's "I Got You (I Feel Good)", led by Jackson, they began playing professional gigs in Chicago, Illinois and across the mid-eastern United States. Many of these gigs were in a string of black clubs and venues collectively known as the "chitlin' circuit," where the young band often opened for striptease and other adult acts.

The fledgling group set a record when all of their first four singles ("I Want You Back", "ABC", "The Love You Save", and "I'll Be There") charted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. While remaining a member of the group, During the Jackson 5's early years, Motown's public relations team shortened Jackson's age from eleven to nine to make him appear cuter and accessible to the mainstream audience. Starting in 1972, Jackson released a total of four solo studio albums with Motown, among them Got to Be There and Ben. These were released as part of the Jackson 5 franchise and produced successful singles such as "Got to Be There", "Ben", and a remake of Bobby Day's "Rockin' Robin". Between 1971 and 1975, Jackson's voice "descended ever so slightly from boy soprano to his current androgynous high tenor." The group's sales began declining in 1973, and they chafed under Motown's strict refusal to allow them creative control or input. Although they scored several top 40 hits including the top five disco single, "Dancing Machine" and the top 20 hit "I Am Love", the Jackson 5 (Jackie, Tito, Marlon and Michael) left Motown in 1975.

Michael Jackson - 1976-1981

In 1976, the group signed a new contract with CBS Records, first joining the Philadelphia International Records division and then Epic Records. Motown Records subsequently sued the group for breach of contract. As a result of the legal proceedings, which were further complicated by the fact that Jermaine Jackson was married to the daughter of Motown president Berry Gordy, the Jacksons lost the rights to use the "Jackson 5" name and logo. Jermaine left the group, choosing to stay at Motown; the group changed their name to "The Jacksons", featuring youngest brother Randy in Jermaine's place.

After the name change, the group's successful career continued, as they toured internationally and released six more albums between 1976 and 1984. Jermaine eventually re-joined in 1983, making "The Jacksons" a sextet. From 1976 to 1984, Jackson was the lead songwriter of the group, writing hits like "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)", "This Place Hotel", and "Can You Feel It". In 1978, Jackson starred as the Scarecrow in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical The Wiz, with former-label mate Diana Ross playing Dorothy. The songs for the musical were arranged by Quincy Jones, who established a partnership with Jackson during the film's production and agreed to produce Jackson's next solo album.

Off the Wall, issued in 1979, was the first album ever to have four top-ten hits, including the number-one hits, "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" and "Rock with You". The record itself reached #3 in the Billboard album charts, was in the top 20 for 48 consecutive weeks, and sold septuple-Platinum in the United States. Quincy Jones and Jackson jointly produced the album, and the lyrics and music were variously composed by Jackson, Heatwave's Rod Temperton, Stevie Wonder, and Paul McCartney among others. The album eventually sold over 20 million copies worldwide. Despite its commercial success, Jackson felt the album should have made a much bigger impact and was determined to exceed expectations with his next release.

In January 1980, Jackson won his first awards for his solo efforts at the American Music Awards. He won "Favorite Soul/R&B Album", "Favorite Male Soul/R&B Artist" and "Favorite Soul/R&B Single" (for "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough"). Later that month, he also won two Billboard Awards for "Top Black Artist" and "Top Black Album". On February 27, 1980, Jackson won a Grammy Award for "Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male", also for "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough". Rolling Stone ranked it #68 in their list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and in 2008, Off the Wall was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Michael Jackson - 1982-1986

In November 1982, the storybook for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial was released, including Jackson's song "Someone in the Dark"; the record won a Grammy for "Best Album for Children". A few weeks later, Jackson issued his second Epic album, Thriller. Thriller is one of only three albums to remain in the top ten of the Billboard 200 for a full year, spending eighty consecutive weeks there and thirty-seven of those weeks at number one. It was also the first of three albums to have seven Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 singles, and the only album to be the best-seller of two years (1983-1984), in the United States. Thriller has been certified 27x platinum by the RIAA, giving it Double Diamond Award status in the US, and in the United Kingdom sold 3.7 million copies.

In addition, the album has achieved Diamond or Multi-Platinum status in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand (selling 165,000 copies), Spain, the UK and a number of other countries. Still popular today, Thriller sells an estimated 130,000 copies in the USA per year, reaching #2 in the US Catalog charts in February 2003 and #39 in the UK in March 2007. Though sales figures vary with different sources, the album is cited as selling between 45 million and 100 million copies worldwide. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Thriller has sold 65 million copies as of 2007.

The album also became the first in history to spawn seven Top 10 Billboard Hot 100 hit singles, including "Billie Jean", "Beat It", and the album's title track, all of which were accompanied by music videos. "Billie Jean"'s video was the first music video by a black artist to receive regular airplay on MTV, The 13-minute "Thriller" video was critically acclaimed and massive airplay. It was packaged with the featurette Making Michael Jackson's Thriller on VHS, where it became the best-selling music home video ever.

On March 25, 1983 Jackson performed "Billie Jean" live on the Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever television special. Debuting his signature move - the moonwalk - Jackson's performances during the event caused many to view him as one of the greatest dancers of all time. The performance was extraordinarily popular, with over 47 million views of the first televised airing. His performance was often compared to Elvis Presley and the The Beatles appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show. On January 27, 1984 Jackson began filming two Pepsi Cola commercials in front of a simulated live audience at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. As Jackson descended a podium, fireworks set his hair alight, he was taken out of the building on a stretcher in front of the public and photographers. The accident was the lead story on most international television and newspaper reporters with Jackson received sympathy from the public, celebrities and even President Ronald Reagan.Jackson was first viewed as a humanitarian following his burning accident with Pepsi, when the cola manufacturer gave Jackson $1.5 million, an out of court settlement that he donated to the Michael Jackson Burn Centre.

On May 14, 1984 Jackson was invited to the White House to receive an award. The event, notable because an African American met a Republican President at the White House in the 1980s was seen as a positive move forward in social views towards race. Jackson was one of the first African-American musicians to have a replica doll made of him. Thriller put black music on US radio for the first time in years, paving the way for other acts like Prince.

Jackson won eight awards during the 1984 Grammys (in 2008, the Thriller album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame). Unlike later albums, Thriller did not have an official tour to promote it, but the Jacksons' "Victory Tour", which began on July 6, 1984 showcased much of Jackson's new solo material to more than 2 million Americans. He donated his $5 million share from the Victory tour to charity. On March 7, 1985 the charity single song "We Are the World" was released worldwide to aid people in Africa and the United States. Written primarily by Jackson, with help from Lionel Richie, it became one of the best-selling singles of all time, with nearly 20 million copies sold and millions of dollars raised for charity. It was the first instance where Jackson became seen as a humanitarian.

Thriller was an enormous hit that made Jackson the seminal icon of American culture at the time. At the age of 25, the New York Times called him a "musical phenomenon", further commenting that "in the world of pop music, there is Michael Jackson and there is everybody else". Time magazine explained that "the fallout from Thriller has given the [music] business its best years since the heady days of 1978."

Tabloid stories of Jackson sleeping in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber to stall the aging-process and an allegation claiming Jackson attempted to purchase the bones of the Elephant Man appeared. These inspired the pejorative sobriquet "Wacko Jacko," a name that Jackson would acquire the following year and came to despise.

In 1986, Jackson starred in the George Lucas-produced, Francis Ford Coppola-directed 3-D film Captain EO. At the time, it was the most expensive film produced on a per-minute basis and was hosted in some Disney theme parks. Disneyland featured the film in its Tomorrowland area from September 18, 1986 until April 7, 1997, while Walt Disney World screened the film in its Epcot theme park from September 12, 1986 until July 6, 1994.

Michael Jackson - 1987-1990

Michael Jackson in 1988

In 1987, Jackson released Bad; his third album for the Epic Records label, and the final album with producer Quincy Jones. He initially wanted to make the album 30 tracks long, but Jones cut this down to 11. With the industry expecting another monster hit, the release was heavily anticipated as it was Jackson's first album in five years. Jackson hired film director Martin Scorsese to direct the video for the album's title track. When the 18-minute music video debuted, it sparked controversy as Jackson's appearance had changed significantly.

Bad had lower sales compared to Thriller, but was still a significant commercial success. In the United States, it spawned seven hit singles, five of which went to number one: "I Just Can't Stop Loving You", "Bad", "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Man in the Mirror",and "Dirty Diana". Two decades after it was released, Bad still holds the record for generating more #1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 charts than any other album. It went on to sell over 32 million copies worldwide, the RIAA certified Bad with eight million shipments, it had over 2 million advance orders, and sold 3.6 million copies in the UK. At the 1993 Grammy Awards, the album was acknowledged as the second best-selling album of all time, but has since been overtaken.

In September 1987, Jackson embarked upon his first solo world tour, the Bad World Tour, which had record-breaking attendance figures. In Japan alone, Jackson had 14 sellouts and drew 570,000 people, nearly tripling the previous record of 200,000 in a single tour. The tour lasted 16 months with Jackson performing 123 concerts to 4.5 million fans worldwide.

This period saw Jackson enjoy "a level of superstardom previously known only to Elvis Presley, The Beatles, and Frank Sinatra." This success led to him to be dubbed the "King of Pop", a nickname conceived by actress and friend Elizabeth Taylor when she presented Jackson with an "Artist of the Decade" award in 1989, proclaiming him "the true king of pop, rock and soul." In 1990, the White House presented the singer with its own special "Artist of the Decade" award, in recognition Jackson's musical influence in the 1980s. It was delivered to Jackson by President George H. W. Bush, who commended Jackson for acquiring a "tremendous following", among other achievements.

From 1985-1990 Jackson had donated $500,000 to the United Negro College Fund and all profits from his 1988 hit single "Man in the Mirror" went to charity.

Michael Jackson - 1991-1994

In November 1991, Jackson issued Dangerous, which has 7 million shipments in the United States, sold 2 million copies in the UK and sold 30 million copies worldwide, registering sales figures almost identical to those of Bad. It became one of the most successful New jack swing albums of all time. Dangerous featured several hits, including "Black or White", "Remember the Time", "In the Closet", "Give In To Me", and "Heal the World". Dangerous was highly anticipated, as highlighted by an incident at the Los Angeles International Airport that witnessed a group of armed robbers stealing 30,000 copies of the new album before its official release.

The biggest hit single in the United States from the album was "Black or White", which reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained there for seven weeks, with similar performances around the world. The single was accompanied by a controversial music video, which, on November 14, 1991 simultaneously premiered in 27 countries with an estimated audience of 500 million people, the largest viewing ever for a music video. It also aired on the Fox network, MTV, and BET and featured scenes construed as having a sexual nature as well as depictions of violence. The offending scenes in the final half of the 14-minute version of "Black or White" were edited out to prevent the video from being banned.

The second single released from Dangerous was "Remember The Time," which spent eight weeks in the Top Five in the United States and hit a peak at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. In 1993, Jackson performed the song at the Soul Train Awards in a wheel chair saying he had an injury in rehearsals. At the ceremony, he was given three awards: "Best Male Single" of the year for "Remember The Time", "Best R&B Album" for Dangerous, and a Humanitarian Award for his charitable contributions to date. In the United Kingom, as well as other parts of Europe, "Heal the World" was the biggest hit from the album. In Britain, it sold 450,000 copies alone and spent five weeks at #2 in 1992.

In 1992, Jackson founded the "Heal the World Foundation," named after his humanitarian single "Heal the World". The charity organization brought underprivileged children to Jackson's Neverland Ranch, located outside Santa Ynez, California, to go on theme park rides which Jackson had built on the property after he purchased it in 1988. It also spread millions of dollars around the globe to help children threatened by war and disease. All profits from the Dangerous World Tour went to his foundation raising many millions of dollars in relief.

Later that year, Jackson made a high-profile visits to Africa, in which he visited several countries, among them Gabon and Egypt. His first stop to Gabon was greeted with a sizable reception of more than 100,000 people in "spiritual bedlam", some of them carrying signs that read, "Welcome Home Michael". In his trip to the Ivory Coast, Jackson was crowned "King Sani" by a tribal chief. He then thanked the dignitaries in French and English, signed official documents formalizing his kingship, and sat on a golden throne while presiding over ceremonial dances. In January 1993, he performed during the halftime show at Super Bowl XXVII. It drew one of the largest viewing audiences in the history of American television. Jackson was given the "Living Legend Award" at the 35th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.

Jackson was reported to have often allowed children to sleepover at his Neverland ranch, a fact which came under much media and public scrutiny in 1993, when child molestation allegations were brought against him by a child who had stayed with him on several occasions. Also that year, Jordan Chandler, the son of former Beverly Hills dentist Evan Chandler, represented by civil lawyer Larry Feldman, accused Jackson of child sexual abuse. On December 22, Jackson responded to the allegations via satellite from his Neverland compound and claimed to be "totally innocent of any wrongdoing". On January 25, 1994, Jackson settled out of court with the accuser for an undisclosed sum, reported to be $20 million dollars and the family dropped the charges. In 1994, Jackson married Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of Elvis Presley, the marriage was, in Presley's words, a married couple's life that was sexually active. They divorced less than two years later and remain friends.

Michael Jackson - 1995-1997

In June 1995, Jackson released HIStory: Past, Present And Future - Book I, which won one Grammy Award, "best video of the year" and receieved four more nominations. It debuted at number one on the charts and has, to this date, sold 15 million copies (30 million units) worldwide, while being certified for seven million shipments in the United States and selling 1.5 million copies in the UK. To promote the album, Jackson embarked on the successful HIStory World Tour, which was attended by more than 4.5 million people. The first disc, HIStory Begins, was a 15-track greatest hits album and was later released as Greatest Hits - HIStory Vol. I, in 2001. The second disc, HIStory Continues, contained 15 new songs.

The first single released from HIStory was "Scream", sung and performed with Jackson's youngest sister Janet. The single had the highest debut on the Billboard Hot 100 at #5 and received a Grammy nomination for "Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals". The music video for "Scream" is one of his most critically acclaimed, winning three MTV awards in 1995 and a Grammy in 1996 and is currently the most expensive music video ever made. "You Are Not Alone" was the second single released from HIStory and would become the first song ever to debut at number one on the Hot 100, beating his previous single "Scream", reaching number one in various international markets, including Britain. It was seen as a major artistic and commercial success, receiving a Grammy nomination for "Best Pop Vocal Performance".

"Earth Song" was the third single released from HIStory, accompanied by an expensive but well-received music video that was nominated for a Grammy in 1996 but lost to his earlier video "Scream". The song topped the United Kingdom singles chart for six weeks over Christmas in 1995 and sold 1 million copies there, making it his most successful single there. Slash appeared at Jackson's MTV Music Video Awards 1995 performance during "Black or White", played a solo, then played along to the opening of "Billie Jean" Jackson showed a shift in his concerns to environmental issues and ends with a message asking for donations for his "Heal the World Foundation".

In 1996, at the BRIT awards, Jackson was given a special "Artist of a Generation" award. At the ceremony he performed his single "Earth Song", making a symbolic Christ-like pose while surrounded by children. Fuelled by drink, Jarvis Cocker, of the band Pulp, mounted the stage, protesting at the performance. Jarvis ran across the stage, lifting his shirt and pointing his (clothed) bottom in Jackson's direction. Cocker was subsequently questioned by the police on suspicion of causing injury towards three of the children in Jackson's performance, although no criminal proceedings followed.

On November 13, 1996 during the Australian leg of the HIStory World Tour, Jackson married his dermatologist's nurse Deborah Jeanne Rowe, with whom he fathered a son, Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr. (also known as "Prince"), and a daughter, Paris Michael Katherine Jackson. Jackson and Rowe divorced in 1999.

In 1997, Jackson released an album of new material titled Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix, with remixes of hit singles from HIStory, and five new songs; it sold 6 million copies worldwide, becoming one of the greatest selling remix albums. It reached number one in the United Kingdom, as did the title track. In the United States, the album was certified platinum but only peaked at #24. Of the new songs in the album, three were released globally: the title track, "Ghosts," and "Is It Scary". The singles "Ghosts" and "Is It Scary" were based on a film created by Jackson called "Ghosts". The short film, written by Jackson and Stephen King and directed by Stan Winston, features many special effects and dance moves choreographed to original music written by Jackson. The music video for "Ghosts" is over 35 minutes long and is currently the world's longest music video.

Michael Jackson - 2001-2002

In October 2001, Invincible was issued, debuted at number one in thirteen countries, and went on to sell 8 million copies worldwide, with a double platinum certification in the United States. The album spawned three singles: "You Rock My World," "Cry," and "Butterflies." The sales for Invincible were low compared to his previous releases, which may be due to the lack of a supporting world tour and because only one music video was released to promote the album. While most reviewers called the album Jackson's least impressive effort, the reviews that were negative often discussed the singer's perceived eccentric image rather than the music.

Just before the release of Invincible, Jackson informed the head of Sony Music Entertainment, Tommy Mottola, that he was not going to renew his contract; the contract was about to expire in terms of supplying the label with albums of full-new material for release through Epic Records/SME. In 2002, all singles releases, video shootings, and promotions concerning the Invincible album were canceled. Subsequently, Jackson made allegations that Mottola was a "devil" and a "racist" who did not support his African American artists and used black artists for his own personal gain. Jackson stated that Mottola had called Jackson's colleague Irv Gotti a "fat nigger".

On September 7 and September 10, 2001 Jackson organized a special 30th Anniversary celebration at Madison Square Garden for his 30th year of being a solo artist. The show aired on November 13, 2001 and featured performances by Mýa, Usher, Whitney Houston, 'N Sync, the Jacksons, Slash, and a number of other artists. In wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks, Jackson helped organize the United We Stand: What More Can I Give benefit concert at RFK Stadium in Washington D.C. The concert was aired on October 21, 2001 and included performances from dozens of major artists, including Jackson, who performed his song "What More Can I Give" as the finale.

Jackson's third child, Prince Michael Jackson II (also known as Blanket) was born in 2002. In November 2002, a media frenzy arose around a picture of Jackson holding his baby outside an hotel window. He was surrounded by fans outside his room at the Hotel Adlon who were chanting in support of the singer, who were called out to see his new born son. In response, Jackson brought his son onto the balcony, holding him in his right arm with a cloth loosely draped over the baby's face in order to protect his identity from the media. Jackson briefly extended the baby over the railing of the balcony. In late 2006 Jackson agreed to share joint custody of his children with his ex-wife.

Michael Jackson - 2003-2006

A Granada Television documentary featuring Jackson, in which he was extensively interviewed by journalist Martin Bashir, was shown first in the United Kingdom on February 3, 2003 and then in the U.S. three days later. The documentary caused controversy for Jackson, who was viewed holding hands and discussing sleeping arrangements with the child that would later accuse him of child molestation.

In November 2003, Jackson and Sony Records put out a compilation of his number-one hits on CD and DVD titled Number Ones, which sold over 6 million copies worldwide. In the United States it peaked at #13, it has been certified platinum by the RIAA and in the UK it sold 1.5 million copies

Fans supporting Jackson

On December 18, 2003, Jackson was charged with seven counts of child molestation and two counts of administering an intoxicating agent in order to commit that felony, all regarding the same boy, Gavin Arvizo, under 14 at the time of the incident. The felony complaint stated that Jackson had committed seven lewd acts and two acts of administration of an intoxicating agent to enable the former accusations. Jackson denied these allegations, saying that the sleepovers were in no way sexual in nature. Jackson's friend, Elizabeth Taylor, defended him on Larry King Live, saying that she had been there when they "were in the bed, watching television. There was nothing abnormal about it. There was no touchy-feely going on. We laughed like children, and we watched a lot of Walt Disney. There was nothing odd about it."

The People v. Jackson trial began in Santa Maria, California, on January 31, 2005, and lasted until the end of May 2005, with Jackson being acquitted on all counts in June. The District Attorney of Santa Barbara County in California, Tom Sneddon, has led two efforts against Jackson involving child molestation. These prosecutions have led to complaints that Sneddon was motivated by a "vendetta" against Jackson. Evidence to support these claims include Sneddon joking about Jackson's greatest hits album being released on the same day as his arrest, calling Jackson "Wacko Jacko," and shouting "we got him, we finally got him" to the world media when he had at the time only just began an investigation and had limited information or evidence.

Subsequently Jackson relocated to the Persian Gulf island of Bahrain, where he reportedly bought a house formerly owned by a Bahrain MP. In September 2005, Jackson's spokesperson Raymone Bain announced that Jackson was busy producing an all-star charity single - titled "I Have This Dream" - to help raise relief funds for victims of Hurricane Katrina. In February 2006, Jackson's label released Visionary: The Video Singles, a box set made up of twenty of his biggest hit singles, each of which were issued individually week by week over a five-month period and was released in the United States on November 14, 2006.

Jackson with his children at Disneyland Paris in 2006

Jackson's first documented public appearance since his trial was in November 2006 when he visited the London office of the Guinness World Records. There, he received eight awards, among them the "First Entertainer to Earn More Than 100 Million Dollars in a Year" and the "First Entertainer to Sell More Than 100 Million Albums Outside the United States". Jackson was awarded the Diamond Award on November 15, 2006 for selling over 100 million albums at the World Music Awards.

Following the death of James Brown, Jackson returned to the United States to pay his respects. He, along with more than 8,000 people, paid tribute during Brown's public funeral on December 30, 2006.

Michael Jackson - 2008

On February 11, 2008, Jackson issued a 25th anniversary edition of his top-selling album Thriller called Thriller 25. It is a double disc album; disc one contains the original nine tracks from "Thriller", five remixed "Thriller" tracks, a song originally recorded in the Thriller era called "For All Time", a voice over by Vincent Price and featured will.i.am, Fergie, Kanye West, and Akon, with single releases alongside the album. Disc two is a DVD which contains the three music videos from "Thriller" and Jackson's performance of "Billie Jean" at Motown 25. Internationally, "The Girl Is Mine 2008" was released as a single, while in the United States, "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' 2008" was the first single, both of which were moderately successful.

Thriller 25 was a commercial success, having done particularly well as a re-issue, peaking at number one in eight countries, Europe and the United World Chart. It peaked at #2 in the United States, #3 in the United Kingdom and reached the Top 10 in over thirty national charts. Thriller 25 spent three weeks at #1 in France, two weeks at number one on the "United World Chart", Argentina and Belgium. It has been certified gold in 11 countries, including the United Kingdom. In Poland, on release day, the album was certified gold, reaching #6 on the charts and is Jackson's highest charting album in Norway. In France, Thriller 25 received a 2x gold certification, and in Poland it was certified platinum.

In the United States, Thriller 25 was the second best-selling album of its release week, selling 166,000 copies, just 14,000 short of reaching the number one position. It was ineligible for the Billboard 200 chart as a re-release but entered the Pop Catalog Charts at number one, where it stayed for nine non-consecutive weeks and had the best sales on that chart since December 1996. This was Jackson's best launch since Invincible in 2001, with 500,000 copies in the US and 1.7 million copies sold in 10 weeks.

Michael Jackson: Influence

Jackson's star on the Hollywood walk of fame, set in 1984

Inducted into the Hollywood walk of fame in 1984, Jackson has had a notable impact on music and culture throughout the world, breaking down racial barriers and paving the way for modern pop music in his own country. In the mid-1980s, Time Magazine called Jackson "the hottest single phenomenon since Elvis Presley". Jackson has been described as an "extremely important figure in the history of popular culture" and a "genius". Throughout his four-decade career, he received numerous honors and awards, including the World Music Award's Best-Selling Pop Male Artist of the Millennium, the American Music Award's Artist of the Century Award, and the Bambi's Pop Artist of the Millennium Award. He is a double-inductee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (once as a member of The Jackson 5 in 1997 and later as a solo artist in 2001) and an inductee of the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He is characterized as "an unstoppable juggernaut, possessed of all the tools to dominate the charts seemingly at will: an instantly identifiable voice, eye-popping dance moves, stunning musical versatility, and loads of sheer star power". In 1990, Vanity Fair magazine named him the "Most popular artist in the history of show business". Jackson's work has influenced and spawned a whole generation of a wide variety of artists, including Mariah Carey, Usher, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Ne-Yo, and Chris Brown, among others.

Michael Jackson - Style and performance

Among the most celebrated aspects of Jackson's career have been his dance, which has given rise to impersonators all over the world. In 1984, Time magazine commented on Jackson's notable style:

On March 25, 1983, Jackson debuted "Billie Jean" before a live audience during taping of the tribute special Motown 25. Having reunited with the Jackson 5 for a medley of their hits, he remained on stage for a solo performance and as he addressed the crowd they began chanting for "Billie Jean". Dressed in a glittery black jacket, sparkling silver shirt, tight black pants cuffed high to showcase white spangled socks and black penny loafers, and a single sequined glove, Jackson signalled the start of his routine by grabbing his crotch and snapping a black fedora to his head. Halfway through the performance Jackson threw his fedora into the crowd causing audience members to scream and shout. It was during this performance that Jackson also debuted a set of dance moves, including the "Moonwalk," a name not dubbed by Jackson but by the media. The "moonwalk" followed by a tornado spin and then balancing up on his toes have since gone on to become Jackson's trademark dance piece, and is virtually synonymous with the song. The performance sealed his position as a dance legend up against the likes of Fred Astaire, who actually called Jackson the next day to congratulate him, and it is also said to match the affect on popular culture that Elvis Presley and The Beatles had when they appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show. Ironically, the move is not featured at any point during the music video. Despite Jackson lip-syncing his song, the audience rose to their feet giving an ovation, and the performance is often cited as one of the greatest live performances of all time. Upon its broadcast on May 16, over 47 million viewers witnessed Jackson's performance. Of the performance The New York Times stated "The moonwalk that he made famous is an apt metaphor for his dance style. How does he do it? As a technician, he is a great illusionist, a genuine mime. His ability to keep one leg straight as he glides while the other bends and seems to walk requires perfect timing". In the late 1980s, Jackson experimented with an innovative 'leaning' move in his music video performances for which he was granted U.S. Patent 5,255,452.

Jackson's later dancing, however, particuarly during the years 1987-1997, has been criticised as overly sexual or even violent, such as the ending of the video for "Black or White," which portrays Jackson demolishing a car while performing a number of highly-sexualized dance moves. Jackson has also been known to grab or touch his chest, torso, and crotch, both in live performances as well as in music videos like "Bad" and "In The Closet". While he has described this as "choreography," it has garnered a mixed reception from both fans and critics, with TIME magazine describing it as "infamous".

Michael Jackson - Themes and genres

Jackson's earlier material, such as Off the Wall and Thriller, focused almost exclusively on producing catchy melodies and rhythms characteristics of pop hits. This preoccupation with musical accessibility would continue throughout his future work, even as the material became colored with various shifts and improvisations. Despite the light pop flavor of Jackson's early material, it already displayed foreshadowings of the contradictory thematic elements that would come to characterize his later work. For example, Thriller transitioned seamlessly from the melodious and comfortable sounds of "Lady in My Life" to the haunting and terrorized environments of "Billie Jean" and "Beat It", where women accused Jackson of fathering their children and the outside world seemed strange and hostile.

Some critics felt that Bad was focused too much on consolidating a traditional pop sound with the intention of breaking the records set by Jackson's previous albums, and that as a result the lyrics suffered in comparison to the excitement of his earlier work. The album did, however, leaves clues for the themes of isolation that would be explored in future projects, such as the line "A lot of people misunderstand me....because they don't know me at all" in the tense intro to "I Just Can't Stop Loving You". Bad also included Jackson's first major inspirational song, "Man in the Mirror". The song and its accompanying video were praised for their message and captivating sound and imagery, despiting being criticized by some as "pure pabulum."

Jackson's work in the 1990s was characterized by more introspective material. Some have argued that the Dangerous album represented Jackson at a "near peak" in terms of musical quality and creativity, and received more critical acclaim than his previous Bad album. While Jackson continued to explore some of the themes of his previous work, such as the "predatory lover" motif which was continued on the title track to Dangerous, more and more of his music in this decade started addressing sociopolitical issues around the world, such as "Black or White", "Heal the World", "They Don't Care About Us", and "Earth Song". The music in Dangerous, described as a "a sonic machine world" with "synthetic basslines, swooshing scratched records, [and] clanking metallic noises", reflected old influences while absorbing new trends. This ability to incorporate new developments in the sound of pop music was made all the more pressing by the long intervals between Jackson's albums.

HIStory, arguably Jackson's most conflictive album, revealed a "furious" pop icon worn by years of superstardom, with Jon Pareles of the The New York Times writing, "It has been a long time since Michael Jackson was simply a performer. He's the main asset of his own corporation, which is a profitable subsidiary of Sony". The album featured Jackson using profanity and other controversial lyrics, which forced him to modify some of the words to "They Don't Care About Us". Edged onwards by a quasi-messianic flair, he also railed against the media in "Tabloid Junkie", singing, "With your pen you torture me/You'd crucify the Lord" and that "Just because you read it in a magazine/ Or see it on a TV screen/ Don't make it factual". HIStory mostly encompassed reflective compositions, presenting only one conventional love song, "You Are Not Alone".

Michael Jackson: Physical appearance

Michael Jackson live in 1996, showing him with lighter skin, as well as the striking costumes and "crotch grab" that characterized the height of his career

Jackson's skin was a medium-brown color for the entire duration of his youth, but starting in the early 1980s, his skin gradually grew paler. This change became noticeable and gained widespread media coverage, with some media outlets claiming that Jackson was bleaching his skin. However, in the early 1980s Jackson was diagnosed with vitiligo and lupus, the latter of which is potentially lethal but is in remission in Jackson's case. Both conditions make Jackson sensitive to overexposure to sunlight, which can cause his lupus condition to reawaken. To treat both these conditions Jackson uses Solaquin, Retin A and Benoquin. He must also have hydroxychloroquin injected directly into his scalp regularly. Ironically, the treatments he uses for his condition further lightens his skin tone, then with the application of pancake makeup to even out his skin he can appear very pale.

The structure of his face has changed as well, and several surgeons have speculated that Jackson has undergone multiple nasal surgeries as well as a forehead lift, thinned lips, and cheekbone surgery. In 1979, Jackson had his first rhinoplasty after breaking his nose during a complex dance routine. However the surgery was not a complete success and Jackson complained of breathing difficulties that would affect his career. He was referred to Dr. Steven Hoeffen, who would perform his second rhinoplasty, as well as more throughout his career. In 1984, Jackson had his third rhinoplasty, and 1986 saw a fourth, as well as a cleft put in his chin. By 1990 the full extent of Jackson's surgery was known, but those close to Jackson put the figure as close to ten operations on his face.

Jackson wrote in his 1988 autobiography Moon Walk that he only had two rhinoplastic surgeries and the surgical creation of a cleft in his chin. In the book, he attributed the change in the structure of his face to puberty and a strict vegetarian diet. Some suggest that changes to his face are, in part, due to periods of significant weight loss between 1987-1993 and 2003-2005. In a 1993 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Jackson attributed the change in his skin colour to vitiligo.

Jackson's outfits have been central components of his image. In the early 1980s he wore a sequined white glove, the jackets in the "Thriller" and "Beat it" music videos, white socks (with short pants to emphasize them) and other sparkling jackets. In the late 1980s to late 1990s Jackson shifted to wearing fedoras, military jackets, shin pads, sunglasses and plasters on his fingers (or occasionally a pair of black sparkling gloves). He continued to wear white socks with short pants. In the 2000s Jackson rarely appears in flamboyant costumes, occasionally wearing shin pads, but usually a red shirt, black full-length pants and sunglasses. Over time his hair went from short and curly to long and curly and then to long and straight.

Michael Jackson: Finances

A number of savvy business moves early in his career helped Jackson accrue a sizeable fortune. In 1984 Jackson paid for and created the Thriller music video using his own money, as his label felt the album had already been a success and that a third video was therefore unnecessary. The video was hugely successful and Jackson made a sizeable profit. In 1984, he purchased The Beatles' back catalog (outbidding Paul McCartney and Yoko Ono) as well as the copyrights to thousands of other songs for $47.5 million. Jackson merged the catalog with Sony's publishing division in 1995 but retained half-ownership.

In 1988, he purchased property near Santa Ynez, California to build Neverland Ranch at a cost of $17 million. The property was valued at approximately $100 million in 2003. In 1989, his annual earnings from album sales, endorsements and concerts was estimated at $125 million for that year alone. In the early 1990s, Jackson sign a renewed $65 million recording contract and sold the rights to his Dangerous world tour for $20 million, both of which were record-breaking deals at the time. Forbes placed his annual income at $35 million in 1996 and $20 million in 1997, even though his commercial peak had ended several years prior. His total lifetime earnings from royalties on his solo recordings and music videos, revenue from concerts, and endorsements have been estimated at $500 million, while some analysts have speculated that his music catalog holdings could potentially be worth billions of dollars.

However, in recent years it has been reported that Jackson has experienced financial difficulties. In 1993, he settled a child-molestation lawsuit for an undisclosed sum, estimated to be between $15 million and $25 million. The negative publicity surrounding the settlement impacted his future earnings as well. Jackson has been observed in public spending large amounts of money in an apparently frivolous manner, such as in 2003 when he spent $6 million in a single shop or from money given to charity.

Reports of financial problems for Jackson become more frequent in 2006 after the closure of the main house on the Neverland Ranch as a cost-cutting measure. One prominent financial issue for Jackson concerned a $270 million loan secured against his music publishing holdings. After delayed repayments on the loan, a refinancing package in 2005 shifted the loans from Bank of America to debt specialists Fortress Investments. A new package proposed by Sony in April 2006 would have had Jackson lend an additional $300 million and reduce the interest rate payable on the loan, while giving Sony the future option to buy half of Jackson's stake in their jointly-owned publishing company. Jackson agreed to a Sony-backed refinancing deal, although full details were not made public.

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