Michael Joseph Jackson , (1958 - )
Michael Joseph Jackson is a singer-songwriter, dancer-choreographer and American businessman born August 29, 1958 in Gary, Indiana. Seventh in a family of nine children, he began his career at the age of eleven years in the Jackson Five then began his solo career in 1971 while remaining a member of the group. Subsequently nicknamed "The King of Pop" [2], [3] (in French "The King of Pop"), he has released five studio albums among the most sold in the world: Off the Wall (1979), Thriller (1982), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991) and HIStory (1995).

In the early 1980s, Michael Jackson became a major figure in the music and short films such as Beat It, Billie Jean and Thriller widely on MTV have completely transformed the world of music and video clips. During his many concerts and public appearances live, it has largely popularized many dance steps, the Moonwalk, which has become his signature. His vocal style and music has influenced many other artists of Hip-Hop, Pop and R'n'B.

During his career, Michael Jackson broke numerous records in the record industry. Total sales are estimated at 750 million which ranks best selling album of all time (for a solo artist) [4]. Thriller, with sales estimates ranging from 65 to 108 million, is for its best-selling album in music history, [5] [6]. He has won more awards than any other artist [7] and was named Artist of the Millennium at the World Music Awards in 2000 [8].

Michael Jackson has raised and donated millions of dollars for charity thanks to his tour Dangerous World Tour, but his public image was greatly tarnished because of some aspects of his private life, including his change of physical appearance, how eccentric life and two charges of child abuse for which he was acquitted and discharged, respectively. His two marriages and three children were also the source of controversy but despite this controversy, Michael Jackson remains one of the major figures of the music of the last forty years.


The Jackson family has nine children and Michael Jackson, born August 29, 1958 is the seventh. Jackson's parents Joseph and Katherine Jackson in fact had ten children but Marlon's twin brother died a few hours after birth. The whole entire family lives in a small house with two rooms in the mill town of Gary, Indiana a suburb southeast of Chicago. Joseph Jackson, is a guitarist in a band called The Falcons R'n'B, earns a modest living by working in a steel mill while Katherine raised the children and has worked from time to time to make money for the family [9 ], it raises against the will of their father, as Jehovah's Witnesses. This religious influence maternal give Michael his strength of character [10].

Joseph Jackson is a very authoritarian father and imposes strict rules for his children whom he has forbidden to leave home at night when working at night for safety. In an interview conducted by Martin Bashir in 2003, Michael Jackson says that he mistreated physically and mentally [11]. He regularly mocked the physical appearance of Michael by calling him "big nose" [12]. However, the family bathed in music from an early age, and Joe plays the guitar while the children sing [10]. Joe's guitar is normally forbidden to children, but Tito's fourth of the family plays at times when his father is absent. When a string is broken, Joe threatens to beat her children if they did not show they know to play. It was at this time that Joe realizes that Tito and his brothers have a real talent. He then offers his own guitar Tito, Jermaine a bass. Quickly joined by Marlon and Michael in 1964 and renamed The Jackson Five at the suggestion of one of their neighbors [10]. Michael became the lead singer with his voice more mature than his age and his ability to reproduce the dance steps of James Brown [13].

The Jackson 5 begin to occur in Gary, to win every competition they enter and get a certain reputation in the city. Joseph decided to capitalize on their talents in order to leave Gary and made it happen on the weekend in Chicago, New York and Philadelphia, while continuing to attend school during the week [14]. In 1968, Joe announced to his family since they moved to Detroit Berry Gordy, then president of Motown, the call for a hearing in Detroit [9]. The group, formally presented to the press by their godmother Diana Ross [15], becomes one of the most popular of the team Motown label consists mainly of black artists. Motown spreading the rumor that Diana Ross herself who discovered the Jackson Five and decided to present them to the CEO of Motown [15]. On signing the contract, and the Jackson Five Motown moved from Detroit to Los Angeles [16].

The first success of the Jackson Five is I Want You Back, the album Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5, which became number 1 in the Billboard singles chart [17]. Three other sample tracks become number one, [18] [19]: ABC in 1970 nominated for a Grammy Award, and The Love You Save I'll Be There to remain number one for five weeks [20]. For the first time that the first four singles all become group # 1 [20]. The rise of the Jackson 5 is breathtaking and the young Michael became the darling of the public. Their popularity will begin to decline around 1972 but still get a Jackson 5 hit with Dancing Machine rising to second place in rankings [21].

Parallel to his career with the Jackson Five, Michael Jackson released four solo albums. The album Got To Be There was released in January 1972 under the Motown label, while Michael was just 13 years. That same year, with Ben, the young Michael acquires a more mature voice, especially in the many ballads on this album. The title song became the first No. 1 solo Michael Jackson in 1972 [22]. The song is from the movie of the same name, the title earned him a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination [22]. Music And Me, released in 1973, does not meet the same success as the previous three albums [23]. In 1975, Michael released Forever, Michael.

After Dancing Machine, Jackson Five are feeling increasingly frustrated with the Motown label and complain about not being able to choose their songs and their instruments. Joe Jackson, long time manager of the group, also complained of having lost its influence in favor of Berry Gordy, president of Motown. The group also felt that the royalties on them by the Motown are not large enough in terms of their success. All these elements of dissatisfaction forced the Jackson Five in July 1975 to announce he will leave the Motown at the end of their contract in March 1976. At the same time, they sign a new contract with Epic Records, a label founded by CBS Records [24]. This separation is painful for the group as the Motown believes they have broken their contract by signing with Epic before the end of their previous commitment. After a trial, Motown's rights to the name Jackson Five and the band then renamed The Jacksons. Motown is also seen the right to use the songs of the Jackson Five in future compilations [24]. This episode also leads to the loss of a member of the group as Jermaine, who married the daughter of Berry Gordy, does not follow his brothers at Epic, and then began a solo career at Motown. He was replaced by the youngest of the Jackson, Randy, who had already appeared in the group as a percussionist [19]. At that time, Michael is also completing his contract binding as a solo artist and also signed to Motown at Epic. [Ref. required]



It was not until 1978 and the album Destiny to take the measure of the talent of Jackson brothers, especially Michael. The album, entirely produced and written by the Jacksons, gives two hits Blame It On The Boogie and Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground). The next album, Triumph, released in 1980 and contains the hits Lovely One and Can You Feel It including video, designed by Michael himself, is virtually a remake of Close Encounters. A live album appeared in 1981, bringing together songs from Jackson 5 and The Jacksons. Michael now eclipsed the group he sings his own compositions: Rock with You, Do not Stop 'Til You Get Enough She's Out of My Life, both taken from the album Off The Wall, the fifth solo album Michael Jackson released in 1979.

He decided to sign with Epic Records (label that will be bought later and become a subsidiary of Sony Music), against the advice of many people around him.

In 1979, Michael Jackson released Off The Wall, co-produced with Quincy Jones that he met on the set of the musical The Wiz. Some songs were composed by personally but also by Rod Temperton, Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney [25]. The album found worldwide success and has sold 12-15 million copies [26]. Many singles from the album is hoisted at the top of the rankings. Rock with You is No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 [27], as well as for Do not Stop 'Til You Get Enough. The ballad She's Out of My Life among the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, as the song Off The Wall. The album deftly mixes funk, soul and disco. Despite this success and the impressive sales, Michael Jackson is nominated for the Grammy Awards in 1980, for Best R & B singer for Do not Stop 'til You Get Enough. He won this award, but very disappointed not to have been nominated for album of the year, he vows that his next album and will not be ignored [28].



On 1 December 1982, Michael Jackson released Thriller, which was an immediate success by selling a million copies in one month and ten million a year [29]. The album remains in the rankings for two years and is maintained for a total of 37 weeks ranked number 1 in Billboard. Best selling album in the United States in 1983 [30] and 1984 [31], the second best-selling disc after the Greatest Hits (1971-1975) the Eagles [32]. Between 1982 and 1996 he was certified at 25 million copies in the United States and 20 million abroad [33]. Seven of the songs on the album ranked in the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. In May 1984, Thriller is recognized by the Guinness Book of Records as the best selling album of all time (25 million copies at the time) [34] and current estimates range between 65 and 108 million copy [5] [6]. With Thriller, Michael Jackson won eight awards at the American Music Awards and eight Grammy Awards [35] and 20 November 1984, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame [36].

The three video clips (Billie Jean, Thriller and Beat It) accompanying the Thriller album are real mini-movies with many special effects. The 14-minute clip of the song Thriller, at a cost of $ 1 million, released December 2, 1983 is one of the first video of a black American artist to be widely distributed on MTV [37]. The video The Making of Michael Jackson's Thriller became the best selling time in the world [38].

May 16, 1983, Motown celebrates its 25th anniversary and Michael appears with his brothers in the television special Motown 25: Yesterday, Today and Forever, where the group performs their hit songs. Michael Jackson interprets only the song Billie Jean and then made his first Moonwalk which earned him a standing ovation from the audience and surprised even his brothers. The dance steps will then become one of his typical dance steps [39]. This interpretation earned him a call and a telegram from Fred Astaire: "I am an old man, I waited over. Thank you. ". He also performed with his brothers Never Can Say Goodbye and I'll Be There. Billie Jean was the only song outside the Motown repertoire to be performed that evening.

January 27, while filming a commercial for Pepsi Cola, a spark caused by pyrotechnics set fire to Michael Jackson's hair. Miko Brando, son of actor Marlon Brando, was the first person to help him, but Michael is brought to Cedars Sinai in ugence Hostpital burns for the second and third level of the scalp. Images of entry to emergencies on a stretcher, his head covered with a large bandage and his gloved hand waving to the crowd are quickly around the world. It will have to undergo transplants scalp. With the money he will receive the insurance (and a half million U.S. dollars), it will create the "Michael Jackson Burn Center", a center for burn victims. Enraged by the accident, he will consider to break its contract with Pepsi Cola, but his family dissuaded him and he will even renew it in 1991 to sponsor his "Dangerous World Tour," just as it sponsored the "ADB World Tour "in 1987 [40].

In 1984, the album Victory seals the disunity of the group, each member does the production of his own compositions, including a duet with Michael to Mick Jagger State Of Shock (originally recorded with Freddie Mercury). The Victory Tour marks the last appearance on stage of the brothers to the Jacksons at Madison Square Garden concerts on 7 and September 10, 2001 in honor of 30 years of solo career of Michael. In 1989, the Jackson brothers released their latest album, on which Michael participates only the title song 2300 Jackson St. (then appear in the clip). [Ref. required]

In 1985, Michael Jackson co-wrote with Lionel Richie song We Are the World for a charity in the fight against hunger in Africa [41]. We Are the World brings together forty to four different singers including Harry Belafonte, Cyndi Lauper, Diana Ross, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen and Tina Turner. The single has sold seven million copies in the United States, becoming the best selling single of all time (record broken in 1997 by Elton John and his single Candle In The Wind). [Ref. required]

In 1986, Michael Jackson starred in the film Captain Eo 3D produced by George Lucas and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The film, released in the Disney theme parks until August 17, 1998, cost more than $ 17 million to produce (a record for a short film). [Ref. needed] It contains songs such as We Are Here To Change The World.



Since the mid-1980s, the question of the physical alteration of the appearance of Michael Jackson made the tabloid headlines and arouses the astonishment of the public. According to his statement, Michael Jackson was bullied as a child by his father, including his physique (he called him "big nose"). He also suffered early on from his media exposure (especially in adolescence), which would have been in conflict with his own image.

In 1987, Michael Jackson released the album Bad and left for the first time on a world tour without his brothers. The following year, he released a film together different clips, Moonwalker including Joe Pesci, and a biography titled Moonwalk. For a while, Bad was the second best selling album of all time with over 32 million copies worldwide, including 10 U.S. and 5 in England unbeaten record.

Bad is still a huge success for Jackson. Even if the album does not reach record sales of Thriller, it contains more than "number 1". I Just Can not Stop Loving You will be recorded in Spanish and French under the titles respectively Todo Mi Amor Eres Tu and I do not mean the end of us.

The clip of the song Bad, directed by Martin Scorsese, was shot in the New York subway, in a disused station, which was destroyed a week after the start of filming (the team had to rebuild the station in detail).

In addition, clips from The Way You Make Me Feel (clip describing street gangs), Man In The Mirror (call for peace and love, the clip shows the highlights of the twentieth century and denounces poverty in the world), Dirty Diana (Michael reproduced as a mini-rock concert with a guest star guitarist Steve Stevens), Another Part Of Me (live clip from the Bad Tour 88), Smooth Criminal (containing the highlights of the film Moonwalker) , Liberian Girl and Leave Me Alone is a new series of successes.

Michael Jackson goes back into musical history by becoming the first artist to have five singles on the Billboard No. 1 ranked American in the same album. New singles will be extracted.

According to the producer Quincy Jones in the reissue of this album in 2001, the title song Bad had to be a duet with his longtime rival singer Prince, Prince but ultimately declined the proposal.

Unlike Thriller and Off The Wall, Michael Jackson is the composer almost exclusively because of the album of eleven songs, he composed nine.

Musically, Bad has a much more metal than Thriller, a more complex rhythm (including Smooth Criminal). The sound is more raw, the voice of Michael is more rocky, there is no respite in Bad, which contains only three tracks slow, I Just Can not Stop Loving You "Man In The Mirror and Liberian Girl all other securities are real monsters rhythm.

In 1978, a fall on stage would have broken his nose and forced to undergo a rhinoplasty that the first will not be fully successful and will be corrected by a second. It does not recognize that these have undergone only two rhinoplasties. Many rumors about the changes he had made to her face and their numbers, although some are wacky, others are undeniable and growing cosmetic surgeons to quote Michael Jackson as an example not to follow.

In 1998, Steven Hoefflin, plastic surgeon and medical staff of the singer since the late 1970s (and also the Hollywood plastic surgeon), a final practice on rhinoplasty Michael Jackson and warned against any further intervention. Still, Michael Jackson will undergo a new, among other operations in early 2001. On November 14, 2002, in a trial between the German producer Marcel Avram, the singer appears with the face covered with a bandage, which will lead Hoefflin, probably anxious to keep its customers, to publish a press release emphasizing on the fact that he no longer practiced interventions in Jackson since 1998.

The color of the singer has also changed over the years. At the beginning of his enlightenment he was not speaking on the topic since this is not the only African-American celebrity to do this kind of approach. In the 1990s, he said he was suffering from vitiligo, a skin bleaching disease. Michael Jackson reportedly used because of its strong Eldopaque disease, a medicated cream prescribed to standardize and clarify the complexion and skin. It is also possible that the bleaching was performed using a long period of products containing hydroquinone or a derivative thereof.

The suspicion of wanting to renege on its black roots left part of the black American community puzzled. His case is also seen by some as a factor in spreading the practice of bleaching in some African countries (and which claimed thousands of victims, the products used are less expensive but very dangerous).



March 20, 1991, Michael Jackson signed a contract high of nearly one billion U.S. dollars with Sony and released the album Dangerous. Musically Dangerous marks a shift from Bad with the arrival of Teddy Riley, the creator of the New Jack Swing for co-producing tracks with Jackson. The production is much more stripped than the previous albums, the rhythm and minimum are synthetic, the sound is always perfect cold, despite it all works and songs like Jam or in the closet are incredibly dynamic, innovative and texts are searched , the melodies more complex. During his world tour Dangerous Tour, Jackson announced the creation of his charity Heal the World (association will be joined by Heal The Kids in 2001 and both dissolved the same year). The album contains the singles Dangerous Who Is It, Give In To Me Gone Too Soon (a song in honor of a young boy of AIDS victim Ryan White), and Will You Be There, which later became the end credits of the movie Free Willy.

However, the single most famous and having had the most successful Jam, "Remember The Time", Black or White, In The Closet, and Heal The World. As usual, Michael Jackson goes out to these songs the clips among the most expensive, most creative and most innovative of their era: Give In To Me with the participation of Slash from Guns n 'Roses, the clip of Heal The World (corresponding to the charity of the same name. The clip shows children and adults around the world), Will You Be There Michael Jackson performing on stage. Some of the other clips have a script and dance sequences, often with more complex appearances of celebrities: the clip shows Jam Michael Jackson and Michael Jordan playing basketball and dancing together, while "Remember The Time" takes place in an Egyptian palace with the presence of Eddie Murphy playing a pharaoh trying to amuse his wife Iman (Bowie). Magic Johnson plays the role of Pharaoh's guard. Dance and song of Michael Jackson is what makes the character of Imam finally happy in this 9-minute video. The video for "Who is it" has a dark atmosphere, like a detective, showing a woman with many faces and Michael searching for his beloved. In In the Closet, Michael and Naomi Campbell are a courtship in a desert setting of refuge. In the album cover, the girl who whispers in In the Closet is called "the mysterious girl." It's actually Stephanie of Monaco who pass the United States was found by chance to record his voice to Michael Jackson.

While Dangerous reached 7 million copies sold in the U.S., the album became the third best selling album in the career of Michael Jackson by reaching 30 million copies sold Bad behind with 32 million copies sold

Of all the clips from Dangerous, that of Black or White is by far the most widespread, the most popular and most significant to date. This video, which the original term is 10 minutes, was broadcast in Worldvision November 14, 1991 on MTV, VH1, BET and ABC, setting a record with his first run followed by nearly 500 million viewers in the world. The original video begins in an American suburb with actor Macaulay Culkin plays the role of a young Michael Jackson fan whose father orders him to turn off the music he listens. But instead of doing that, Macaulay Culkin's character decides to take the giant speakers in his living room by putting its bottom, which sends the father of her chair through the roof! His father landed in the middle of an African savannah. The music of Black Or White will start, and Michael Jackson takes viewers on a journey around the world, from country to country and from culture to culture. At the end of the song, the clip has a sequence of morphing faces of people of opposite sexes, backgrounds and of different colors (They included the model Tyra Banks) to symbolize the unity of human beings. Although Black Or White was not the first video clip to use the morphing (Godley & Creme group having ever used a less advanced for the video of their song Cry in 1985), it was the first to expose massively this special effect to the public, and has surprised many. With Black Or White, as well as the development of computer power, the morphing has now become something very common in music videos today.

The video for Black Or White continues after the end of song. The last four minutes show Michael Jackson dancing in a deserted street at night doing some gestures (which were considered obscene or in any case highly suggestive) destroying the windows of shops and a car with a crowbar. However, there are Nazi inscriptions on objects or rascistes that destroyed the singer, demonstrating once again its commitment to the struggle for gender equality. The clip ends with one last appearance of the animated characters Bart and Homer Simpson. The end of the clip sparked a strong reaction from some parents who had seen her. MTV and other networks decided to cut then the end of the video clip for all future broadcasts, and Michael Jackson issued a statement in which he apologized to all who were offended. The clip was then modified by an addition of Nazi symbols and racist in the ending sequence to justify violence of Michael.

For several years, the last four minutes of the clip have only been rebroadcast in the United States on MTV 2 between one and four in the morning in a special broadcast without censorship "The most controversial music videos." The full modified clip is available on the DVD of Michael Jackson. Today, the entire clip is shown at special programs devoted to the artist (such as Michael Jackson Weekend on VH-1.



In August 1993, Michael Jackson is accused of child sexual abuse by a child of thirteen named Jordan Chandler [42]. Michael Jackson and the family had met Chandler in 1992 and had developed a strong friendship between Michael and Jordan. In February 1993, Michael Jordan and his family invited to spend a weekend at Neverland Ranch and in the months that followed, Jordan, his half-sister and his mother accompany Michael to travel extensively. This strong complicity between Michael Jordan and Evan makes his biological father, jealous. After having a sedative, Jordan admits to his father that Michael Jackson has practiced sexual touching him. Evan then requires that Michael Jackson paid $ 20 million to settle this or it will complain and will testify against him Jordan. Jackson refused and his lawyers argue that all these accusations are an attempt to extort money [43]. A few days later, the case takes on even greater significance when Jordan said to a psychiatrist that he and Michael Jackson had kissed, masturbated and had had oral sex [44], [43].

Jordan Chandler civil complaint in September 1993 [43] and a formal investigation is opened and the mother of Chandler says categorically that nothing in the behavior of Michael Jackson is to blame [45]. Excavations are held at Neverland Ranch and children and family members deny that Michael Jackson or pedophile [46].

To manage stress to these charges, Michael Jackson began taking painkillers, Valium, Xanax and Ativan, which he became addicted to the fall of 1993 [47]. His health has deteriorated to such an extent that he had to cancel the rest of the tour Dangerous World Tour to a rehab for a few weeks [48]. With stress, Michael has also stopped eating and began losing weight. With failing health, friends and lawyers took care of his defense and finances to manage and advise him the charges outside of court, saying it could not withstand a lengthy trial. Because of these charges, he stops his tour Dangerous World Tour in November and Pepsi Cola advertising breaks his contract with the singer. His public image is degraded even more when his older sister, LaToya, announces that it has doubts about the innocence of his brother, before withdrawing his statements [49]

During the initial hearings, Jordan gives a very detailed description of Michael Jackson's genitals and it resolves to a strip search of 25 minutes, conducted at his ranch, to see if the description given by Chandler is based [50 ], [43]. The doctors conclude that there are strong similarities but can not establish anything certain. Michael then made a public statement in which he proclaimed his innocence and criticized the media for what he perceives as a bias against him [51].

After interviewing many witnesses, the court noted the lack of evidence to support the charges and closed the investigation for criminal non-place [52]. In January 1994, the Chandler family and the team of Michael Jackson signed an agreement of $ 22 million to see the complaint withdrawn. This transaction puts an end to the civil complaint [52].

Shortly after this story, May 26, 1994, Michael Jackson married the daughter of Elvis Presley, Lisa Marie Presley, during a private ceremony in the Dominican Republic [53]. Lisa Marie and Michael had met in 1975 when the Jackson family was on show in Las Vegas [54].