Background Inforamtion
Michael Joe Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana, on August 29, 1958, the fifth of Joe and Katherine Jackson's nine children. The house was always filled with music. Jackson's mother taught the children folk and religious songs, to which they sang along. Jackson's father, who worked at a steel plant, had always dreamed of becoming a successful musician. When this failed to happen, he decided to do whatever it took to make successes of his children. He tried to control his children's careers even after they were adults. The struggle for the control of the musical fortunes of the Jackson family was a constant source of conflict.
The Jackson boys soon formed a family band that became a success at amateur shows and talent contests throughout the Midwest. From the age of five Michael's amazing talent showed itself. His dancing and stage presence caused him to become the focus of the group. His older brother, Jackie, told Gerri Hershey in Rolling Stone, "It was sort of frightening. He was so young. I don't know where he got it. He just knew.
Jackson released several solo albums in the ’70s, but his great breakthrough came in 1979 with Off the Wall. He became the first solo artist to score four Top 10 hits from one album, including “She’s Out of My Life” and “Rock with You.” His next album, Thriller (1983), became the biggest selling album up to that time, selling some 45 million copies around the world. This time, he scored seven Top 10 singles, and the album won eight Grammies. Although his next album, Bad (1987), sold only about half as many copies as Thriller, it was still a tremendous best-seller. In 1991, Jackson signed an unprecedented $65 million record deal with Sony. That year, he released Dangerous
Micheal's Story
People love Michael Jackson for the entertainer he was, for the musical genius he was. People were always conflicted by stories in headlines and whether or not there was any truth to them. He was found innocent when he was in court. Jackson had gone from being hailed as the "King of Pop" to the eccentric "Wacko Jackon. The general public and media personalities remarked constantly on Jackson's physical metamorphosis. He'd gone from the boy with cocoa brown skin and a pug nose to an egg shell white caricature with a detachable nose. And, there were allegations of child molestation. Jackson settled out of court for one set of claims in 1994. He paid a reported $20 million dollars but criminal charges were never filed.
In 2005, a jury acquitted him of all charges in an earlier child molestation case. And I think with our system of justice. if you're found innocent, you are innocent. I don't think it has any bearing on Michael. He was a profoundly fine musician -- an incredible songwriter, singer and performer. He just had it all. When Michael walked on stage you could not take your eyes off him. He was so dedicated to his fans and his audience mattered so very much to him that he went out there and gave it his all. The resurgence of that interest in Michael is people seeing, 'My god, that music was unbelievable. I have to have this album, I have to see this movie. I want to have Michael Jackson firmly in my life.'
Dr. Conrad Murray was convicted and spent two years in prison for manslaughter, along with losing his medical license. Murray was at Jackson's bedside as he died. According to Murray, Jackson's last words were repeated requests for “milk.” “Milk” was his name for propofol, the anesthetic he overdosed on.