A special tribute to a Humanitarian and natural born SUPERSTAR - MICHAEL JACKSON - the good times

MICHAEL JOSEPH JACKSON

(August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009)

Here is my special tribute to the greatest entertainer to ever walk the planet, Michael Joseph, Jackson AKA The King of POP, AKA MJ.

• Born in Gary, Indiana on August 29, 1958
• Michael Jackson was the eighth of ten children
• His mother, Katherine Esther Scruse, was a Jehovah's Witness
• His father, Joseph Walter "Joe" Jackson, was a steel mill worker 
• Jackson had three sisters: Rebbie, La Toya, and Janet, and five brothers: Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, and Randy. His sixth brother, Brandon, died shortly after birth.
• Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records. 
• Michael Jackson debuted on the professional music scene along with his brothers as a member of The Jackson 5 in 1964 

• The Jackson 5 recorded several songs, including "Big Boy", in 1967, and signed with Motown Records in 1968

• The Jacksons set a chart record with its first four singles ("I Want You Back", "ABC", "The Love You Save", and "I'll Be There") peaking at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

• Michael began his solo career in 1971
• Between 1972 and 1975, Michael released four solo albums as part of the Jackson 5 franchise with Motown, which including successful singles "Got to Be There", "Ben", and a remake of "Rockin' Robin".

 

• In June 1975, the Jackson 5 signed with Epic Records, and renamed themselves The Jacksons.
• Randy joined the group and Jermaine left to pursue a solo career.  
• The Jacksons toured internationally and released six more albums between 1976 and 1984, during which Michael was the lead songwriter, writing hits such as "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)", "This Place Hotel", and "Can You Feel It"

• Michael starred as the scarecrow in the musical, The Wiz in 1978
• Michael Jackson then joined forces with Quincy Jones, who agreed to produce his next solo album, Off the Wall
• Jones and Jackson produced the Off the Wall album together which was released in 1979.
• Off the Wall was the first solo album to generate four U.S. top 10 hits, including the chart-topping singles "Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough" and "Rock with You"

•   "Rock with You" reached number three on the Billboard 200 and sold over 20 million copies worldwide.
• In 1980, Jackson 
• In 1980, MJ secured the highest royalty rate in the music industry: 37 percent of wholesale album profit.
• In 1982, Jackson contributed the song "Someone In the Dark" to the storybook for the film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
• The Thriller album, was released in late 1982, and was 1983's best-selling album of all time worldwide selling an estimated 110 million copies so far
• Thriller topped the Billboard 200 chart for 37 weeks and was in the top 10 of the 200 for 80 consecutive weeks
• Thriller was the first album to have seven Billboard Hot 100 top 10 singles, including "Billie Jean", "Beat It", and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'"
• Thriller was certified for 29 million shipments by the RIAA, giving it Double Diamond status in the United States

• The documentary "The Making of Michael Jackson's Thriller" sold over 350,000 copies
• Wearing his black sequin jacket and golf glove decorated with rhinestones, Michael Jackson debuted his signature dance move, the Moonwalk, on March 25, 1983 on Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever show which aired on May 16, 1983, to an audience of 47 million viewers.
• Jackson's solo performance of "Billie Jean" on this show gave him his first Emmy nomination. 

• In 1985 MJ co-wrote the charity single "We Are the World" with Lionel Richie, which was released to aid the poor in the U.S. and Africa. It became one of the best-selling singles of all time, with nearly 30 million copies sold and millions of dollars donated to famine relief.
• In 1986, "We Are the World" won four Grammys (one for Jackson for Song of the Year).

• The highly anticipated Bad album was released in 1987 & had seven hit singles in the U.S., five of which ("I Just Can't Stop Loving You", "Bad", "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Man in the Mirror", "Dirty Diana" and "Smooth Criminal").

• The Bad World Tour began on September 12 that year, finishing on January 14, 1989. In Japan alone, the tour had 14 sellouts and drew 570,000 people, nearly tripling the previous record of 200,000 in a single tour.
• In 1988, Jackson released his first and only autobiography, Moonwalk, which took four years to complete and sold 200,000 copies.
• In March 1988, Jackson built Neverland Ranch which had Ferris wheels, a menagerie, and a movie theater.
• In 1989, MJ became the first Westerner to appear in a television ad in the Soviet Union 
• His success resulted in his being dubbed the "King of Pop". The nickname was popularized by Elizabeth Taylor when she presented him with the Soul Train Heritage Award in 1989, and proclaimed Jackson the "the true king of pop, rock and soul."

• In March 1991, Jackson renewed his contract with Sony and released his eighth album Dangerous in 1991 which was co-produced by Teddy Riley
• "Black or White" was its biggest hit, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 
•  The album's second single "Remember the Time" spent eight weeks in the top five in the United States, peaking at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

• "Heal the World" was the biggest hit from the album; it sold 450,000 copies in the UK and spent five weeks at number two in 1992. The album also featured hit single "Jam" it was the first time MJ featured a rapper on his album.

• In January 1993, Jackson made a memorable appearance at the halftime show at Super Bowl XXVII.

• In May 1994, Jackson married the daughter of Elvis Presley, Lisa Marie Presley

• In 1995, Michael released the double album HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I,   HIStory , debuted at number one on the charts and still remains the best-selling multiple-disc album of all-time, with 20 million copies sold worldwide.
• The single "Scream" was a duet, performed with Jackson's youngest sister Janet Jackson had the highest debut on the Billboard Hot 100 at number five, and received a Grammy nomination for "Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals".

• The second single released from  HIStory  "You Are Not Alone" holds the Guinness World Record for the first song ever to debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart

• "Earth Song" was the third single released from HIStory, and topped the UK Singles Chart for six weeks in 1995 and it sold 1 million copies, making it Jackson's most successful single in the UK

• The HIStory World Tour began on September 7, 1996, and finished on October 15, 1997. Jackson performed 82 concerts in 58 cities to over 4.5 million fans, and grossed a total of $165 million. The show, which visited five continents and 35 countries, became Jackson's most successful tour ever.
• During the tour, Jackson married his longtime friend Deborah Jeanne Rowe, who was apparently pregnant with the couple's first child at the time in an impromptu ceremony in Sydney, Australia. 

• Michael Jackson became a father in 1997, Michael Joseph Jackson Jr (commonly known as Prince) was born on February 13, 1997; his sister Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson was born a year later on April 3, 1998.

• In 1997, Jackson released Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix, which contained remixes of hit singles from HIStory and five new songs. Worldwide sales stand at 6 million copies as of 2007, it is the best selling remix album ever released

• In October 2001 Micheal released the last album of new material he released while still alive called  Invincible 
• Invincible had three singles, "You Rock My World", "Cry" and "Butterflies"

• In September 2001, two 30th Anniversary concerts were held at Madison Square Garden to mark the singer's 30th year as a solo artist. Jackson appeared onstage alongside his brothers for the first time since 1984. The show also featured performances by Mýa, Usher, Whitney Houston, 'N Sync, Destiny's Child, Monica, Luther Vandross, and Slash and among other artists

• In 2002 Jackson's third child, Prince Michael Jackson II (nicknamed "Blanket") was born

• Sony released  a compilation of Jackson's hits on CD and DVD called Number Ones, . The album was certified triple platinum by the RIAA; in the UK it was certified six times platinum
• In November 2006, Jackson invited an Access Hollywood camera crew into the studio in Westmeath, and MSNBC broke the story that he was working on a new album, produced by Will.i.am of The Black Eyed Peas.
• on November 15, 2006 Jackson performed at the World Music Awards, in London , and accepted a Diamond Award for selling over 100 million records.

AWARDS & ACHIEVEMENTS

Throughout his career Michael Jackson received numerous honors and awards:

• 13 Grammy Awards (as well as the Grammy Legend Award and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award)
• 26 American Music Awards (including the "Artist of the Century" and "Artist of the '80s")
• The World Music Awards' Best-Selling Pop Male Artist of the Millennium
• The American Music Award's Artist of the Century Award
• The Bambi Pop Artist of the Millennium Award
• He also has many Guinness World Records

Other achievements included:

• Michael Jackson had 13 number one singles in the US in his solo career—more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era—and estimated sales of up to 750 million records worldwide -  making him the world's best selling male solo pop artist
• MJ was inducted onto the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1980 as member of The Jacksons and in 1984 as solo artist. 
• He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, once as a member of The Jackson 5 in 1997 and later as a solo artist in 2001
• Jackson was also inducted in several other hall of fames, including Vocal Group Hall of Fame (as The Jackson 5 member) in 1999
• Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002 and Hit Parade Hall of Fame (with his brothers) in 2009
• In December 2009, the music video for "Thriller" was selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress, "Thriller" is the first (and currently only) music video ever  inducted.
• In 2010, Jackson was inducted into the Dance Hall of Fame as the first (and currently only) dancer from the world of pop and rock 'n' roll.
• Michael Jackson also received a Doctor of Humane Letters Degree from the United Negro College Fund and also an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Fisk University
• MICHAEL JACKSON DONATED MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO CHARITY & STARTED VARIOUS FOUNDATIONS TO HELP UNDER PRIVILEGED KIDS, PEOPLE LIVING IN POVERTY, CHILDREN OF WAR & BROUGHT AWARENESS TO HIV/AIDS

You can also find a BIGGER list of MJ's awards and achievements here

• Rolling Stone magazine described the young Michael as "a prodigy" with "overwhelming musical gifts,
• Time Magazine described Jackson's influence at that point as "Star of records, radio, rock video. A one-man rescue team for the music business. A songwriter who sets the beat for a decade. A dancer with the fanciest feet on the street. A singer who cuts across all boundaries of taste and style and color too"
• The New York Times wrote that, "in the world of pop music, there is Michael Jackson and there is everybody else"

Michael Jackson told Associated Press:

"I've been in the entertainment industry since I was 6 years old, and as Charles Dickens would say, 'It's been the best of times, the worst of times.' But I would not change my career ... While some have made deliberate attempts to hurt me, I take it in stride because I have a loving family, a strong faith and wonderful friends and fans who have, and continue, to support me."

On June 25, 2009, Michael Jackson died while in his bed at his rented mansion at 100 North Carolwood Drive in the Holmby Hills district of Los Angeles. Attempts at resuscitating him were unsuccessful.

There is no-one on EARTH that compares to Michael Jackson. He was a genius, the greatest entertainer to ever live, an artist , an amazingly gifted song writer, a musician, a choreographer, a dancer, a father, and an extremely kind caring and giving HUMAN BEING.

MAY YOU R.I.P ETERNALLY MJ

REFERENCE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jackson