Musician Spotlight: Michael Jackson

pop artist Michael Jackson performing

Michael Joe Jackson was born on 29th August 1958 in Gary, Indiana, and died on 25th June 2009 in Los Angeles, California. During those 50 years, Jackson never stopped working, and even when surrounded by controversy, his fans never failed him.

It is said that Michael Jackson was the world’s most popular performer, at least until the mid-1980s and probably beyond that. There was certainly something about the man that was seen as very special indeed.

Jackson started his musical career at the age of just five. He was part of the Jackson Five, a group of brothers who sang and danced together.

Michael, perhaps because he was the youngest and therefore noticed more than the others, or perhaps because he had a talent that could be seen even way back then, soon became the stand-out star, so much so that he was able to have a career all to himself.

Jackson was signed as a solo artist with Epic, and his first album, 1970’s Off The Wall, became the best-selling album of the year – in the end, it would go on to sell over 20 million copies.

It was the combination of the energetic music along with Jackson’s soulful voice, plus the clear fact that he loved performing that made the music he produced so well-loved, and if the public weren’t aware of the young man from his early days with the Jackson 5, they would certainly know who he was now. Just this one album gave him superstardom on a level never seen before.

The next album, Thriller, was highly anticipated, and it did not disappoint. It included something for everyone, winning eight Grammys (a record at the time) and staying in the charts for two whole years. It would sell 40 million copies which made it the best-selling album in history.

The reason for the success? It could have been any number of things, from ‘Billie Jean’ and the moonwalk it produced to ‘The Girl Is Mine’ which combined Jackson’s voice with Paul McCartney’s to ‘Beat It’ that was instantly memorable (and featured a guitar solo by Eddie Van Halen), it might have been all of these things. But what truly set it apart was the title song and the video that went with it. That video changed everything and has been the gold standard ever since.

In fact, in the late 80s and early 90s, everything Jackson did was successful. He released additional albums including Bad in 1987 and Dangerous in 1991, and the number one singles and awards that these gave him were unsurpassed. He was also one of the best live performers of all time. His dancing abilities are on display in this live performance of “Smooth Criminal”:

Problems began to emerge, however. In 1993, the first of several child molestation accusations emerged, and although Jackson settled this out of court, the damage had been done. This, coupled with his secluded lifestyle that many called eccentric and strange, and the ever-increasing surgeries he was having on his face, meant that despite the high quality of music he was putting out, his fame started to fall away from him.

By 2005, although he had been cleared of another child molestation charge, the damage had been done, and he had to sell off many assets and had a great deal of financial problems.

In 2009, however, with what he must have imagined was the worst behind him, Jackson began to prepare for a comeback. Sadly, this never happened, as he died the same year due to a cardiac arrest brought on by an overdose of medication for which his personal doctor, Conrad Murray, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter.

Jackson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001.

Had Michael not passed away so early he would surely still be making world class music.

Last Updated: September 25, 2024By

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