King oF Pop
Personal Information
Born Michael Joseph Jackson, August 19, 1958, in Gary, IN; son of
Joseph (a crane operator) and Katherine (a homemaker and sales
clerk; maiden name, Corse) Jackson. Married Lisa Marie Presley,
1994 (separated).
Career Performing and recording artist, 1963--. Vocalist with the Jackson 5, 1963-76; recorded first single with the group, c. 1967 for Steeltown Label; signed with Motown and released debut album Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5, 1969; signed as solo artist with Motown, releasing solo debut Got to Be There, 1972; vocalist with The Jacksons, 1976-81; appeared in film The Wiz, 1978; released Epic solo debut Off the Wall, 1979; co-produced Thriller album, 1982; published autobiography Moonwalk and released accompanying film, 1988; moved to "Neverland" ranch in Santa Barbara, CA, 1989; accused of child molestation though charges were never substantiated, 1993; released new album/greatest hits package HIStory, the subject of largest marketing campaign in music industry history, 1995. Awards: Grammy Awards for album of the year for Thriller, record of the year and best male rock vocal performance for "Beat It," best new R&B song for "Billie Jean," and best male pop performance and best recording for children for E.T. The Extra Terrestrial album, all 1984; for best home video, The Making of "Thriller," 1985; for song of the year for "We Are the World, 1986; Living Legend Award, 1993; American Music Awards Special Award of Achievement, 1989, best pop/rock album, Dangerous, best soul/R&B single, "Remember the Time,";NABOB Lifetime Achievement Award, 1992; World Music Awards for best selling American artist, world's best selling pop artist, and world's best selling artist of the era, 1993; first Michael Jackson Award from BMI performance rights organization, 1990, as well as BMI Awards for "Black or White" and "Remember the Time" as two of the most performed songs of the Year, 1993. Addresses Since his ascent from stardom to superstardom in the early 1980s, Michael Jackson has become the quintessential celebrity: adored the world over, turning the music industry on its ear with each new release, and making successful forays into new entertainment technologies. He has also been mired in controversy. By the time of his mammoth 1995 release HIStory: Past, Present and Future--Book 1, Jackson had weathered speculation about plastic surgery and family infighting, as well as accusations of child molestation, attacks on perceived anti-Semitism in his lyrics, and suspicion that his marriage was an attempt to camouflage his real sexuality. At the same time, the marketing campaign for HIStory was the biggest ever seen for an album; amid the hype, strangely enough, Michael Jackson was trumpeting the message that he resented intrusions into his privacy. All of this tended to overshadow the music; although many critics felt that his newest work paled next to the breathless innovations of his 1980s recordings, it was clear that Jackson's career--despite the predictions of pundits--was far from over. It was a career that began quite early. Michael was born in Gary, Indiana, in the late 1950s; he and his brothers were assembled into a singing group when he was only five. Despite his extremely young age, he soon distinguished himself as a singer and dancer of prodigious ability. No mere child prodigy, Michael had a gift for vocal phrasing--as well as a sensual power--that was not only well beyond his years, but would have been astonishing in a performer of any age. After winning several talent contests, the Jackson 5, as the group was called, signed a recording contract with the trailblazing soul label Motown and proceeded to rule the charts in the late 1960s and early 70s with such hits as "I Want You Back," "Stop, the Love You Save," "ABC," and "Dancing Machine." By 1972 Michael had begun releasing solo albums, and he sang the hit title song to the movie Ben. Michael and the group (with the exception of brother Jermaine) left Motown in 1975, signing with Epic Records, which also gave Michael a solo deal. Two years later he starred in the film version of the hit musical The Wiz, which also featured singer Diana Ross and comic Richard Pryor. Quincy Jones, who produced the soundtrack album, became one of Michael's longtime friends and collaborators. 1979 saw the release of Michael Jackson's extraordinarily successful album Off the Wall; this record included the hit singles "Rock With You" and "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" and eventually sold some 10 million copies. The singer had matured into a dynamic adult entertainer, but he also began to make his mark as a songwriter, crafting durable pop that synthesized rock and disco. Jackson's next album, Thriller, was a quantum leap for him both creatively and commercially. Produced by Jones, the recording spanned a number of pop genres--cannily enlisting rock guitar idol Eddie Van Halen to play a solo on "Beat It," for example, guaranteed access to listeners Jackson might not otherwise have reached--and fired numerous singles up the charts, notably the title track, the insinuating "Billie Jean," and the raucous "Beat It." The state-of-the-art videos that accompanied these singles, meanwhile, coincided with the sudden dominance of Music Television (MTV); Jackson's distinctive "Moonwalk" and overall visual panache (combined with brilliant choreography and lavish special effects) won him an even vaster audience. Thriller went on to become the best-selling album of all time and garnered 5 Grammy awards; Jackson also snagged a Grammy for his participation in the E.T.: The Extraterrestrial album for children. Jackson was also a crucial player in the all-star benefit project We Are the World, which sought to combat hunger in Africa. In addition to his epochal solo work, he continued working with his brothers as part of The Jacksons; their 1984 "Victory" tour was a landmark of the decade. Michael Jackson ruled the 1980s. Though his album Bad performed less spectacularly than did Thriller, it was a colossal hit by any other standard. He also racked up both music industry awards and honors from the United Negro College Fund, the NAACP, and even the President of the United States. He had his occasional bad moments-- his head was burned during the shooting of a commercial for Pepsi cola, for which he had a lucrative endorsement deal, and speculation abounded that he lightened his skin and had plastic surgery to make himself look more "white"--but by and large his image as the world's most beloved entertainer was undimmed. In 1990 the performance rights organization BMI presented the first Michael Jackson award--to its namesake. His sister Janet Jackson announced that she had scored the biggest record deal in history early in 1991. One week later, Michael announced his new Sony contract, which made Janet's look paltry by comparison. His 1991 release Dangerous, however, did not perform to expectations. Some controversy was generated by the fact that Jackson reportedly only granted his innovative "Black or White" video to MTV on the condition that the network refer to him as the "King of Pop." A 1993 interview with talk-show host Oprah Winfrey, an unusual step for the press-shy Jackson, helped boost sales. Over time, the album performed impressively; again, only the standards previously set by Jackson himself cast any doubt on its popularity. He was showered in laurels in 1993, including the "Living Legend Award" at the Grammys and, more controversially, the Humanitarian of the Year trophy at the Soul Train Awards. Yet Jackson's reputation as an androgynous recluse who lived in a state of perpetual adolescence--rumors of his life and hobbies at his home, "Neverland," abounded--only increased. He also earned the scorn of some self-appointed moral guardians when one of his videos showed him smashing a car window and grabbing his crotch more flagrantly than usual; he excised the footage as soon as the eyebrows were raised. Yet no one could have anticipated the charges that rocked the entertainment world in 1993. A 13-year-old boy, identified only as a "friend" of the singer's, asserted that Jackson had sexually abused him during his stay at Neverland. Jackson was on tour when the allegations were made public, and he promptly brought the series of performances to a halt, claiming exhaustion and addiction to painkillers. After extensive legal wrangling and much mud-slinging from both the boy's family and lawyers and Jackson's defense team, Jackson opted to settle out of court for an estimated $20 million. Though he settled, Jackson denied any wrongdoing. Despite investigation of a second boy who said he'd slept in the same bed with Jackson--but alleged no improper behavior on the entertainer's part--the Los Angeles District Attorney brought his investigation to a close in 1994. Jackson's attorney said this was due to lack of evidence, though others claimed it was the boy's refusal to testify that weakened the case. Meanwhile, longtime friends of Jackson's had issued passionate statements in his defense. "I am mortified and disgusted by what has been reported with no evidence of anything untoward," fumed producer Bruce Swedien, as quoted in Rolling Stone. "Michael is one of the most decent people I've ever met in my life. These allegations are preposterous." Jackson's own public statement expressed confidence that he would be fully exonerated. "I am grateful for the overwhelming support of my fans throughout the world," it concluded. "I love you all." Yet the scandal devastated Jackson and heightened speculation that his career was over. He lost his Pepsi endorsement as well as a deal to develop several films in which he hoped to star. "They just pulled the plug when the scandal broke," noted director John Landis--who'd helmed the epic "Thriller" video--to Entertainment Weekly. "Stopped it cold." The rumor-mongering over the alleged molestation continued, as the media and industry insiders played the age-old game of trying to pin down Michael Jackson's personal life. In 1994 Jackson shocked the public again--in a very different way. He and Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of rock innovator and cultural icon Elvis Presley, were married in the Dominican Republic. The unexpected union was the cause of further speculation: had Jackson married to divert attention from his alleged homosexuality and/or pederasty? Was he hoping to save his career by establishing himself as a "normal" and adult man? A very staged kiss at the MTV Video Music Awards added fuel to the fire. Meanwhile, Michael Jackson returned to what he did best--making records. He commenced recording new tracks for an ambitious package that would include his greatest hits along with an album's worth of new material. He gathered a number of hot songwriters and producers and even recorded a duet with his sister Janet. Epic Records, the branch of Sony that handled his recordings, prepared for a massive media assault. Jackson and Lisa Marie appeared on a television interview with Diane Sawyer; the singer and his bride vehemently insisted that they had a sex life and planned to have children. Naturally, such urgency only encouraged those who felt that their public claims to "normalcy" were career propaganda. Even so, the interview earned astronomical ratings and helped prepare the way for the new album's marketing blitz. This included the sudden appearance of building-high statues of the performer, one of which is pictured on the cover of the disc. When HIStory was released it met with mixed reviews. Writers for the industry trade journal Billboard were divided; columnist J. R. Reynolds felt that it "boasts some of the artist's best work"--and not just the classic singles--and complained only of the label's marketing overkill. Yet an unsigned review in the same issue called him "a gifted musical careerist of negligible emotional maturity, and the latter trait increasingly overshadows the former as he struggles to contrive dubious monuments to himself." Jackson's over-the-top spectacles, combined with his anguished pleas to be shielded from prying eyes, struck many critics as the ultimate in hypocrisy. Others felt he was all over the stylistic map, lacking the cohesive musical vision he'd shown in the previous decade. Rolling Stone called the 1995 collection an "exhilarating, misconceived, often heartbreaking package. HIStory's ultimate goal is to position Michael Jackson's music as a planet, a genre, a law, a marketing budget unto itself." Many in the industry wondered if Jackson's scandals would have a decisive negative impact on sales of the new record, but this appeared not to be a substantial problem. "People don't give a s--t about something that happened a couple of years ago," insisted record executive Freddy DeMann to Entertainment Weekly. Any commercial obstacles HIStory faced, it seemed, would have to do with the material itself. "It's not where music is headed, it's where music has been," complained radio station music director Bruce St. James, quoted in Newsweek. The public, despite the media bombast, seemed to agree. The debut single, "Scream"--a raucous duet with Janet that was supported by a flashy science-fiction video--earned only a lukewarm reception, and HIStory dropped out of the top ten after only a few weeks. Yet the record could scarcely be considered a failure, given that it was a double album and promised to issue singles for at least another year. One, the ballad "Childhood," also appeared on the soundtrack of the family film Free Willy 2, promising an even wider audience. "There will probably be nine singles," pronounced Epic executive David Glew to Billboard. "That puts us through two Christmases ... I think this will be one of the biggest albums of all time, ?but? we know it will take the full weight of this company." Meanwhile, many fans who didn't adore the new tracks would likely still invest in the package just to have Jackson's classic hits in one place. Another scandal erupted immediately, however; it involved the presence of apparently anti-Semitic lyrics on the song "They Don't Care About Us." Steven Spielberg, superstar filmmaker and stalwart defender of Jackson during his earlier travails, publicly criticized the lyrics, as did many other individuals and groups. Jackson announced that he harbored no prejudice toward anyone, though his remark that "my lawyers are Jewish" scarcely banished all doubt. A smaller ripple came from the revelation that Lisa Marie's two children from her previous marriage were unhappy living at Neverland. The couple would divorce amicably in 1996. Yet even when beset by rumor and scandal--and such has been his situation for much of his career--Michael Jackson has masterfully translated adversity into greater fame. While many argue that his work has been uneven, his contribution to modern pop has been enormous. Indeed, Jackson redefined stardom for the video era, and popular culture would never be the same. Selected Discography |