Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 â€" June 25, 2009) was an
American singer, songwriter, and dancer. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he
is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the
20th century. Through stage and video performances, he popularized
complicated dance techniques such as the moonwalk, to which he gave
the name. His sound and style have influenced artists of various
genres, and his contributions to music, dance, and fashion, along with
his publicized personal life, made him a global figure in popular
culture for over four decades. Jackson is the most awarded artist in
the history of popular music.The eighth child of the Jackson family,
Jackson made his professional debut in 1964 with his elder brothers
Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, and Marlon as a member of the Jackson 5.
Jackson began his solo career in 1971 while at Motown Records, and
rose to solo stardom with his fifth studio album Off the Wall (1979)
during the peak of the disco era. By the early 1980s, Jackson became a
dominant figure in popular music. His music videos, including those
for "Beat It", "Billie Jean", and "Thriller" from his sixth studio
album Thriller (1982), are credited with breaking racial barriers and
transforming the medium into an art form and promotional tool.
Jackson's prominence propelled him and the television channel MTV into
cultural phenomenons of 1980s pop culture. At the 1984 Grammy Awards,
Thriller won a record-breaking eight Grammy Awards, including Album of
the Year. Jackson continued to innovate with videos on the global
best-seller albums Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991) and HIStory: Past,
Present and Future, Book I (1995).
American singer, songwriter, and dancer. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he
is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the
20th century. Through stage and video performances, he popularized
complicated dance techniques such as the moonwalk, to which he gave
the name. His sound and style have influenced artists of various
genres, and his contributions to music, dance, and fashion, along with
his publicized personal life, made him a global figure in popular
culture for over four decades. Jackson is the most awarded artist in
the history of popular music.The eighth child of the Jackson family,
Jackson made his professional debut in 1964 with his elder brothers
Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, and Marlon as a member of the Jackson 5.
Jackson began his solo career in 1971 while at Motown Records, and
rose to solo stardom with his fifth studio album Off the Wall (1979)
during the peak of the disco era. By the early 1980s, Jackson became a
dominant figure in popular music. His music videos, including those
for "Beat It", "Billie Jean", and "Thriller" from his sixth studio
album Thriller (1982), are credited with breaking racial barriers and
transforming the medium into an art form and promotional tool.
Jackson's prominence propelled him and the television channel MTV into
cultural phenomenons of 1980s pop culture. At the 1984 Grammy Awards,
Thriller won a record-breaking eight Grammy Awards, including Album of
the Year. Jackson continued to innovate with videos on the global
best-seller albums Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991) and HIStory: Past,
Present and Future, Book I (1995).
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