BIOGRAPHY of Michael Jackson

The Bio History of Michael Joseph Jackson began when he was born on the 29th of August 1958 in Gary, Indiana. He was the 7th of nine children. (brothers: Sigmund "Jackie", Toriano "Tito", Jermaine, Marlon, Steven "Randy", and sisters Rebbie, Janet and La-Toya Jackson

Michael began his musical career at the age of 5 as the lead singer of the Jackson 5 who formed in 1964. In these early years the Jackson 5, Jackie, Jermaine,Tito,Marlon and lead singer Michael played local clubs and bars in Gary Indiana and moving further afield as there talents grew and they could compete in bigger competitions. From these early days Michael would be at the same clubs as big talented stars of there days, such as Jackie Wilson and would be learning from them even back then. In 1968 the Bobby Taylor and The Vancouvers discovered the Jackson five and from there they got an audition for Berry Gordy of Motown Records. The Jackson 5 signed for Motown and moved to California. Their first 4 singles, "I Want You Back", "ABC", "The Love You Save", and "I'll Be There" all made US No1 hits. The Jackson 5 recorded 14 albums and Michael recorded 4 solo albums with Motown.

The Jackson 5 stayed with Motown until 1976, wanting more artistic freedom they felt they had to move on and signed up with Epic. The group name Jackson 5 had to be changed as it was owned by Motown, so they reverted to The Jacksons as they had be known in the early days. Brother Jermaine married Berry Gordy's daughter and stayed with Motown. Youngest brother Randy joined in his place. The Jacksons had a number of hit recordsand in total made 6 albums between the years of 1976 and 1984.

In 1977 Michael made his first film debut when he starred in the musical 'The Wiz' playing Scarecrow with Diana Ross in the lead role of Dorothy. It was at this time Michael met Quincy Jones who was doing the score for the film.

Michael teamed up with Quincey Jones as his producer for his first solo album with Epic Records. The album titled "Off The Wall" was a big success around the world and the first ever album to release a record breaking 4 No1 singles in the US.

In 1982 Michael Jackson released the world's largest selling album of all time, 'Thriller'. This album produced 7 hit singles, breaking yet again more records, and went on to sell over 50 million copies worldwide. Michael was keen to use music video or short films as he called them to promote his singles from the album. He worked with the best directors and producers, using the latest technology and special effects.for the hit song 'Billie Jean' The short film 'Thriller' used the latest make-up artists technolgy combined with fantastic dancing and cherography, to produce a 14 minute video, with a start, a middle and an ending. So successful was this video that 'The Making Of Michael Jackson's Thriller' became the world's largest selling home video combined with soaring album sales. In 1983 Michael performed the now legendary moonwalk for the first time on the 'Motown 25 years' anniversary show. This performance alone set Michael undoubtable into the realm of a superstar.


In 1984 Michael won a record breaking 8 Grammy awards in one night. The awards were for his work on the 'Thriller' album and his work on the narrative for the 'ET Storybook'.

On December 9th 1984 at the last concert of the Jackson's Victory Tour, Michael announced he was splitting from the group and going solo.

In 1987 Michael released his much awaited third solo album, titled 'Bad', and lauched his record breaking first solo world tour. 1988, Michael wrote his first autobiography talking for the first time on his childhood and his career. At the end of the 1980s Michael was named 'Artist Of The Decade' for his success off of his 'Thriller' and 'Bad' albums.

In 1991 Michael signed with Sony Music the largest ever recording contract and released his fourth solo album, 'Dangerous'. He toured world again in 1992, taking his concerts to countries that had never before been visited by a pop/rock artist. Also Michael founded the 'Heal the World Foundation' to help improve the lives of children across the world.

In 1994 Michael married Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of rock legend Elvis Presley. The marriage only lasted for 19 months, as they divorced in 1996.

1995 saw Michael release a fifth solo album, 'HIStory', which was a double album, first half new material and second half half greatest hits. Michael toured again over a legs covering a 2 year period. In between legs of the tour on November 14th 1996, Michael married for his second time to Debbie Rowe who was a nurse that Michael had met in the treatment of his skin pigment disorder. Together they had their first child Prince Michael Joseph Jackson jr born on February 13 1997 and a daughter Paris Michael Katherine Jackson born on April 3rd 1998. In 1997 Michael released the remix album 'Blood On The Dance Floor' which also contained 5 new song linked with a 38min film "Ghosts". This film Michael played 5 roles using the latest special effects and make-up artistry, combined with his dance and music.


In September, 2001 Michael celebrated his 30th anniversary as a solo artist with two concerts to be held in New York, USA. Many artists such as Whitney Houston, Usher, Destinys Child, Shaggy and many more performed there own and Michael Jacksons past songs. Michael then reunited with all of his brothers performed there biggest hits. Michael then went onto perform solo some of his biggest hits. In October 2001 Michael released the album 'Invincible' so far releasing only 2 singles including the big hit "You Rock My World". Since the release of this first single the album has been surrounded by rumours of a rift with Sony Music and a clear lack of promotion of the album.

For a more indepth biographical look at Michael Jacksons life read the following era's;
The Jackson 5 Era
The Jacksons Era
Off The Wall Era
Thriller Era
Bad Era
Dangerous Era
HIStory & Blood on the Dance Floor Era
Invincible Era

Invincible Era

During the Invincible Era, 2000-2003, Michael would be honoured with many awards as “Artist of the Millennium”, and usher in new sounds for a new century. He gave many interviews and appearances in his 30th year as a solo artist.

During 1999, Michael went back into the studio to prepare a new album. In October, he gave an interview with TV Guide where he discussed his upcoming projects and his past projects, such as Thriller.

In October 2000, Michael was presented with the Best Selling Male Pop Artist of the Millennium Award at the World Music Awards.

In March 2001, Michael was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist. He had been inducted just four years prior as a member of the Jacksons.


Michael made a surprise appearance with N*Sync during their performance of “Pop” on 6th September 2001 at the MTV Video Music Awards. The appearance was unannounced and came as a surprise to fans all over the world.
The next day, Michael performed at the first of two concerts in honour of his 30th anniversary as a solo artist. “Michael Jackson: The 30th Anniversary Celebration” was organised by David Gest and held at New York’s Madison Square Garden. The two part special celebration was held on September 7th and September 10th, 2001. Guest performers included: Luther Vandross, Destiny’s Child, Liza Minelli, Usher, Mya and many more who paid tribute to Michael by singing songs from his musical career and their current material. The concert also included a special Jacksons reunion performance with a set that included “Can You Feel It”, “I Want You Back” and “Shake Your Body” and a special performance of “Dancing Machine” with N*Sync. Michael closed the concerts with a special performance of his greatest hits, including “Billie Jean”, “Beat It”, “Black or White” (with Slash), “You Rock My World”, and “The Way You Make Me Feel” (with Britney Spears). The show broadcasted in November to over 26 million viewers in the US and featured a mix of the two concerts. The show won two NAACP Image Awards for “Outstanding Variety Series / Special” and “Outstanding Performance in a Variety Series / Special”.

Michael released the first single from his forthcoming album; “You Rock My World”, on September 21st, 2001. The R & B dance number was written by Michael and producers Darkchild and featured a spoken comedic intro with Chris Tucker. The short film was 12 minutes long and featured Marlon Brando, Chris Tucker, Billy Drago and Michael Madsen. It was directed by Paul Hunter and choreographed by Michael. The single went to number 1 in eight countries, peaked at number 2 in the UK and number 10 in the US. It was a top 10 hit in a total of 30 countries and was nominated for a Grammy Award. The short film won the NAACP Image Award for Best Music Video.

On October 21st, 2001, Michael organised a special charity concert in the wake of the September 11th terrorist attacks, called “United We Stand: What More Can I Give”. It was held at RFK Stadium in Washington D.C. John Stamos hosted the event which included performances by Al Green, Bette Midler, Destiny’s Child, Pink, Usher, Mariah Carey and many more. Michael closed the concert with performances of “Man in the Mirror” and his new benefit single “What More Can I Give”. All proceeds from the concert went to several charities.

“What More Can I Give” was recorded in October 2001 and featured 35 recording artists. The song was written by Michael in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks with the goal of raising $50 million for charity. Michael said the song was intended to “create a sense of global unity in the face of mindless violence and mass murder”. Michael produced the single which featured Beyonce, Celine Dion, Gloria Estefan, Aaron Carter and many more. Michael intended for the single to be released immediately for the benefit of 9/11 victims, but the song would be shelved by Sony for almost two years.

Michael took part in an online Audio Chat sponsored by Rolling Stone on October 26th. He answered questions from fans via telephone about the new album, the recording process and his music.

The album Invincible was released world wide on October 30th, 2001. The album was the Michael’s first in 10 years that featured all new material. Invincible spent two years in production and cost approximately $30 million to make; reportedly the most expensive album ever made. The album featured 16 tracks, 14 of which Michael wrote or co-wrote; “Unbreakable”, “Heartbreaker”, “Invincible”, “Heaven Can Wait”, “You Rock My World”, “Speechless”, “2000 Watts”, “You Are My Life”, “Privacy”, “Don’t Walk Away”, “The Lost Children” and “Threatened”. R. Kelly contributed the anthem track “Cry” and UK duo Floetry contributed the beautiful “Butterflies”. Slash performed a guitar solo on “Privacy” and Santana contributed a guitar performance to “Whatever Happens”. The album featured two posthumous appearances; a rap performance by Notorious B.I.G on “Unbreakable” and samples of Rod Sterling’s voice on “Threatened”. Brandy contributed additional vocals to “Unbreakable”. Michael brought in Rodney Jerkins of Darkchild to produce and write on six of the tracks. Again, Michael produced the entire project himself and played many of the musical instruments. The album was initially released with cover art that came in five limited edition colours. Invincible went to number 1 in 13 countries including the US, UK and Australia. The album showed incredible first week sales in the US, selling over 300,000 copies. Invincible sold a massive 5.4 million copies in just two months of its release.

Michael was interviewed by TV Guide in early November 2001. He discussed his music, his 30th Anniversary celebration and fatherhood. On November 7th, Michael gave his first ever in-store signing appearance at the Virgin Mega Store in Times Square in New York City to promote Invincible.

The second single from Invincible; “Cry”, was released world wide, except for the US in November 2001. The song was written and produced by R. Kelly. The anthem ballad featured a music video depicting people holding hands all across the world. It did not feature Michael himself. The song became a top 10 single in four countries and peaked at number 25 in the UK.

On January 9, 2002, Michael appeared at the American Music Awards to accept the “Artist of the Century Award”.

In April 2002, Michael performed a special set including “Black or White” (with Dave Navarro), “Dangerous” and “Heal The World” at the Democratic National Committee’s event at Harlem Theatre. In the same month, Michael performed “Dangerous” at American Bandstand’s 50th Anniversary.

In Early 2002, Sony Music suddenly cancelled its promotion of Invincible. The third single, “Butterflies” was due for release in early February, but Sony pulled the single’s commercial release for unknown reasons. The single was released to radio stations and reached number 14 on the US chart and number 2 on the US R&B chart based on radio play alone. The single was also promotionally released in Europe.

In June, 2002, Michael Jackson was inducted into the Songwriter’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for his achievements as a songwriter. Also in June, Michael was presented with a special “30th Anniversary Award” by designer Nijel. Fans from all over the world had helped to create the award.

Also in June, Michael launched an attack on Sony Music Entertainment and head Tommy Mottola, because of their decision to cancel promotion of Invincible. Just prior to the release of Invincible, Michael had informed Tommy Mottola that he would not be renewing his contract with Sony Music, which was due to expire in 2002. All single releases, video shooting and promotion was cancelled as a result of the feud. Michael joined forces with Johnnie Cochrane and Rev. Al Sharpton and held press conferences and protests to speak out against Sony Music in June and July. Michael accused record companies of conspiring against their artists and he also personally attacked Tommy Mottola.

Fans staged a peaceful protest outside Sony Music’s offices in London on 15th of June, where Michael joined in. On the same day, Michael attended the Killer Thriller party, held by MJNI at The Equinox at Leicester Square, along with 2,200 fans. Michael announced that Invincible was indeed his last studio album for Sony. Tommy Mottola resigned from Sony Music Entertainment in January 2003.

In August 2002, it was announced that Michael had become the father of a third child. Prince Michael II (nicknamed “Blanket”) was born in February 2002 with the help of an unknown surrogate mother.

In November 2002, Michael was presented an award for “Pop Artist of the Milennium” at the Bambi Awards in Berlin, Germany. It was at this award show that the official music video for “What More Can I Give” was debuted.
Michael was presented a special Billboard Award: “Commemorating the 20th Anniversary of Thriller” by Chris Tucker in December 2002.

On February 3rd, 2003, the documentary, “Living With Michael Jackson” aired on UK television. For the 90 minute special, Michael allowed journalist Martin Bashir to interview him over a period of eight months. Michael made nothing off limits and agreed to do the documentary so that he could give the world a truthful account of his life. Martin Bashir followed Michael to Europe, Las Vegas and Neverland and Michael spoke of his personal life, creating his music and dancing and his children. Martin Bashir’s narration provided a sinister and sensational overtone to the documentary. The programme was watched by 13 million viewers in the UK and 27 million in the US. Michael issued a statement immediately after the broadcasts, citing his disappointment at the dishonest representation of his life. Michael said he felt betrayed by Martin Bashir, calling the documentary “terrible and unfair”.

Michael released footage of the “Living With Michael Jackson” interviews, captured by his own cameras in the form of a documentary; “Take Two”, presented by Maury Pauvich. “Take Two” aired on February 20th, 2002 and showed Martin Bashir’s actual comments and reactions during the “Living With Michael Jackson” interviews. The documentary showed that Martin Bashir had deceived Michael Jackson for the purposes of a sensational documentary.

On July 3rd, “Men In Black II” was released. Michael had a small comedic cameo as the character in the movie as “Agent M”.
On April 24, 2003, “Michael Jackson’s Private Home Movies” aired. Michael dug up his home movie archives and created a program where he showed footage from his life and career, from Gary to Neverland.

In June Michael was honoured in his hometown of Gary, Indiana with a key to the city. He went back to his old home on 2300 Jackson Street and was then presented with an honorary High School Diploma from Roosevelt High School in Gary.
Also in June, Michael made a surprise appearance at the BET Awards to honour his mentor, James Brown, with a special Lifetime Achievement Award. Michael also gave a spontaneous dance performance.

On August 29th, 2003, Michael turned 45. He attended a special birthday party held in his honour; the “Celebration of Love” in Los Angeles on August 30th. The party was attended by fans and friends from all over the world and Michael gave a heartfelt thank you speech dedicated to his fans.

Finally, in October 2003, “What More Can I Give” was released to the public in the form of a download from an official website for $2. The proceeds went to various children’s charities. Also in October, Michael was presented with a key to the City of Las Vegas.

On November 18th, 2003, Michael released “Number Ones”; a new compilation album. The album featured 18 tracks- 16 number one hits from Michael’s solo career with Epic / Sony and two bonus tracks; “Break of Dawn” (from Invincible) and a new single; “One More Chance”. A DVD was released to accompany the album which featured 15 short films from Michael’s career.
“One More Chance” was released on November 20th in Europe and the US. The single was written by R. Kelly and was not accompanied by a music video. The song reached number 5 in the UK and was a top 40 hit in four countries.

By the end of the 2003, Michael Jackson had released two albums, gave many appearances and special performances. Despite little promotion, the album Invincible sold over 8 million copies world wide. Number Ones has sold over 6 million copies world wide and the DVD has sold over a million copies. Michael had been honoured several times over as the “Artist of the Millennium”. He took on many projects including charity, performance and even a movie cameo. He received keys to two different cities and campaigned for his rights. Michael had started the new century with a bang!

Read about the previous History era.

Sources:

Michael Jackson: The Magic and the Madness by J. Randy Tarraborrelli
Guardian Unlimited (Articles from June & July 2002)
The Sun Herald Australia (Articles from 2001 & 2002)
Michael Jackson The Ultimate Collection (accompanying book)

Michael Jackson’s Online Audio Chat 2001

Articles from the following newspapers and magazines:
The Daily Arts, NY Daily News, The Mirror, VIBE, TV Guide, BBC Online, Rolling Stone

Footage viewed:
Living With Michael Jackson: A Tonight Special, Louis, Martin & Michael, Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration, TV Guide Interview 1999, Take Two, Michael Jackson’s Private Home Movies, Bambi Awards 2002, American Bandstand’s 50th Anniversary, MTV Video Music Awards 2001.

History and Blood on the Dance Floor Era

The HIStory / Blood on the Dance Floor Era, 1995-1999, was one of Michael’s busiest eras with two albums, his biggest world tour, some of the most expensive and stunning short films and a heavy media schedule.

At the end of 1994, Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley made their first television appearance together at the MTV Movie Awards, where Michael collected an award for “Will You Be There”. Michael was soon back in the studio during 1994 to create his new album.

On the 23rd of February 1995 Michael gave a special preview of some of the songs off the forthcoming album to the National Association of Recording Merchandisers. The NARM presented him with the Harold Chapin Humanitarian Award at the preview.

The massive promotional campaign for the forthcoming album, HIStory, was launched on MTV and around the world on the 22nd of May 1995, with a stunning teaser film. The 4 minute “HIStory Teaser” was filmed in Budapest in early August 1994, and directed by Rupert Wainwright. Fans were invited to participate in the film, which featured a huge army and stunning special effects. The film created a stir around the world and generated massive interest in Michael’s forthcoming album.

Finally, on the 29th of May, the first single from the HIStory album was released. “Scream” was a duet with Michael and Janet Jackson. The short film for “Scream” was directed by Mark Romanek and had a massive budget of $7 million. It was a futuristic film in black and white with an amazing dancing, morphing and other special effects. The 6 minute film smashed the record for the Most Expensive Music Video, a record it still holds today. “Scream” had an AA-side release; “Childhood”, which had a stunning short film, directed by Nicholas Brandt. The song was also the theme to the movie, Free Willy 2. The single debuted at number 5 on the US charts, making it the highest debuting single in the history of the Billboard Chart. The single went to number 1 in 19 countries.

On June 14th, Michael and Lisa Marie Presley appeared on Prime Time Live in an interview with Diane Sawyer. During the 60-minute interview, Michael discussed his music and career and along with Lisa Marie, revealed details of their marriage. The programme was watched by 60 million viewers and was the most watched program of 1995.

The following day, Sony continued its $30 million dollar promotional campaign for HIStory, by floating a huge statue of Michael Jackson down the River Thames in the UK. There were a total of nine statues throughout Europe. Each statue was 10 meters tall, 2,100 kilograms in weight and made from steel and fibreglass. The promotion for HIStory was the largest campaign for a single album at that time.
HIStory- Past, Present and Future, Book 1 was released worldwide on June 18th, 1995. The two disc album was a combination of greatest hits and new material. The first disc; “HIStory Begins” featured 15 greatest hits from 1979-1991 and the second disc; “HIStory Continues” featured 15 brand new tracks. The album took a year in the studio to create and Michael showed more independence on HIStory, by producing the album himself, playing several instruments and writing and co-writing 12 of the new tracks: "Scream", "They Don't Care About Us", "Stranger in Moscow", "This Time Around", "Earth Song", "D.S.", "Money", "Childhood” "Tabloid Junkie" “2 Bad”, "HIStory" and "Little Susie". He recorded two covers for the album: “Come Together” (originally recorded in 1988 for “Moonwalker”) and “Smile” by Charlie Chaplin. R. Kelly contributed the ballad “You Are Not Alone”. He also collaborated with rappers Shaquille O’Neill and Notorious B.I.G, singers Boyz II Men and guitarist Slash. The album came with a 52-page colour booklet with photos, lyrics, artwork by Gottfried Helnwein and details of every award Michael had won up until 1995.

HIStory broke sales records in its first week on the charts. In the UK it sold 100,000 copies in just two days and in Australia the advance order of 130,000 copies was the largest initial shipment in Sony Australia’s history. Similar sales figures were witnessed all over Europe and in the US, the album went to number 1. By the end of June, HIStory had sold a staggering 7.5 million copies world wide.
The release of HIStory was also met with controversy, as Michael was accused of anti-Semitism because of the lyrics in the song “They Don’t Care About Us”. Michael immediately issued an apology and took the album off the shelves. He re-recorded the song and re-released HIStory, funding the cost himself.

On the 25th of June, Michael attended a press conference in New York, where it was announced that Michael & Janet Jackson had been nominated for a record 11 MTV Video Music Awards for “Scream”. Michael also announced that he would be performing at a concert for HBO called “One Night Only” at the end of the year. He was then interviewed by Bill Bellamy for a special called “Michael Jackson Changes HIStory” which was televised shortly after.

“You Are Not Alone”, the second single from the album was released on August 15th, 1995. The short film to accompany the song was directed by Wayne Isham and featured Lisa Marie Presley. The single debuted at number 1 on the US charts, smashing the previous record set by “Scream”. “You Are Not Alone” was the first and still only song to ever debut at number one on the US Billboard Chart. The single was a worldwide smash, reaching number 1 in six countries and record sales for HIStory soared.
On the 17th of August, Michael Jackson participated in his first ever internet Simulcast. It was the largest ever cyber chat at the time and drew in over 16,000 fans, who asked Michael questions about his music and life.

Michael attended the MTV Video Music Awards on September 7th, where he opened the show with an amazing performance. Slash joined Michael onstage for the performance which included “Black or White”, “Billie Jean”, “Dangerous” and “You Are Not Alone”. Michael and Janet won three awards for “Scream”, including “Best Dance Video”, “Best Art Direction” and “Best Choreography”.
Michael graced many other awards shows with appearances in 1995, including BET’s 10th Anniversary show, where he was inducted into their Walk of Fame. He also performed “Dangerous” and “You Are Not Alone” at Soul Train’s 25th Anniversary show where he was inducted into the Soul Train Hall of Fame. In October, Michael appeared on the popular German TV show, “Wetten Das”, to perform “Earth Song” and “Dangerous”. The show was viewed by 21 million people, breaking German viewing records.

On November 27, HIStory’s third single, “Earth Song”, was released world wide, but not in the US. The short film for the song was directed by Nicholas Brandt and was filmed in four countries. The single went to number 1 in the UK and stayed at the top spot for six weeks. The song also reached the top 10 in 16 different countries and sold 3.5 million copies world wide. The short film was also nominated for a Grammy Award.

Before the year’s end, Michael successfully merged his ATV music publishing company with Sony, creating Sony/ATV Music Publishing. The company contains over 400,000 songs and became the second biggest music publishing company in the world.

While rehearsing for the special “One Night Only”, on December 6th 1995, Michael collapsed and was rushed to hospital suffering dehydration, low blood pressure and a viral infection. He spent several days in hospital. The special was eventually called off due to HBO management changes and insurance reasons.

On January 18th, 1996, it was announced that Lisa Marie Presley had filed for divorce from Michael Jackson. The divorce would become final on August 20th, 1995.
Michael’s next stop was the Grammy Awards in January where he had been nominated for 4 awards for HIStory. He took home the “Best Music Video” Award for “Scream”.
At the end of February 1996, Michael performed “Earth Song” at the Brit Awards. It was Michael’s first TV performance in England in over 20 years. The performance was interrupted when Jarvis Cocker stormed the stage in protest. He was carried off by security and later questioned by police. Michael also accepted the “Artist of a Generation” Award. The controversy created by the performance led to another rise in HIStory’s sales, putting the album back in the top 10 in Europe.

On March 19th, Michael announced at a press conference in Paris that he was forming a new company with Saudi Prince, Al-Walid Bin Talal, called Kingdom Entertainment. The company’s first major project would be the sponsoring of Michael Jackson’s HIStory World Tour, to begin at the end of the year. They would also be involved in film projects and family entertainment. Also in March, MTV announced that HIStory was the best selling double album ever in the US.

In April, Michael released the fourth single from HIStory, “They Don’t Care About Us”. The single was supported by two music videos, both directed by Spike Lee. One was shot in Brazil with cultural group Olodum, and the other was shot in a New York prison. The “prison version” created controversy due to the use of news footage depicting violence. This version was taken off MTV’s play list and Michael released the “Olodum version” in its place. The single became a top 10 hit in nine countries, including the US.

In May, Michael attended the 1996 World Music Awards and received a record five awards: “Best Selling Artist Ever”, “Best Selling Record of All Time” (for Thriller), “Best Selling Male Artist of 1996”, “Best Selling American Artist” and “Best Selling R&B Artist”. No other artist has won five WMA’s in a single year.

On July 16, 1996, Michael held a special concert for the Sultan of Brunei’s birthday. The private concert was held at Jerudong Park Garden in Brunei and was attended by 60,000 fans. Michael was careful not go give away the set list of his forthcoming HIStory Tour, and performed 18 songs, mostly from his previous Dangerous Tour set list.

Michael then embarked on his HIStory World Tour on September 7th, 1996, starting in Prague, Czech Republic. The amazing show featured 20 songs, special effects in several performances, a bigger light show than ever before, a specially built stage, breathtaking costumes and stunning choreography. His crew consisted of over 200 personnel and each concert was 2.5 hours long. As Michael travelled Europe, he set new attendance records in many countries. One of the concerts at Seoul, Korea, was filmed and released in Asia on home video.

While on tour, it was revealed that Michael was expecting a baby with his long time friend, Debbie Rowe. They married on the 14th of November 1996, at Sheraton on The Park in Sydney, Australia in a private ceremony.
Tickets for Michael’s concerts in Australia and New Zealand broke records when they sold out in just a few hours. While in Australia, Michael attended the premiere of his new film, Ghosts. The 38-minute film was written by Michael Jackson and Stephen King and directed by Stan Winston. The film tells the story of a man being forced out of his small town home by the Mayor. Michael starred as multiple characters, (including the Maestro, the Mayor and as an incredible dancing skeleton!) with mind-blowing dance sequences, special effects and makeup. Three of Michael’s songs were used in the film: “2Bad”, “Is It Scary” and “Ghosts”. The film Ghosts currently holds the record for the world’s longest music video. It was released on home video in the form of a special box set in 1997. The film won the Bob Fosse Award for “Best Choreography in a Music Video”.

“Stranger in Moscow” was released in November 1996 world wide, but would not be released in the US until August 1997. The short film was again directed by Nicholas Brandt and was black and white; using a number of special effects methods, depicting Michael walking down a busy street on a rainy day. The single became a top 10 hit in 8 countries and also reached number 1 on the UK Club Chart.

Michael wrapped the first leg of his HIStory World Tour after two sold out nights at Hawaii’s Aloha Bowl on January 3rd and 4th. Michael became the first pop artist in history to sell out the 35,000 capacity venue.

Michael Jackson’s first son, Prince Michael Joseph Jackson was born on the 13th of February 1997 in Los Angeles. February soon became a busy month for Michael. He performed an original song he had composed at Elizabeth Taylor’s 65th Birthday Gala, called “Elizabeth I Love You”. Later in the month he also announced that he had split from his manager of six years, Sandy Gallin, and that Kingdom Entertainment would now be managing his career.

In Early April, 1997, Michael was interviewed and photographed with his family by OK! Magazine. OK! paid for the pictures and interview and Michael donated all the funds to his Heal The World foundation.
At the end of April, Michael released the first single, “Blood on The Dance Floor” from the forthcoming album of the same name. The song was accompanied by a dance loaded short film, directed by Michael Jackson and Vince Patterson. The single was popular in Europe and became a number 1 hit in seven countries, and a top 20 hit on the US R&B chart.

Michael was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of the Jackson Five on May 6, 1997. He soon received another honour when Soul Train renamed their Video award to the "Michael Jackson Award for Best R&B/Soul or Rap music Video".

On May 20th, 1997, Michael released Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix. It was a compilation of eight remixed tracks from the HIStory album plus five brand new songs. The five new tracks were all written by Michael Jackson; “Blood On the Dance Floor”, “Morphine”, “Superfly Sister”, “Ghosts” and “Is It Scary”. They were recorded in different studios all over the world while Michael was on the first leg of his HIStory World Tour. The album was very well received despite little promotion. It peaked at number 1 in eight countries around the world, including the UK.
“HIStory/Ghosts” was the second single released in Europe from Blood on the Dance Floor in July 1997. It was an AA-side single, and went onto to become a top 10 hit in eight countries.

The second leg of Michael’s HIStory World Tour began in Bremen, Germany on 31st of May and concluded on October 15th in South Africa. Michael sold his millionth concert ticket at the Wembley Stadium and sold out four concerts in a row there. He also played on his 38th birthday in Copenhagen where 50,000 fans wished him Happy Birthday. Michael did not tour North America, but the tour was so successful that he had played 82 concerts to 4.5 million fans in 35 countries on 5 continents. The estimated grosses totalled more than $160 million and again, it was the biggest concert tour of its time.
While on tour, Michael was interviewed by Barbara Walters shortly after Princess Diana’s death, to discuss the paparazzi, fatherhood and the impact of the Princess’s death.

On the third of April, 1998, Michael announced the birth of a daughter, Paris Katherine Michael Jackson.
In September, 1998, Michael was named by Billboard Magazine as the Number 1 Male Artist with the most number 1 singles in the US. He had a staggering 13 number 1 hits over his solo career.
In June 1999, Michael held two special concerts for charity, called “Michael Jackson and Friends”. The first concert was held on June 25th in Seoul, Korea and the second concert was held on June 27 in Munich, Germany. His celebrity guests included All Saints, Andrea Bocelli, Luther Vandross and Status Quo. Michael’s set list included performances of “Billie Jean”, “Dangerous” and “Earth Song”. The concerts raised approximately $3.3 million for charities Red Cross, UNESCO and the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund. Both concerts were televised in Europe and Asia to a massive viewer response.
In October 1999, Debbie Rowe and Michael Jackson filed for divorce. They remained good friends and Michael was given sole custody of the children.

By the end of 1999, Michael had released two albums, had seven singles, released a feature film, toured the world and broke several records. The HIStory album to date has sold over 18 million copies (36 million units) and is currently listed as one of the best selling double albums of all time. Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix has sold approximately 6 million copies to date and is currently listed as the best selling remix album of all time.
Michael had dominated media headlines and the music charts throughout the era. He had the two biggest tours and two of the biggest selling albums of the 1990’s. Michael had had more interviews than ever before and created a stir wherever he went. He’d set many records, most of which remain unbroken today.

Next read about the Invincible Era, 2000 - 2003 . Or read about the previous Dangerous era.



Sources:

King Magazine: Michael Jackson 1997 Tour Special
King Magazine: Michael Jackson Mega Poster Edition 1995
Michael Jackson: The Magic and the Madness by J. Randy Taraborelli

Prime Time Live Interview June 1995
Bill Bellamy Interview 1995
Molly Meldrum Interview 1996
Barbara Walters Interview 1997
TV Guide Interview 1999
OK! Magazine Interview 1997

Footage viewed: The Making of Scream & Stranger In Moscow, The Making of Ghosts, Ghosts by Michael Jackson, HIStory Tour behind the scenes in Capetown, News footage from the US and Australia from 1995-1999, Michael Jackson and Friends Concert live from Munich, MTV Awards 1995, Soul Train Awards 1995.

THE DANGEROUS ERA

The Dangerous Era, 1990-1994, would usher in a new decade with brand new sounds and the best in contemporary concert entertainment. Michael Jackson set new recording, filming and entertainment standards that were legendary.

Starting the new Era off, in 1990, Michael was honoured with many awards, including several “Entertainer of the Decade” awards from Soul Train, MTV and Sony. He was honoured at the White House by President George Bush, who presented him with a special “Entertainer of the Decade Award”. He also received the American Cinema Award for “Entertainer of the Decade”, presented to him by Elizabeth Taylor.

Michael Jackson originally planned to release a compilation album of previous hits along with 3 new songs to be called “Decade” in 1990. However, Michael had written and recorded several songs and had plenty of material to release an album of all new songs. In March of 1991, Michael renegotiated his contract with Sony, which included a 15 year 6 album deal. The royalty rates included were the largest for any artist at 25% of the retail price of every album sold. The deal also included Michael’s own record label. The deal landed Michael Jackson in the Guinness World Records again, for the Largest Entertainment Contract Ever, worth $890 million.

Michael started recording the new album on June 25, 1990. During the year, Michael lent his voice to an episode of the Simpsons, called "Stark Raving Dad", under the pseudonym "John Jay Smith". The use of Michael's voice in the episode was not confirmed until many years later. He also wrote a song for the Simpsons, called "Do The Bartman", with Bryan Loren, which was released as a single in early 1991.

In September, Michael was honoured by MTV when they renamed the “Video Vanguard Award” to “Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award”.
On November 14, 1991, Michael released the first single and short film from the Dangerous album, called “Black or White”. For the 11 minute short film, Michael again asked John Landis to direct. The film also starred Macaulay Culkin, Peggy Lipton and George Wendt. The film cost an estimated $4 million to create and included amazing dancing and special effects. The “Black or White” short film was one of the earliest films to employ the technique of morphing to change one face to another at the end of the clip.The debut of the short film was shown in 27 countries simultaneously and viewed by approximately 500 million people; the largest audience to ever view a music video. The short film created controversy due to the last four minutes, where Michael dances a Capella in the streets of L.A. Some audiences and critics saw the dance as violent and not suitable for family viewing. The day after its release, Michael cut the last four minutes from the film and issued an apologetic statement. To date, the video is often shown with the final segment cut and is considered one of the most controversial music videos of all time. Controversy aside, “Black of White” went to number one in 13 countries; staying at the top spot in the US for 7 weeks and Australia for 8 weeks. Black or White Video



The Dangerous album was released worldwide on November 26, 1991. After 16 months of recording, Michael had a spectacular album with 15 new songs. Michael had ended his association with producer Quincy Jones and enlisted new producers Teddy Riley and Bill Botrell. The album had a “New Jack Swing” sound as a result and was more influenced by gospel and hip hop. Michael had written over 60 songs for the new project; 13 of those going on the album: “Jam”, “In The Closet”, “She Drives Me Wild”, “Remember the Time”, “Can’t Let Her Get Away”, “Heal The World”, “Black Or White”, “Who Is It”, “Give In To Me”, “Will You Be There”, “Keep The Faith”, and “Dangerous”. Teddy Riley and Bernard Belle contributed “Why You Wanna Trip on Me” and Larry Grossman and Buz Kohan contributed the haunting “Gone Too Soon”. Michael again teamed up with Siedah Garrett and Glen Ballard to write “Keep the Faith”. Guitarist Slash played on two of the songs: “Black or White” and “Give in to Me”. Also enlisted were three different rappers: Heavy D on “Jam”, Wrecks ‘N Effect on “She Drives Me Wild” and LTB on “Black or White”. A “Mystery Girl” was asked to contribute to the sexy “In the Closet”. It was later revealed that the “Mystery Girl” was in fact Princess Stephanie of Monaco. The stunning cover art was created by Mark Ryden and the first pressing of Dangerous came with a pop up artwork cover.

Dangerous was one of the most anticipated albums of the 1990’s- so much so that armed robbers stole approximately 30,000 copies when the first shipment arrived at the L.A. Airport. Dangerous received amazing reviews and went straight to number one in several countries; also becoming the highest selling album of 1992.

Dangerous Album



On November 27, Michael performed “Black or White” and “Will You Be There” on MTV’s 10th Anniversary TV special. Joining Michael onstage was Guns ‘n’ Roses guitarist, Slash.

On February 14, 1992, Michael Jackson announced at a Pepsi press conference that he would indeed be touring again. Michael made it clear that he was touring for one reason: to raise funds for his newly formed “Heal the World” foundation. His goal was to gross $100 million by Christmas 1993. The announcement of the tour coincided with a new deal between Michael Jackson and Pepsi: a reported $20 million to sponsor the Dangerous World Tour.

Also in February, Michael released the single “Remember the Time” with a spectacular short film directed by John Singleton. The 9-minute clip starred Eddie Murphy, supermodel Iman and Magic Johnson. The film had amazing dance sequences and special effects. The single went to number one on the US R&B chart and it became a top ten single in nine different countries.

In Early March 1992, Michael went on a tour of five different African nations. His first visit there in 19 years was greeted with 100,000 fans on his arrival in Gabon. He was presented two awards in Gabon: the “National Honour of Merit Award” and the “National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters: Lifetime Achievement Award”. He attended historic African ceremonies and was crowned “King Sani” by tribal leaders on the Ivory Coast.

In May, Michael released “In the Closet”. The short film to accompany the song was directed by renowned photographer, Herb Ritts and starred supermodel Naomi Campbell as Michael’s love interest. The steamy clip was filmed in the desert in Palm Springs, California and also featured real white oxen. The song was a top ten hit in five countries.

In June, Michael released a new book called “Dancing the Dream”. The book featured poems, songs and reflections written by Michael and featured loads of photos from his private collection, photo shoots and short films. It also featured pictures and paintings by some of Michael’s favourite artists.
On June 27, 1992, Michael kicked off his Dangerous World Tour in Munich, Germany. The show featured special effects by David Copperfield, a specially built stage, special lighting and pyrotechnics, new and original choreography and amazing costumes. It took tow 747 jets to transport the equipment from country to country. Michael greeted the crowd at each concert by popping out from below the stage. When Michael performed “Smooth Criminal”, he performed ‘the lean” live on stage with a newly created and patented device.

In London, Michael again sold out Wembley Stadium and grossed $13 million in just three shows. HBO offered Michael Jackson a staggering $21 million to film and televise the last of his European shows at Bucharest, Romania. It was the most ever paid to televise a concert and it became the highest rated show in cable history. Dangerous Tour



“Jam” was released in July 1992. The video was directed by Michael Jackson along with David Kellogg. It featured Michael Jordan and Kriss Kross. The song became a top ten smash in five countries.

In November, “Heal the World”; the album’s fifth single was released. The song was a top ten hit in four countries. Also in November 1992, “The Jacksons: An American Dream” was broadcast on ABC. It was the story of the rise of the Jackson Five and was produced by Jermaine Jackson. It featured an all-star cast with Angela Bassett, Billy Dee Williams and Vanessa Williams. The amazing Wylie Dryper played a teen to twenties Michael Jackson. The film became one of the most successful music biographies of the 1990’s and received high ratings. The film was nominated for seven Emmy awards and won four, including “Outstanding Individual Achievement in Choreography”.

On December 31st in Tokyo, Japan, Slash joined Michael onstage for a special performance of “Black or White”. It was the last concert of the first leg of the Dangerous World Tour. Michael had many exciting projects in store for 1993 and he began rehearsals for the Superbowl halftime show.

In January 1993, Michael attended the NAACP awards where he received the “25th Silver Anniversary Entertainer of the Year Award” and “Outstanding Music Video Award” for “Black or White”. He then attended and performed “Gone Too Soon”, “Heal the World” and “We Are the World” at President Clinton’s Inaugural Ball. On the 25th of January, Michael performed the song “Dangerous” at the American Music Awards, where he received 3 awards including “Best Pop/Rock Album”, “Best Soul/R&B Single” and the first “Michael Jackson International Artist Award” for record sales and humanitarian efforts.

Topping off a fabulous month, Michael performed at the 1993 Superbowl Halftime show on the 31st of January. The show included “Jam”, “Billie Jean”, “Black or White” and “Heal the World”, which included a 98,000 audience card stunt, and a 750 member choir. Approximately 120 million people tuned into the event; one of the largest viewing audiences in TV history.

January 1993 also marked the release of the sixth single off Dangerous, “Who Is It”. The short film was directed by David Fincher and had a story about a cheating lover. The single became a top ten hit in five countries and number one on the US dance chart.
On February 10, 1993, Michael was interviewed by Oprah Winfrey at his Neverland Ranch. It was Michael’s first live TV interview in 14 years. During the 90 minute special, Michael spoke about his personal life and career and gave Oprah a night time tour of his ranch. He also danced live in his theatre and gave the audience a special a Capella performance of “Who Is It”. The show became the fourth highest rated entertainment show in history. Michael also debuted his seventh single from dangerous: “Give in to Me”. After the Interview, the Dangerous album had a boost in sales, reaching the top 10 once again in several countries. Oprah Interview



“Give in to Me” was officially released in Europe in February with a video clip featuring Slash, filmed in Germany in two hours in front of a live audience. The single was not released in North America, but became a top ten hit in five countries.

On March 15th, Michael attended the Grammy Awards and was honoured with the “Legend Award”, presented to him by his sister, Janet. The same month, Michael attended the Soul Train Awards, where he performed “Remember the Time” and received three awards including “Humanitarian of the Year”. Michael was then honoured again at the World Music Awards in Monaco where he received three awards including “World’s Best Selling Artist of the Era”.

In July 1993, “Will You Be There”, the eighth single from Dangerous was released. The song received an amazing reception all over the world, staying in the top 10 in the US and top 40 in the UK for over six weeks. The song was also on the soundtrack for the movie, “Free Willy”.

On August 24th 1993, Michael resumed his Dangerous World Tour, starting the second leg in Bangkok, Thailand. The tour moved through Asia, Russia and onto South America. Michael played his last show of the Tour on the 11th of November, 1993 in Mexico. The Tour had ended suddenly as Michael had become the subject of child abuse allegations and had become dependant on painkillers due to recent surgery on his scalp. Michael had played 69 concerts to approximately 3.5 million fans and had donated all proceeds to his Heal the World foundation and other charities around the world. It was the biggest tour of its time.

In December, the ninth and last single off Dangerous was released: “Gone Too Soon”. The song enjoyed top 40 success in the UK. Also around this time, “Dangerous: The Short Films” was released by Sony. It featured all the short films from the Dangerous album plus footage from Michael’s Superbowl performance and award ceremonies.

The Dangerous album had been received amazingly well and had spent 117 weeks in the US charts. At the end of the Era, it had sold over 20 million copies worldwide. Currently, Dangerous is at sales of over 32 million copies!

After a well deserved break from touring and performing, Michael recovered and all investigations were dropped in early 1994. On the 26th of May, 1994, Michael married Lisa Marie Presley in a ceremony at the Dominican Republic. They did not announce their union until two months later. During 1994, Michael began work on a new album. He had already written several songs while on tour and was ready to get back to recording and performing.

Michael Jackson had certainly dominated the headlines in the Dangerous Era with spectacular performances, an amazing world tour and controversy. He had introduced a new sound to the 1990’s and had again changed the face of music videos, making use of new and expensive technology. The album Dangerous had dominated the charts for two years and had won 16 awards. Michael was honoured everywhere he went with awards and ceremonies, setting an example in the music world and as an incredible humanitarian.

Next read about the History Era, 1995 - 1999, when Michael releases 2 albums, tours the world and releases a mini movie. Or read about the previous Bad era.

The Bad Era

The Bad Era years, 1986-1989, would confirm Michael Jackson’s super-stardom and popularity and prove him to be the entertainer of the 1980’s.

Starting a new and exciting era, Michael Jackson broke another world record in 1986. In February, Pepsi-Cola Corporation signed a 3 year deal with Michael Jackson for a whopping $15 million. The endorsement deal would include two Pepsi commercials and the sponsorship of Michael’s first solo tour. It was the largest endorsement deal of its kind in history.Michael Jackson’s first major project for 1986 would be a 3D movie called “Captain Eo”, directed by Francis Ford Coppola and produced by George Lucas. Michael wrote and recorded two songs for the 17 minute epic; “We Are Here to Change the World” and “Another Part of Me”.
In the movie, Michael plays Captain Eo; a young man on a quest to transform a miserable planet and its evil Supreme Ruler (played by Angelica Huston) into a peace loving nation through the power of song and dance. The movie took almost a year to produce and estimated costs were between $17- $30 million, making it the most expensive movie ever made, minute for minute.
“Captain Eo” was released at Disneyland in California and the Epcot Center in Florida on September 12 September 1986. Michael also helped create a “Captain Eo” ride for Disneyland. The movie was extremely successful and ran for 8 years at Disneyland and 10 years at Epcot. It was also released at Tokyo Disneyland where it ran for 9 years and Disneyland Park in Paris where it ran for 6 years. Captain Eo


Michael began recording demos for the follow up to the Thriller album just after the end of the Victory Tour in 1984. Michael took on a massive task of writing over 60 numbers for the new album and recording approximately 30. The recording of the Bad album took place between January 5 - July 9, 1987 (except for “Another Part of Me” which was recorded for “Captain Eo” in 1986).
Once again, Michael teamed up with Quincy Jones as producer. Michael wrote nine of the eleven tracks himself; “Bad”, “The Way You Make Me Feel”, “Speed Demon”, “Liberian Girl”, “Another Part of Me”, “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You”, “Dirty Diana”, “Smooth Criminal” and “Leave Me Alone”. Contributions from other songwriters and musicians were “Just Good Friends”, (written by Terry Buttan and Graham Lyle) which was sung as a duet with Stevie Wonder, and “Man In The Mirror” (Written by Siedah Garrett and Glen Ballard), which was recorded with The Andre Crouch Choir. Steve Stevens contributed a killer guitar solo for the rock-infused “Dirty Diana”. Bad Album



The first single from the Bad album was a duet with Siedah Garrett called “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You”, released on July 27, 1987. It travelled to number 1 on the US, UK and other European charts. The song became the highest debuting single of 1987.

The highly anticipated Bad album was released worldwide on August 31, 1987. Bad sold 500,000 copies within five days in the UK; a first for any artist in the UK. It debuted at number one in both the US and UK and many other countries around the world.
The album’s title track “Bad” was released on 31st August 1987 (the same day as the Bad album) with an amazing 18 minute long short film, directed by Martin Scorsese. The film was shot on location in New York and starred Wesley Snipes. It reportedly took six weeks to make with an estimated budget of $2 million. The reaction to the short film and single was massive: it shot to number 1 in the U.S. and many other countries around the world. In September 1987, Michael kicked off his “Bad World Tour” in Tokyo, Japan on September 12th. The show included a 90-member crew, state of the art light show, special effects and massive video screens. The show reportedly cost $500,000 per week to create. Michael had said at the beginning of the tour that it would be his “first and final” tour and that all proceeds from the shows would be donated to charity. In addition, at every stop on the tour, Michael set aside a portion of free tickets for under-privileged youths who would not otherwise be able to attend his concerts.
The tour in Japan was greeted with mass hysteria and the Japanese press dubbed Michael Jackson “Typhoon Michael”. He played nine sold out shows to thousands of fans and grossed approximately $20 million. His concert on the 26th of September at Yokohama Stadium was filmed by Nippon Television and later televised in Asia. While in Japan, a young boy called Yoshiaki was kidnapped and murdered. Michael was so moved by the story that he donated $20,000 to the family of the boy and also dedicated his entire Japanese tour to the child’s memory. He also donated millions of dollars to schools, hospitals and charities in Japan.
The reaction and demand was so impressive that Michael returned to Japan a year later to play nine more sold out shows.
The tour moved onto Australia in November where Michael played five sold out shows. Stevie Wonder, also on tour in Australia, joined Michael onstage in Sydney where they treated fans to a special performance of the duet “Just Good Friends”. Bad Tour



The third single from the Bad album, ‘The Way You Make Me Feel”, was released on November 21, 1987. The 9 minute short film featured beautiful model, Tatiana Thumbtzen as Michael’s love interest. The single shot to number 1 and stayed in the top 10 for 6 weeks in the US. It became the third number one single from the Bad album.
The forth single, “Man in the Mirror”, was released in January 1988 and became the forth consecutive number one single from the Bad album.By February 1988, the Bad album sales were at approximately 7 million copies and it was number one in 21 different countries.
After a short break for rehearsals, Michael took his Bad World Tour to the United States, starting in Kansas, Missouri on February 23rd, 1988. The Bad show was now bigger than ever with several new songs, new choreography and a new stage. The reviews of the show were glittering and music and movie stars flocked to the see the show along with adoring fans.
Also in February, Michael’s much anticipated autobiography, “Moonwalk”, hit book stores. The book was dedicated to Fred Astaire and featured an introduction by Jacqueline Onassis. “Moonwalk” made the New York Times Best Seller List by May of 1988. Moonwalk Book



On March 2nd, 1988, Michael performed at the Grammy Awards at Radio City Hall in Los Angeles. He had also received four nominations for the Bad album. It was his first televised performance in five years, since Motown 25. Despite not taking home any Grammy wins, his performances of “The Way You Make Me Feel” and “Man in the Mirror” were truly moving and he received a standing ovation. Some have said that it was one of the greatest performances in the history of the Grammy awards.
Michael received many other awards and honours in 1988 including four Billboard Awards, three NAACP Awards, two Soul Train Awards and the MTV Video Vanguard Award for “Outstanding Contribution to Music Video Production”.

On the 3rd of March, 1988, Michael performed a private concert at Madison Square Garden in New York. With Pepsi, Michael presented a cheque for all the proceeds of the special concert, $600,000, to the United Negro College Fund. The UNCF had created the Michael Jackson Scholars program four years earlier while Michael was on the Victory Tour. By 1988, 78 students had received Michael Jackson scholarships. Michael also received an Honorary Doctorate Of Humane Letters Degree from Fisk University and the Frederik D. Patterson Award in recognition of his contribution to the UNCF. The concert also generated media attention when Tatiana Thumbtzen kissed Michael onstage during a performance of “The Way You Make Me Feel”.

The same month, March 1988, Michael finalised the purchase of his new home, the 2,700 acre Neverland Valley Ranch on 5225 Figueroa Mountain Road, Los Olivos, California. Michael had previously been there to film the music video for “Say Say Say” with Paul McCartney in 1983. Originally called Sycamore Ranch, Michael purchased the property for $17 million. Michael promptly built a zoo and amusement park on the property and officially opened Neverland Valley at the end of 1988.

The Bad album’s fifth single, “Dirty Diana”, was released in April 1988, with a music video that was filmed in front of a live audience. It went to number one in the US and became the fifth consecutive number one single from the Bad album. Michael Jackson became the first artist in history to have five consecutive number one singles from an album.

In May 1988, Michael embarked on his European leg of the Bad World Tour, selling out shows at most venues in Italy, Sweden, Germany, Austria and other countries. Michael broke all existing attendance records when he played seven sold out shows at London’s 72,000-seat Wembley Stadium in July and August. 504,000 fans attended these shows in total and Michael was presented with a special award from Wembley Stadium.
The third Wembley show on the 16th of June was attended by Prince Charles and Princess Diana. Prior to taking the stage, Michael presented the Prince and Princess with a ₤300,000 cheque for the proceeds of the Wembley concerts for the Prince’s Trust, a charity that supports disadvantaged children. Michael also presented Princess Diana with two custom made Bad World Tour jackets; one each for her young sons, Prince William and Prince Harry.

The sixth single from the Bad album, “Another Part of Me”, was released in July 1988, peaking at number 11 on the US chart. The music video to accompany the single was a compilation of footage from Michael’s performances of the song at London and Paris.

Michael performed on his 30th birthday at Leeds, England, on August 29th 1988, where 90,000 adoring fans sang him “Happy Birthday”. While on tour in Japan in December 1988, the musical movie spectacular, “Moonwalker”, was released to an unsuspecting public. It enjoyed a theatrical release in Japan and Europe and a home-video release in the United States, where it sold 500,000 copies within two weeks. A top secret project in production for almost three years, “Moonwalker” was a 94 minute, 8 part movie documenting Michael Jackson’s career with stunning footage, a junior version of “Bad” (titled “Badder”) four video clips, and a 40-minute centrepiece with awesome special effects. The film cost approximately $27 million to make and starred Joe Pesci. In the centrepiece of the film, Michael Jackson plays a man trying to save his young friends from “Mr Big” (played by Joe Pesci), a drug lord who is trying to sell drugs to youngsters. The movie also featured the short film to “Smooth Criminal”, a ten minute 1930’s-style dance loaded clip. The single for “Smooth Criminal” was released around the same time, reaching number 7 in the US. Moonwalker / Smooth Criminal


On 27 January, 1989, Michael played his final show of the Bad World Tour at the Sports Arena in Los Angeles. The Bad World Tour had finally come to an end after 16 months. The Tour was the largest any entertainer had undertaken- with 123 shows in 15 countries on 4 continents and played to approximately 4.4 million fans. The Tour grossed an amazing $125 million, with all proceeds going to charities around the world.

“Leave Me Alone” was the eighth single released from the Bad album in January 1989. It was only released in Australia and Europe and reached number 1 in the UK. The short film, included on “Moonwalker”, won the 1990 Grammy Award for “Best Short Form Music Video”.
On February 13 1989, Michael Jackson announced that he and manager Frank DiLeo were parting ways.
Prior to shutting down the Bad album campaign, the ninth and final single, “Liberian Girl”, was released in July 1989. The song was dedicated to Michael’s good friend, Elizabeth Taylor. The short film starred thirty-five of Michael’s celebrity friends and the single went to number one in the UK.

On November 13, 1989, Michael performed at the Sammy Davis Jr 60th Anniversary TV Special. He wrote and performed a special song he had written, called “You Were There”. The reaction to the moving performance was so strong that Michael Jackson was nominated for an Emmy Award for composing the song.

By this time, the Bad album had sold an incredible 17 million copies and had become the second biggest selling album of all time. It is also the ninth largest-selling album in British history. Today, the Bad album has sold over 32 million copies worldwide. Michael Jackson had also become the first (and still only) artist to generate five consecutive US number one singles from one album. He had taken music videos a step further again and in recognition, he received several awards for his contribution to music video production in 1988 and 1989. Also, in 1989 at the Soul Train Awards, Michael received the first annual Sammy Davis Jr Award and Heritage Award, where Elizabeth Taylor named him “The true King of pop, rock and soul”.

Michael Jackson had certainly proved himself to be the greatest entertainer of the 1980’s and the biggest selling artist of all time. He’d had the two biggest tours of the 1980’s and the two biggest selling albums in the history of music. He had also broken six world records, which he still holds today: Most Successful Music Video for “Thriller”, The Biggest Selling Album of all Time for “Thriller”, Most Weeks at the Top of the US Albums Chart for “Thriller”, Highest Paid Entertainer of All Time, First Entertainer to Earn More Than 100 million Dollars in a Year and Largest Ever Endorsement for Product Promotion.

Next read about the Dangerous Era, 1990 - 1994, when Michae lreturns with a new sound. Or read about the previous Thriller era.

Sources:

Moonwalk By Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson: The Magic and the Madness by J. Randy Tarraborelli
Michael Jackson The Man In The Mirror by Todd Gold
Michael Jackson Live by James Manning & Susan Black

"Captain Eo" Movie
"The Making of Captain Eo"
“Moonwalker” DVD
“Another Part of Me” Bad Tour Special presented by MTV
“The Making of Moonwalker” presented by MTV
"Bad Tour Special 1987-1988" presented by Nippon Television.
"Bad Tour Around The World" presented by MTV
"Michael Jackson: The Legend Continues" presented by Motown

Also viewed: Bad Tour concert footage from Japan, Australia and Europe, news footage and interviews with Michael Jackson, Frank DiLeo and Bad Tour Crew from Japan, Australia, America and Europe
www.imdb.com
www.wikipedia.com
(Websites used for consultation and confirmation of official dates and official award titles only)

Thriller Era

Thriller Era

The Thriller years, 1982- 1984, would see Michael Jackson reach worldwide super stardom. Michael dominated the world of music, setting new standards and producing the biggest selling album of all time."In June 1982, Michael Jackson started recording the ET Storybook. Quincy Jones would produce it; based on Steven Spielberg’s movie ET: The Extra Terrestrial. In addition to narrating, Michael would also record a single called “Someone in the Dark” to accompany the story. The book would be an instant hit when released in November 1982, and would also win Michael a Grammy Award in 1984 for “Best Album for Children”. Someone In The Dark



Around the same time, Michael wrote and produced a song for Diana Ross called “Muscles”. It became a top ten hit for Diana and was nominated for a Grammy Award.

Prior to beginning work on the Thriller album, Michael Jackson teamed up with Paul McCartney to collaborate on 3 songs- “The Man”, “Say, Say, Say” and “The Girl Is Mine”. “Say, Say, Say” was included on Paul’s 1983 album Pipes of Peace and became a number one single in the U.S. “The Girl is Mine” was released as a single in August 1982 and was included on Michael’s Thriller album.
Michael started recording the Thriller album in April 1982. Originally to be called Starlight, the album included 4 original songs by Michael, (“Billie Jean”, “Beat It” and “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’”, “The Girl Is Mine”), 3 songs by Rod Temperton (“Thriller”, “Baby Be Mine” and “The Lady In My Life”), a ballad by Toto (‘Human Nature”), and an infectious pop tune by James Ingram and Quincy Jones (“P.Y.T (Pretty Young Thing)”). Amongst the brilliant songwriters Michael collaborated with, he also teamed up with Eddie Van Halen for a guitar solo on “Beat it”, Vincent Price for a rap on “Thriller” and his sisters, LaToya and Janet Jackson for additional vocals on “P.Y.T”.

Pressure mounted as the deadline for the finish of the Thriller album approached and initially the mixes of the songs were rushed and not good enough to be released. The deadline was extended and the mixes perfected. The highly anticipated Thriller was finally released on November 30th 1982. Thriller Album


Michael’s original plan for the album was to include 3 music videos or “short films” for “Billie Jean”, “Beat It” and “Thriller”. “Billie Jean” was released as the album’s second single on January 22 1893. The music video was given a budget of $250,000 and was directed by Steve Baron. The concept came from both director and artist and proved to be very successful. After 3 weeks, “Billie Jean” hit the number one spot in the U.S.
At this time, MTV (or Music Television) rarely played black artists on their daily rotation. Michael Jackson was one of the first to get played on the station and the first to get played in “heavy rotation” (i.e. several times a day) with the video for ‘Billie Jean”. MTV started “heavy rotation” for the “Billie Jean” music video in March 1983. The video for ‘Beat It” would follow this trend. Many in the music industry have commented that it was Michael’s breakthrough with the channel that started other black artists’ music videos being played on MTV and also bolstered the station’s popularity.
Thriller’s sales soared and it was the first time an album would be at number one in the USA and the UK at the same time.
While “Billie Jean” was still at the top of the charts, the album’s third single was released; “Beat It”, on March 5, 1983. The short film for “Beat It” was paid for and conceptualised by Michael Jackson himself. It was directed by Bob Giraldi and co-choreographed by Michael Jackson and Michael Peters. The cast included 100 members of real street gangs and cost an estimated $150,000. “Beat It” became number one the week after its release and Michael Jackson became the first black artist to have the number one album and single simultaneously in the US and the UK. On March 25th 1983, Michael performed on the television show: Motown 25: Yesterday, Today and Forever. The show would not air until May 16th 1983. Approximately 47 million viewers tuned into the show to watch the many Motown acts perform as well as a special performance by Michael Jackson and his brothers; the original cast of the Jackson Five plus Randy. After an emotional performance of a medley of Motown hits with his brothers, Michael stole the spotlight with his incredible solo performance of ‘Billie Jean”. During the electrifying performance, Michael debuted his now signature dance move: the moonwalk. The performance received an overwhelming response from the live audience and viewers all over the world. Some say that this was the performance of Michael Jackson’s career and it would launch him into super-stardom over night. Through the medium of television, Michael had confirmed his position as an incredible entertainer among his fans and also reached millions of people who had never experienced Michael Jackson’s talent as a singer and dancer. The performance sparked a new interest in the album Thriller and millions rushed to the store to purchase it. Michael’s Motown 25 performance was nominated for an Emmy award for “Best Individual Performance on a Variety or Music Program”. First Moonwalk



As a result of the surge in sales of the album Thriller, millions also purchased albums by other artists. Cash box magazine dubbed Michael Jackson ‘the saviour of the record business” and Michael was credited for increasing interest in music, particularly black music. Revenues for record sales were at their highest since 1978 and Michael was also mentioned for increasing CBS record sales profits by a whopping 101% in 1983 alone.

In May 1983, “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” was released and became Thriller’s forth number one single.In June 1983 Michael fired his management. “Beat It” and “Billie Jean” still remained at the top of the charts and Michael took more care and more control in his business affairs. “Human Nature” and “P.Y.T” were released while Michael was planning the short film for “Thriller” and both became top 10 hits.
The short film and single “Thriller” was released on 2nd December 1983. For the 14 minute short film, John Landis was hired to direct and Rick Baker for special effects make up. The film cost an estimated $1 million of Michael’s own money. To re-coup some of the budget costs, John Landis negotiated a deal with Showtime, MTV and Vestron to fund a 60 minute documentary on the making of the short film. Making Michael Jackson’s Thriller was aired in 1984 and sold on video tape. It became the biggest selling music video of all time, with estimated sales of 9 million as of 2006.
Prior to the “Thriller” single release, the Thriller album sales had “slowed” to approx 200,000 copies a week The week after the single and short film was released, sales of the album soared and once again, Thriller was number one on the album charts. Estimated sales showed that the “Thriller” single and video resulted in an additional 14 million copies of the Thriller album being sold within a six month period.
At this time, Michael hired a new manager; Frank Dileo, who would remain with Michael for five years. Thriller Video



On January 16th, 1984, Michael Jackson attended the 11th Annual American Music Awards. He won 8 awards, including “Favourite Male Pop/Rock Artist”, “Favourite Pop/Rock Album” for Thriller, “Favourite Soul/R&B Album” for Thriller as well as the Award of Merit. On January 27, 1984, Michael was burned on the back of his head while filming a commercial with his brothers for the Pepsi Corporation. The magnesium smoke bombs used for the commercial were to blame; being only two feet away from either side of Michael’s head. A spark from one of the bombs set Michael’s hair alight and resulted in second and third degree burns his scalp. As a result of the incident and news coverage, both Pepsi and Michael’s sales soared. Pepsi paid Michael Jackson $1.5 million, which he immediately donated to a burn centre created in his name and honour. Two subsequent Pepsi commercials were debuted at the Grammy awards ceremony in 1984. Michael rushed to hospital with burns

On February 7th, 1984, Michael attended and collected a massive eight Grammy Awards from a staggering twelve nominations. Michael Jackson still holds the record for receiving the most Grammy Awards in a single year by an individual. He received seven awards for Thriller alone and one for The E.T. Storybook. Among the eight awards he received, he picked up “Record of the Year” for “Beat It”, “Album of the Year” for Thriller, “Best Pop Performance” for Thriller, and “Producer of the Year” for Thriller. Grammy's 1984


In May 1984, Michael was asked to donate the song “Beat It” for anti drink driving advertisements. For donating the song and for his many achievements in recoding and charity, Michael was given a special award at a presentation at the White House by President Ronald Reagan. In July 1984, Michael embarked on the Victory Tour with The Jacksons. The Tour started on July 16th in Kansas City and the Victory album was released on the same day. The tour consisted of 55 shows over 5 months in the United States and Canada. The tour was the biggest and most successful of its time and Michael announced at the start of the tour that he would be donating all of his profits to charity. It would be Michael’s last tour with the brothers. Victory Tour


The Thriller campaign was officially shut down in 1984 and continued to sell a staggering amount of copies. By the end of 1984, Thriller had sold 33 million copies. Michael Jackson was inducted into the Guinness Book of World records as having the biggest-selling album of all time.
Today, Thriller is by far the biggest selling album of all time. It was re-certified in 2007 as having sold in excess of 104 million albums. It is estimated that Thriller sells approx 60,000 copies a year worldwide! Album sales aside, it still remains one of the most important and greatest albums of all time. It set many industry standards in recording and for the visual presentation of music.

In January 1985, Michael was asked to participate in an all-star recording to raise funds for charity United Support of Artists for Africa. U.S.A for Africa would raise funds to administer essential supplies and famine relief in Africa. Michael, who has always been sensitive to the plight of Africa, was so excited about the song that he offered to write it with Lionel Ritchie./p>

Michael and Lionel worked for a week at Michael’s Encino home and finally finished the music and lyrics for “We Are The World” the day prior to the scheduled recording of the song. The all-star cast to record the song included forty five chart topping artists. Quincy Jones was enlisted as producer and co-arranger with Tom Bahler.

The recording took place on 28th of January 1985. Michael told his fellow recording artists that night that “We Are The World” was a “love song to inspire concern about a faraway place close to home”. After the recording was finished, none of the artists were prepared for the impact the song would have. It was released on March 7th 1985 and sold approximately 800,000 copies in its first three days of release. The song stayed at number one in America for a month and enjoyed similar success in many other countries.

By 1986, the song had sold in excess of 7.5 million copies and raised $8 million dollars for famine relief. The song went on to win three Grammy Awards: “Song of the Year”, “Record of the Year” and “Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group”. It also won two American Music Awards: “Award of Appreciation” for Michael Jackson and “Song of the Year”.

In March 1985, Michael Jackson topped off an incredible era when he purchased ATV Music Publishing Company for $47.5 million. ATV’s music catalogue included the rights to more than 4000 songs, including 251 of The Beatles’ compositions. This purchase made Michael Jackson one of the top music publishers in the world and proved Michael to be a successful and savvy businessman at the age of 26.

Next read about the Bad Era, 1986 - 1989, when Michael continues to dominate the music world. Or read about the previous Off The Wall era.

Sources:

Moonwalk By Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson: the Magic and the Madness by J. Randy Tarraborelli
Michael! By Mark Bego
Michael Jackson The Man In The Mirror by Todd Gold
Michael Jackson The Golden Touch by Paul Honeyford
Michael Jackson by Gordon Matthews
Michael Jackson & The Jacksons Live on Tour in ’84 by Philip Kamin & Peter Goddard
www.imdb.com
www.wikipedia.com

(websites used for consultation and confirmation of official dates and official award titles only)

Off The Wall Era

The Off The Wall years; 1978-1981, would see Michael Jackson grow up musically. He starred in his first major motion picture and he would set the first of many world records with his first solo album for Epic records.

In October 1978, Michael’s first motion picture was released, called “The Wiz”. The Wiz was a Motown and Universal motion picture soul adaptation of the book “The Wizard of Oz”. Michael auditioned for and gained the role of the scarecrow in the film and moved to New York with his sister LaToya in October 1977 for filming. Michael’s good friend Diana Ross starred as Dorothy in the film.
The Wiz cost approximately $24 million to make and was directed by Sidney Lumet. It featured hundreds of dancers, spectacular costumes, elaborate makeup and special effects. It was one of the most expensive films ever made and took over a year in production. Michael’s makeup for the scarecrow took five hours to apply each day.
When the film was released, it was unfortunately a box office failure. However, Michael’s performance in the film was critically praised and the film received four Academy Award nominations, including: Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Original Music Score and Best Cinematography. The film was released on home video in 1980 and today it has a large cult following.
Michael sang in 6 of the movie soundtrack’s songs, including “You Can’t Win” and “Ease on Down the Road”, both of which were released as singles in 1979. “You Can’t Win” was Michael’s first solo single for Epic records and it remained in the charts in the US for three weeks. The Soundtrack for The Wiz would mark the first time Michael would work with producer Quincy Jones.

Michael had mentioned to Quincy Jones while they were on the set of The Wiz that he was looking for a producer for his next solo album. Quincy recommended himself and quickly signed on to produce Michael’s first solo album in four years, to be called “Off The Wall”.
Michael and Quincy went into the studio in December 1978 and chose between hundreds of songs for the album. They collaborated with several musicians and writers who would become long time colleagues of Michael’s.
On July 28th 1979, Michael released the first single from the forthcoming album; “Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough”. The song was solely written by Michael and featured a spoken intro, a surprising falsetto voice and amazing percussion by Michael and his brother Randy. The song was released with a bright music video that featured Michael dancing in triplicate in the song’s bridge. It was his first “short film” and it was directed by Nick Saxon. The song went to number 1 in the US and Australia and was a top 10 hit in 6 countries.

On August 10th, Michael released the album Off The Wall. It was his fifth overall solo album, but his first ever for Epic records. The album was recorded between December 4 1978 and July 7, 1979. Michael contributed three songs to Off The Wall: “Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough”, “Working Day and Night” and “Get on the Floor” (co-written with Louis Johnson). Michael and Quincy sought top writers and musicians for the album, with Rod Temperton who contributed three tracks: “Rock With You”, “Off The Wall” and “Burn This Disco Out”, Paul McCartney contributed the playful “Girlfriend”, Tom Bahler gave the emotional “She’s Out of My Life” and Stevie Wonder and Susaye Greene offered the quirky “I Can’t Help It”. There was one duet between Michael and Patti Austin called “It’s the Falling in Love”, which was written by Carole Bayer Sager and David Foster.

The album was hailed as a major breakthrough for Michael, and received amazing reviews. The album went to number 3 in the US chart and number 1 on the US soul chart and stayed on the top 20 for a massive 48 weeks.
On August 29th, 1979, Michael Jackson turned 21. His management contract with his father’s company, Joseph Jackson Productions, lapsed and was not renewed. Michael wanted to take full control of his music and business affairs and he hired his own accountants, lawyers and management. Weisner and DeMann were signed on as Michael’s personal management.

In November 1979, the second single form the album, “Rock With You” was released. The music video, directed by Bruce Gowers, featured Michael in an all-sequinned suit and boots. The song quickly became a number one hit on the US charts.
Apart from “Rock With You” becoming one of 1980’s first number one hits, the Off The Wall album sales shot up and quickly became the third best selling album of 1980. The album also caught the attention of Michael’s peers and in January, Michael won his first Grammy award as a solo performer for “Best R & B Performance” for “Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough”. In the same month, Michael attended the American Music Awards and collected three more awards for the album: “Favourite Soul Album”, “Favourite Male Artist” and “Favourite Soul Single” for “Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough”. Michael also won four Billboard Awards for the album.

In the spring of 1980, Michael released the title track of the album, “Off The Wall”. The single went to number 5 in the US charts and became a top ten hit in four countries.
The fourth single released from Off The Wall landed Michael in the record books. “She’s Out of My Life” was an emotional ballad, accompanied by a simple music video, again directed by Bruce Gowers. The song itself required several takes as Michael would break down with emotion at the end of the song. The emotion was eventually left in and the song reached number 10 on the US chart and became a top 20 hit in four countries. Michael Jackson became the first artist in history to generate four top ten hits from an album.
The fifth and last single released was “Girlfriend”. It was only released in the UK and stayed in the top 50 there for five weeks.

1980 quickly became a busy year for Michael and he went back into the studio, this time with his brothers, The Jacksons, to record the album Triumph. Michael contributed to six of the album’s nine tracks. The album was released in September 1980 and it reached number one on the US R & B chart. “Lovely One” was the first single off the album. Also released before the end of 1980 was “Heartbreak Hotel”, completely written and arranged by Michael. The song’s title was changed to “This Place Hotel” to avoid confusion between the song and Elvis Presley’s hit song. The song reached number 2 on the US R&B chart.
Also in 1980, Michael and some of his family members were interviewed by Sylvia Chase for 20/20. It was a short televised interview, and Michael revealed his feelings about the stage and his career.
“Can You Feel It” was the third single released from the Triumph album, released in early 1981. It was supported by an amazing short film, directed by Robert Abel and loaded with special effects. It reportedly cost over $100,000 to make. The seven minute video was groundbreaking and the single was a top five hit in Europe. “Walk Right Now” was released soon after and reached number 7 in the UK.

On July 9, 1981, The Jacksons embarked on a 39-city tour of the US, starting in Memphis Tennessee, called the Triumph Tour. The show included pyrotechnics and special effects by magician Doug Henning. The Tour broke stadium records around the country and The Jacksons played to approximately 600,000 fans and grossed approximately $5.5 million. They also raised $100,000 for the Atlanta Children’s Foundation. The Madison Square Garden concert was recorded and released as an album called The Jacksons Live! 1981. The Tour ended with four record breaking sold out shows at the Los Angeles Forum in September.

By 1981, Michael’s Off The Wall album had sold an incredible 5 million copies. Today it is seen as one of Michael Jackson’s most important records. He had become the first artist in history to generate four number one singles off an album. He had also sold more records than any artist at a time when the record industry was experiencing a major slump in sales. To date, Off The Wall has sold over 20 million copies world wide. The album had started a 9 year partnership with producer Quincy Jones and had displayed Michael’s amazing song writing and vocal skills. The best was yet to come, as Michael was soon back in the studio, creating the biggest selling album of all time.

Next read about the Thriller Era, 1982- 1984, when Michael becomes a worldwide superstar. Or read about the previous Jacksons era.

Sources:

Michael Jackson Thrill by Caroline Latham
Moonwalk By Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson: the Magic and the Madness by J. Randy Tarraborelli
Michael! By Mark Bego
Michael Jackson The Man In The Mirror by Todd Gold
Michael Jackson The Golden Touch by Paul Honeyford
Michael Jackson Body and Soul by Gordon Matthews
Sylvia Chase Interview for 20/20, 1980
"Michael Jackson: The Legend Continues" presented by Motown
“Making Michael Jackson’s Thriller” presented by Vestron
Footage from The Triumph Tour
www.imdb.com
www.wikipedia.com
(websites used for consultation and confirmation of official dates and official award titles only)

The Jacksons Era

The Jacksons years, 1975-1978, would see Michael and his brothers leave Motown and start writing and producing their own music. Before the decade was over, they recorded 3 albums for Epic records and embarked on a worldwide tour.

In July 1975, the Jackson family held a press conference in New York to announce they had signed with CBS/Epic Records and would be leaving Motown records at the expiration of their contract in 1976. The Jackson Five had begun to ask to produce, write and record their own material as far back as 1974, but all their requests for creative control had been denied. They also felt that the promotion of their records was poor. Michael Jackson had a private meeting with Berry Gordy in May 1975 to discuss the Jackson Five’s future and after being denied creative freedom once again, the brothers started shopping for a new record deal.

CBS/Epic Records were interested in the brothers and offered them a major deal. The Jacksons received a signing bonus, and a massive royalty rate that was ten times more than what they received at Motown. They would also have some creative freedom including a choice of songs and being able to write two songs per album. Jermaine did not sign with CBS; instead he stayed with Motown. Randy was signed on to replace Jermaine. They were also not permitted to take the name “The Jackson Five” with them, as Motown had trademarked the name when they signed back in 1968.

As the Jackson Five, the brothers were still signed to Motown for eight more months. They would not record for Motown again, so to fill in the time the Jacksons signed on to host a summer variety program with CBS-TV, which would star many other members of the Jackson family. “The Jacksons TV Show” first aired on 16th of June 1976. Each show was 30 minutes long and featured different celebrity guests, singing, dancing and comedy sketches. It was the first time an African American family had starred in a television series. The first season ran for four weeks and the ratings were so good that they were signed on for a second and third season. The last show was broadcast on March 9, 1977.

The Jacksons released their first record for CBS/Epic Records in late 1976, simply called The Jacksons. It was produced by the Philadelphia International team Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, who, along with their other writers, Gene McFadden and Dexter Wansel, wrote eight of the album’s 10 tracks. The Jacksons wrote one song together for the album; “Style Of Life”. Michael’s first published song; “Blues Away” was featured on the album. Michael’s vocals on the album showed a new style and maturity, far different from the brothers’ Motown albums. The album went to number 6 on the US R&B chart.
Three singles were released from The Jacksons. “Enjoy Yourself” went to number 2 on the US R&B chart, and it was the brothers’ first top 10 single after leaving Motown. “Show You the Way to Go” was the Jacksons first ever number 1 in the UK. “Dreamer” was the last single released and it reached number 22 in the UK.
The Jacksons also had great success on the road with a two and a half week tour of Europe in May and June 1977. In the UK, they played to Queen Elizabeth for her Silver Jubilee along with other stars.

In October 1977, The Jacksons released their second album for CBS, called “Goin’ Places”. The Jackson brothers again contributed two songs to the nine track album; “Different Kind of Lady” and “Do What You Wanna”. Although the album was not a major success, it spawned two top 40 hits in the UK; “Goin’ Places” and “Even Though You’re Gone”. “Different Kind of Lady” was also a major club hit, despite not being released as a single.

Michael then went to New York at the end of 1977 to begin filming “The Wiz”, after gaining the role of Scarecrow. Before the movie was released, he went back into the studio with his brothers to record their third album for CBS.

Prior to recording the new album, Michael and the brothers fought for even more creative control. They ended their partnership with Gamble and Huff and took full control of writing, choosing, producing and performing their own material. They formed their own production company, called “Peacock Productions” and each brother formed his own publishing company. It was the birth of Michael’s own publishing company: MiJac Music.

The album Destiny was released in December 1978 to an overwhelming public response. The album contained eight tracks; seven of which the brothers wrote themselves. The only track not written by the Jacksons was “Blame it on the Boogie”, which was coincidentally written by a man called Michael Jackson from the UK. It was the first single from the album and was released with The Jacksons first music video. “Blame it on the Boogie” peaked at number 3 on the US R&B chart and number 8 on the UK chart.

“Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)” was the second single released from Destiny. It was written by Michael and Randy Jackson and was an 8 minute long dance track. It peaked at number 7 on the US chart, number 3 on the US R&B chart and number 4 on the UK chart. The single was a major success and sold over 2 million copies. Destiny’s sales soared and the album went platinum, hitting number 11 on the US chart. The album’s title track, “Destiny”, was released only in the UK, and became a top 40 hit there.

The Jacksons then embarked on the Destiny World Tour in January 1979, starting in Europe and travelling to the UK, Africa and the US. The tour included 80 shows and wrapped in September of 1979. Along the way, The Jacksons made many TV appearances, including in Switzerland and also on the 10th Anniversary Special for American Bandstand.

The Jacksons finally had the creative control and success they had dreamed of. By the end of the era, The Jacksons had recorded three albums, toured the world and starred in their own TV series. Young Michael Jackson was preparing himself for his first solo record for Epic Records, one that would break the first of many records for him.

Next read about the Off The Wall Era, 1978- 1981, when Michael embarks on a solo career as an adult artist. Or read about the previous Jackson 5 era.

Sources:

Moonwalk by Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson: The Magic and the Madness by J. Randy Tarraborelli
Michael! By Mark Bego
Michael Jackson The Golden Touch by Paul Honeyford
Michael Jackson Thrill by Caroline Latham
Michael Jackson Body and Soul by Gordon Matthews
Michael Jackson The Man In The Mirror by Todd Gold
"Michael Jackson: The Legend Continues" presented by Motown
“The Jacksons: America’s First Family of Music” presented by Marlon Jackson
Footage Viewed:
The Jacksons TV series, Destiny World Tour London, American Bandstand 10th Anniversary.
www.imdb.com
www.wikipedia.com
(websites used for consultation and confirmation of official dates)