Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson, born in 1958, American singer, dancer, and songwriter. Jackson is one of the bestselling popular music artists in history, but beginning in the 1990s he became better known for his eccentric behavior and strange personal life.
Michael Joseph Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana. At the age of five he joined his brothers' singing group, which was dubbed the Jackson 5 (later renamed the Jacksons). Michael's dancing ability as well as his singing skills quickly made him the group's leader. Under the guidance of music producer Berry Gordy, founder of the Motown Records label, the group became very successful. Among the Jackson 5’s most popular songs were “I Want You Back” (1969), “ABC” (1970), and “I’ll Be There” (1970).

Jackson's first solo album, Got to Be There (1971), established him as an independent performer. Leaving the family group, Jackson played the Scarecrow in the musical film The Wiz (1978) and recorded the hit album Off the Wall (1979), which included a number of songs he had written. His 1982 album Thriller, produced by Quincy Jones, earned an unprecedented eight Grammy Awards and sold more than 40 million copies, making it the bestselling album in history up to that time. The music videos of the singles “Beat It” (for which he received a Grammy), “Thriller,” and “Billie Jean” from this album made Jackson a popular performer on MTV (see Music Television). The videos popularized one of Jackson’s singular dance moves, known as the moonwalk.

Jackson rejoined his brothers for the album Victory (1984) and a subsequent six-month tour. He also cowrote the song “We Are the World” (1985), which was performed by a group of more than 40 famous musicians. All profits from the single and video of this song were donated to programs targeting world hunger. Jackson's album Bad (1987) produced a number of hit singles—including the title song and “Man in the Mirror”—and his 1991 album Dangerous and its single “Remember the Time” were also bestsellers

In 1995 Jackson’s double album HIStory was released. Half of the album is a compilation of the most successful songs from Thriller, Bad, and Dangerous, while the other half is a collection of original compositions. In 1996 Jackson won a Grammy Award for the music video “Scream” (1995), created with his sister Janet (see Janet Jackson). That same year he divorced Lisa Marie Presley, the late Elvis Presley's daughter, whom he had wed in 1994. Jackson eventually remarried and fathered two children before divorcing a second time in 1999.

Jackson’s career went into decline after he faced allegations in 1993 that he had molested a 13-year-old boy. Although he was never arrested, in 1994 Jackson settled a multimillion-dollar civil lawsuit with the boy’s family without admitting to any wrongdoing. The boy refused to testify against Jackson in a criminal trial, and the investigation into the allegations became inactive. Following this incident the California legislature revised state law to require victims of child molestation to testify in criminal proceedings.

Jackson released the album Invincible in 2001, but the collection of new material did not sell nearly as well as his previous albums. The same year he was elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (the Jackson 5 had been elected in 1997).

In 2003 Jackson was arrested on multiple counts of child molestation, giving alcohol to a minor, extortion, and false imprisonment. The boy who accused Jackson of molestation testified during the trial, as did his mother, and testimony about alleged previous incidents of molestation by Jackson was also presented. Jackson’s defense attorneys countered by casting doubt on the credibility of the accuser and his family. After a long, heavily publicized trial, a jury acquitted Jackson of all charges in June 2005. See also Rhythm-and-Blues Music; Popular Music.