Michael Jackson - Biography
Michael Joseph Jackson[1] (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American recording artist, dancer, singer-songwriter, and philanthropist. Referred to as the King of Pop, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records. His contribution to music, dance and fashion, along with a much-publicized personal life, made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades. The eighth child of the Jackson family, he debuted on the professional music scene along with his brothers as a member of The Jackson 5 in the mid-1960s, and began his solo career in 1971.
In the early 1980s, Jackson became a dominant figure in popular music. The music videos for his songs including "Beat It", "Billie Jean" and "Thriller", were credited with transforming the medium into an art form and a promotional tool, and the popularity of these videos helped to bring the relatively new television channel MTV to fame. Videos such as "Black or White" and "Scream" made him a staple on MTV in the 1990s. Through stage performances and music videos, Jackson popularized a number of dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk. His distinctive musical sound and vocal style have influenced numerous hip hop, pop, contemporary R&B and rock artists.
Jackson's 1982 album Thriller is the best-selling album of all time. His other records, including Off the Wall (1979), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991) and HIStory (1995), also rank among the world's best-selling. Jackson is one of the few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice. He was also inducted into the Dance Hall of Fame as the first (and currently only) dancer from the world of pop and rock 'n' roll. Some of his other achievements include multiple Guinness World Records; 13 Grammy Awards (as well as the Grammy Legend Award and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award); 26 American Music Awards (more than any other artist, including the "Artist of the Century"); 13 number-one singles in the United States in his solo career (more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era); and the estimated sale of over 750 million records worldwide. Jackson won hundreds of awards, which have made him one of the most-awarded recording artist in the history of music. He was also a notable humanitarian and philanthropist, donating and raising hundreds of millions of dollars for beneficial causes and supporting more than 39 charities.
Aspects of Jackson's personal life, including his changing appearance, personal relationships and behavior, have generated controversy. In 1993, he was accused of child sexual abuse, but the case was settled out of court and no formal charges were brought. In 2005, he was tried and acquitted of further sexual abuse allegations and several other charges after the jury ruled him not guilty on all counts. While preparing for his concert series This Is It, Jackson died on June 25, 2009, after suffering from cardiac arrest. Before his death, Jackson had reportedly been administered drugs such as propofol and lorazepam. The Los Angeles County Coroner declared his death a homicide, and his personal physician pleaded not guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter. Jackson's death triggered a global outpouring of grief, and as many as one billion people around the world reportedly watched his public memorial service on live television. In March 2010, Sony Music Entertainment signed a US$250 million deal with Jackson's estate to retain distribution rights to his recordings until 2017, and to release seven posthumous albums over the decade following his death. His first posthumous album of new material, simply titled Michael, was released on December 14, 2010.by eng.wikipedia.org
Michael Jackson - Invincible 2001
Description
Invincible is the tenth and last studio album by American recording artist Michael Jackson released in his lifetime. The album was released by Epic Records on October 30, 2001. Invincible was the first release of new Jackson material since Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix in 1997 and the first studio album in six years since HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I. Jackson, Rodney Jerkins, R. Kelly and Teddy Riley received producing and writing credits among others. Similar to Jackson's previous material, the themes in Invincible are mainly based on Jackson's personal experiences with fame and media, romance, and social issues. Invincible received generally mixed reviews from contemporary music critics. The album's singles were incomplete in their release.[2] Jackson was able to use these conflicts as leverage to exit his contract early.[3]
Three singles were released from the album: "You Rock My World", "Cry" and "Butterflies" of which the first and second were released as physical singles internationally (except the USA) and the third one being a US-only radio-airplay single. The album's first and last singles charted within the top twenty on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart, and they peaked at number one and within the top ten in several markets worldwide; "Cry" was less commercially successful. Following a conflict between Jackson and his record label, Sony Music stopped promoting the album. The album was the recipient of one Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Vocal Performance - Male, as well as being voted, by readers of Billboard magazine, the best album of the decade.by wikipedia
Track Listings
1. Unbreakable
2. Heartbreaker
3. Invincible
4. Break of Dawn
5. Heaven Can Wait
6. You Rock My World
7. Butterflies
8. Speechless
9. 2000 Watts
10. You Are My Life
11. Privacy
12. Don't Walk Away
13. Cry
14. The Lost Children
15. Whatever Happens
16. Threatened
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Michael Jackson - HiStory Past, Present and Future, Book 1995
DescriptionIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (usually shortened to HIStory) is the ninth studio album by American songwriter and recording artist Michael Jackson, released on June 16, 1995 by Epic Records. The majority of the albums tracks were written and produced by Jackson. HIStory was the first album to be released by Jackson since he was accused of child sexual abuse in August 1993. Recorded during late 1994 and early 1995, several of the double album's fifteen songs pertain to the accusations and Jackson's mistreatment in the media, specifically the tabloids. The song's themes included environmental awareness, isolation, greed, and injustice.
HIStory is one of Jackson's most controversial albums. Jackson was accused of using anti-Semitic lyrics in "They Don't Care About Us". Jackson stated that he did not mean any offense and on multiple occasions denied anti-Semitism. The dispute regarding the lyrics ended with Jackson re-recording the lyrics. R. Kelly was accused of plagiarizing one of the album's songs, "You Are Not Alone". In 2007 a judge ruled that the song was plagiarized and the song was subsequently banned from radio stations in Belgium.
Six singles, and two promotional singles were released from HIStory; "Scream", "You Are Not Alone", "Earth Song", "This Time Around", "They Don't Care About Us" and "Stranger in Moscow". "This Time Around" was released as a radio only single, and "Earth Song", "They Don't Care About Us" and "Stranger in Moscow" were less successful within the United States, but were successful internationally; all three peaking within the top ten in multiple countries. As part of promotion for the song's, music videos were released, which have become influential on other artist's material. The first disc (HIStory Begins) is a compilation album of previous hits by Jackson, whereas the second disc (HIStory Continues) comprises new material.
The album was generally well received by music critics. Aside from critical success, the album was also commercially successful, debuting and peaking at number one in many counties, including the United States, Canada, Australia, France and the United Kingdom, as well as charting within the top ten in Spain and Mexico. HIStory is the best-selling multiple disc album ever by a solo artist, with worldwide sales of over 20 million copies (40 million in terms of units). The album was nominated for five Grammy Awards, winning one for Best Music Video — Short Form for "Scream". The greatest hits disc of the album was reissued on November 13, 2001 under the name Greatest Hits: HIStory, Volume I and has reportedly sold four million copies worldwide as of early 2010. by wikipediaTrack ListingsDisc: 1
1. Billie Jean
2. The Way You Make Me Feel
3. Black Or White
4. Rock With You
5. She's Out Of My Life
6. Bad
7. I Just Can't Stop Loving You
8. Man In The Mirror
9. Thriller
10. Beat It
11. The Girl Is Mine
12. Remember The Time
13. Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough
14. Wanna Be Startin' Something
15. Heal The World
Disc: 2
1. Scream
2. They Don't Care About Us
3. Stranger In Moscow
4. This Time Around
5. Earth Song
6. D.S.
7. Money
8. Come Together
9. You Are Not Alone
10. Childhood [Theme From "Free Willy 2"]
11. Tabloid Junkie
12. 2 Bad
13. History
14. Little Susie
15. Smile Buy onItunes
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Michael Jackson - Dangerous 1991
Description
Dangerous is the eighth studio album by Michael Jackson, released on November 26, 1991. It became his second to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart, where it spent the next four consecutive weeks. The album has sold over 32 million copies worldwide. The album won one Grammy for Best Engineered Album - Non Classical won by Bruce Swedien & Teddy Riley and is the most successful new jack swing album of all time.by wikipedia
Track Listings
1. Jam
2. Why You Wanna Trip on Me
3. In the Closet
4. She Drives Me Wild
5. Remember the Time
6. Can't Let Her Get Away
7. Heal the World
8. Black or White
9. Who Is It
10. Give in to Me
11. Will You Be There
12. Keep the Faith
13. Gone Too Soon
14. Dangerous
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Michael Jackson - Bad
DescriptionBad is the seventh studio album by American songwriter and recording artist Michael Jackson. The album was released on August 31, 1987 [1] by Epic/CBS Records, nearly five years after Jackson's previous studio album, Thriller, which went on to become the world's best-selling album. Bad itself sold over 30 million copies worldwide, and shipped eight million units in the United States alone, and has been cited as being one of the best selling albums of all time. Bad is the only album to have five of its singles peak at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Similar to Jackson's previous music material, the album's music features elements of R&B, pop and rock.
Bad was recorded throughout 1987. The lyrical themes on the record relate to paranoia, romance and self-improvement. Bad is widely regarded as having cemented Jackson's status as one of the most successful artists of the 1980s, as well enhancing his solo career and being one of the best musical projects of his career. Despite the album's commercial and critical success, it has been viewed as a relative failure when compared to the sales of Thriller.by wikipediaTrack Listings1. Bad
2. The Way You Make Me Feel
3. Speed Demon
4. Liberian Girl
5. Just Good Friends
6. Another Part of Me
7. Man in the Mirror
8. I Just Can't Stop Loving You
9. Dirty Diana
10. Smooth Criminal
11. Leave Me Alone Buy OnItunes
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Michael Jackson - Thriller 1982
DescriptionThriller is the sixth studio album by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It was released on November 30, 1982 by Epic Records as the follow-up to Jackson's critically and commercially successful 1979 album Off the Wall. Thriller explores similar genres to those of Off the Wall, including pop, R&B, rock and post-disco music.[2][3]
Recording sessions took place between April and November 1982 at Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles, California, with a production budget of $750,000, assisted by producer Quincy Jones. Jackson wrote four of Thriller's nine tracks. In just over a year, Thriller became—and currently remains—the best-selling album of all time, with sales estimated by various sources as somewhere between 65 and 110 million copies worldwide,[4] and is the best-selling album in the United States.[5] Seven of the album's nine songs were released as singles, and all reached the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album won a record-breaking eight Grammy Awards at the 1984 Grammys.by wikipediaTrack Listings
1. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
2. Baby Be Mine
3. Girl Is Mine
4. Thriller
5. Beat It
6. Billie Jean
7. Human Nature
8. PYT (Pretty Young Thing)
9. Lady In My Life Buy onItunes
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Michael Jackson - Off the Wall 1979
Description
Off the Wall is the fifth studio album by the American recording artist Michael Jackson, released August 10, 1979 on Epic Records, after Jackson's critically well received film performance in The Wiz. While working on that project, Jackson and Quincy Jones had become friends, and Jones agreed to work with Jackson on his next studio album. Recording sessions took place between December 1978 and June 1979 at Allen Zentz Recording, Westlake Recording Studios, and Cherokee Studios in Los Angeles, California. Jackson collaborated with a number of other writers and performers such as Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder and Rod Temperton. Five singles were released from the album. Jackson wrote several of the songs himself, including the Platinum-certified lead single, "Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough".
The record was a departure from Jackson's previous work for Motown. Several critics observed that Off the Wall was crafted from funk, disco-pop, soul, soft rock, jazz and pop ballads. Jackson received positive reviews for his vocal performance on the record. The record gained positive reviews and won the singer his first Grammy Award since the early 1970s. With Off the Wall, Jackson became the first solo artist to have four singles from the same album peak inside the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. The album was a commercial success, to date it is certified for 8× Multi-Platinum in the US and has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide.
On October 16, 2001, a special edition reissue of Off the Wall was released by Sony Records. Recent reviews by Allmusic and Blender have continued to praise Off the Wall for its appeal in the 21st century. In 2003, the album was ranked number 68 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. The National Association of Recording Merchandisers listed it at number 80 of the Definitive 200 Albums of All Time. In 2008, Off the Wall was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.by wikipedia
Track Listings
1. Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough
2. Rock With You
3. Workin' Day And Night
4. Get On The Floor
5. Off The Wall
6. Girlfriend
7. She's Out Of My Life
8. I Can't Help It
9. It's The Falling In Love
10. Burn This Disco Out
11. Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough (Michael Jackson's original demo recording)
12. Working' Day And Night (Michael Jackson's original demo recording)
13. Interview with Quincy Jones and Rod Temperton
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Michael Jackson - Forever, Michael 1975
Description
Forever, Michael is the fourth studio album by American recording artist Michael Jackson. The album, which was released in 1975, was the fourth and last studio album by him to be released by Motown Records. Forever, Michael was generally well received by contemporary music critics. Unlike Jackson's previous studio albums released within the 1970s, the album was not commercially successful worldwide. Except for the peak position of number one-hundred-one on the Billboard 200 and number ten on a Billboard component chart in the United States, the album did not chart on any music charts. The album has reportedly sold over four million copies worldwide since its release.[4]
The album, with the length of over thirty minutes, is credited as having material with R&B, pop, soul and pop rock material. Edward Holland, Jr., Brian Holland, Hal Davis, Freddie Perren, Sam Brown III served as producers to Forever, Michael. As part of promotion for the album, three singles were released from Forever, Michael, all of which were moderate commercial successes on the Billboard Hot 100 and other music charts worldwide. Songs from the album were reissued in 2009 after Jackson's death in June of the same year as part of the 3-disc compilation album entitled, Hello World: The Motown Solo Collection.by wikipedia
Track Listings
1. We're Almost There
2. Take Me Back
3. One Day In Your Life
4. Cinderella Stay Awhile
5. We've Got Forever
6. Just A Little Bit Of
7. You Are There
8. Dapper Dan
9. Dear Michael
10.I'll Come Home To You
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Michael Jackson - Music & Me 1973
DescriptionMusic & Me was the third solo album by American singer Michael Jackson, released in 1973 on the Motown label, selling four million copies worldwide. The album was reissued in 2009 as part of the 3-disc compilation Hello World: The Motown Solo Collection.Track Listings1. Rockin' Robin
2. Johnny Raven
3. Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day
4. Happy (Love Theme From 'Lady Sings The Blues')
5. Too Young
6. Up Again
7. With A Child's Heart
8. Ain't No Sunshine
9. Euphoria
10. Morning Glow
11. Music And Me
12. All The Things You Are, Are Mine
13. Cinderella Stay Awhile
14. We've Got Forever Buy onItunes
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Michael Jackson - Ben 1972
Description
Ben is the second studio album by American recording artist Michael Jackson. The album was released on August 4, 1972, while Jackson was still a member of The Jackson 5. The album received mixed reviews from contemporary music critics. Ben was more successful on music charts than Jackson's previous studio album, having charted within the top ten on the Billboard 200. Internationally, the album was less successful, peaking at number twelve in Canada, while charting within the top 200 positions in Australia and France.
Worldwide, Ben has sold a reported five million units. The album released one single, the title track "Ben", which was a commercial success on music charts, peaking at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, giving Jackson his first number one single on the chart. "Ben" also charted within the top ten in other territories worldwide. "Everybody's Somebody's Fool" was planned to be released as the second single from the album, but canceled for unspecified reasons. Two of the album's songs were "stripped" in 2009 as part of the three-disc compilation Hello World: The Motown Solo Collection. from wikipedia
Track Listings
1. Ben
2. Greatest Show On Earth
3. People Make The World Go 'Round
4. We've Got A Good Thing Going
5. Everybody's Somebody's Fool
6. My Girl
7. What Goes Around Comes Around
8. In Our Small Way
9. Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day
10. You Can Cry On My Shoulder
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Michael Jackson - Got to Be There 1972
DescriptionGot to Be There was the solo debut album by Michael Jackson, released by Motown Records on January 24, 1972.[1] It includes the song of the same name, which was released in the October 7, 1971 as Jackson's debut solo single. It would go on to sell over 5.2 million copies worldwide.[2] The album was later remastered and reissued in 2009 as part of the 3-disc compilation Hello World: The Motown Solo Collection.from wikipediaTrack Listings1. Ain't No Sunshine
2. I Wanna Be Where You Are
3. Girl Don't Take Your Love From MeTrack
4. In Our Small Way
5. Got To Be There
6. Rockin' Robin
7. Wings Of My Love
8. Maria (You Were The Only One)
9. Love Is Here And Now You're Gone
10.You've Got A FriendBuy onItunes
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