Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson is arguably the greatest pop star of all time. His career spans over four decades; which is no small feat considering he was only 51 when he recently passed away. His career was one of stunning musical creativity, unsurpassed showmanship and an unwavering dedication to his craft. His influence can be heard in the music of many of today’s top pop stars.

Michael Jackson first came to national attention as a member of The Jackson 5, along with his four brothers. After signing with Motown Records in 1968, the group rattled off a series of number one hits, including “ABC” and “I’ll Be There”. It quickly became apparent that Michael’s immense talent was one of the primary reasons for the group’s success and as such he began taking more of a lead role in the group. The Jackson 5 (later changed to “The Jacksons”) remained with Motown until 1975, and during that time produced 17 top selling singles for the label. Upon leaving Motown, the group signed with Epic Records, where they release an additional six albums. They would remain with Epic until 1984, when the group was finally dissolved.

Michael Jackson’s solo career finally exploded with the release of “Off the Wall” in 1979. The album produced four top selling singles including “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” and “Rock with You”, both breaking the Top 10 barrier on the Billboard charts. The album itself reached as high as number three on the charts and sold over 20 million copies. The album won Jackson several awards, including a Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. It was Jackson’s next album, however, that would earn him the title “King of Pop”.

In 1982, Michael Jackson released what many believe to be the greatest pop album ever made, “Thriller”. For 80 straight weeks, this top selling album remained in the Billboard Top 10, and held the number one spot for 37 of those weeks. It produced an astounding seven Top 10 singles, including classics such as “Billie Jean”, “Beat It” and the title track “Thriller”. At the peak of its sales, this album was selling around one million copies per week and eventually it was to become the best selling album of all time, with over 110 million copies sold.

Michael Jackson would release five more albums before his passing. While all were top selling albums, selling millions of copies, none of them would surpass the unbelievable success of “Thriller”. Each of his subsequent albums did produce a number of top selling singles, however. The album “Bad” produced five number 1 singles (yet another industry record), including “The Way You Make Me Feel” and “Smooth Criminal”. Nine singles were released from the “Dangerous” album, including hits “Black or White” and “Remember the Time”.

Michael Jackson passed away on June 25th, 2010. His music has influenced thousands of musicians and made him one of the most beloved pop stars of all time.