Michael Jackson: His Singing Career

Michael Jackson: His Singing Career

 

            Michael Jackson is one of the world’s most popular people. He is known by any age group, not only because of the scandals that he is involved, but also because of his brilliance as a performer. But his popularity does not mean that every person knew how he started in the business. People may have known him as a philanthropist, singer, songwriter, producer, dancer, choreographer, actor, director, writer, and / or entrepreneur.

            The purpose of this essay is to give the reader a background on Michael Jackson. To give the reader a history lesson on how Michael Jackson became the successful man that he is. But before that, here is a little information about him. He is born Michael Joseph Jackson on 29 August 1958 in Gary, Indiana. His siblings are: Maureen Reilette (Rebbie), Sigmund Esco (Jackie), Toriano Adaryll (Tito), Lajaun (Jermaine), La Toya Yvonne, Marlon David, Steven Randall (Randy) and Janet Damita Jo. He was the seventh of nine kids. He was married for nine months with Lisa Marie Presley and to Deborah Rowe for almost three years. With Deborah, he had a son named Prince Michael Joseph Junior and a daughter named Paris Michael Katherine. He also had a son from a surrogate mother. The baby was named Prince Michael II. The baby was said to be six months old last August 2002. Presently, he resides in Neverland Valley Ranch, Los Olivos, California, USA.

            Michael Jackson first came into the spotlight at the age of 5. . In his first public appearance, he sang ‘Climb Every Mountain’. He was the lead singer of the Jackson 5, formed in 1964, with his brothers Jackie, Jermaine, Tito, and Marlon. At first, they sang in local clubs and bars in Gary Indiana. One of the Jackson 5’s paying gig was at Mr. Lucky’s. Each of them was paid a dollar for their performance. When their talents grew they competed in talent contests until they landed to a recording contract with Motown Records. It was Bobby Taylor of Vancouvers that discovered the Jackson 5 and arranged them for an audition in Motown. The Jackson 5 signed for Motown and moved to California. For publicity, Motown stated that Diana Ross was the one who discovered Jackson 5, and in their first album placed: “Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5”. This was because Diana Ross was Motown’s biggest star during that time. There they made hit after hit. As a parallel project with Motown Records, Michael recorded 4 solo albums and Jackson 5 recorded 14.

            In 1976, feeling the need for more freedom, they left Motown and signed up with Epic Records. But they had to change their names from Jackson 5 to The Jacksons, as they were earlier known, because Motown owned Jackson 5. Also, their brother Jermaine has to stay with Motown since he married the daughter of Motown’s Berry Gordy. Instead of Jermaine, youngest brother Randy joined them. In Epic they also made one hit after another. They made a total of 6 albums with Epic between 1976 and 1984.

In the 1978, Michael ventured into the musical film. He played as the Scarecrow while Diana Ross played Dorothy, in the movie “The Wiz”. It was an African-American remake of the Wizard of Oz. There he met Quincy Jones, who was doing the musical score for the film.

Michael teamed up with Jones as his producer for his first solo album with Epic Records. It was with the album “Off the Wall” that they teamed up. The album became the mark for Michael’s transformation from a cute kid act to an adult superstar. It was released in 1979. It was the first ever album to have 4 No.1 singles in the US. The album was a crossover blending of soul, rock and non-stop boogie groove. The album sold 10 million copies and went multi-platinum.

            The album “Thriller” broke what “Off the Wall” did in the market. It sold more than 50 million copies worldwide. The album made 6 top ten singles and stayed number one for 37 weeks. It still remains as the best selling album of all time. For the promotions of the album, Michael used music video or short films. He worked with the best directors and producers, using the latest technology and special effects, combined with fantastic dancing and choreography. The video for the song “Thriller” was so successful that the video “The Making of Michael Jackson’s Thriller” became the world’s largest selling home video.

            Michael Jackson performed for the 25th anniversary show of Motown Records. There he performed for the first time the “moonwalk”. In 1984, Michael Jackson won 8 Grammy awards, 7 of which was for his work in “Thriller” and 1 for his narrative work for the “ET Storybook”. Also in that year Michael Jackson received a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. Michael Jackson was able to break the colour barrier in MTV with his music videos and short films.

            After “Thriller’, came “Bad”, which is the world’s second best selling album in history. It was released in 1987 and sold over 25 million copies including the hit singles “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You”, “The Way You Make Me Feel” and “The Man In The Mirror”. The album generated 5 consecutive number one hits. Together with this album, Michael Jackson launched his record-breaking first solo world tour. At the end of the 1980s Michael was named ‘Artist of the Decade’.

            In 1991, Michael signed with Sony Music and released “Dangerous”. With this is another world tour in 1992. He visited countries that were not visited by any pop/rock artist before. 1995 saw Michael Jackson’s most ambitious album, “HIStory Past, Present and Future Book I. It was a massive album containing 15 of Michael’s greatest hits from four previous albums and 15 brand new songs. “HIStory” has been certified 6 times platinum in the United State alone. In 1997, Michael Jackson released a remix album titled “Blood On The Dance Floor: HIStory In The Mix”. It contained 5 new songs, which are linked with a 38-minute film where he played 5 major roles, and 8 remixes from HIStory. Some critics say that it was brilliant because it brought back to the forefront a 2-year-old album.

            Michael Jackson performed for two charity concerts in Seoul, South Korea and in Munich, Germany in 1999. In 2001, he released a new album “Invincible”. But before this, he celebrated his 30th anniversary as a solo performer with two concerts in Madison Square Garden in New York. In the concert Michael reunited with his brothers and performed their biggest hits. Artists such as Whitney Houston, Usher, Destiny’s Child, and Shaggy also joined in the celebration. The “Invincible” album has released only two singles since its release. It is also surrounded by rumours that Sony Music lacked promotion for the album.

 

Reference:

 

Nicholson, Lois. (1994). Michael Jackson – Entertainer. New York: Chelsea House Publishing.

 

Grant, Adrian. (1994). The Visual Documentary. New York: Omnibus Press, division of Book Sales Limited.

 

Cardell, Chris. (1992). King of Pop. London: Jam Books.

 

Brown Geoff. (1997). Facts from the Dance Floor. UK: UFO Music Limited.

 

Danelly, Deborah (Ed.). (2003). Biography of Michael Jackson. Corpus Christi, Texas: Michael Jackson Fan Club.

 

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