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Michael Joseph Jackson (born August 29, 1958), commonly known as MJ as well as The King of Pop, is an American musician, entertainer, and pop icon whose career and personal life have been a part of pop culture for almost 40 years.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest entertainers and most popular recording artists in history, Jackson displays complicated physical techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk, that have redefined mainstream dance and entertainment. His achievements in the music industry have included a revolutionary transformation of music videos, establishing high-profile album releases and sales as a new trend for record companies to generate profits, dominating pop music during the 1980s, and becoming the first black entertainer to amass a strong following on MTV while leading the relatively young channel out of obscurity. His distinctive style, moves, and vocals have inspired, influenced, and spawned a whole generation of hip hop, pop, and R&B artists. He has been named the "Most Successful Entertainer of All Time" by Guinness World Records.

Jackson began his musical career at the age of five with the Jackson Family vocal group. He released his first solo recording, Got to Be There, in 1971, while remaining a member of the group. In his solo career, Jackson recorded and co-produced the best-selling album of all time, Thriller, which has worldwide sales exceeding 104 million. After Thriller, Jackson continued to release internationally chart-topping albums like Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991), HIStory (1995), and Invincible (2001), his latest album of fully original material. Michael Jackson has received thirteen Grammy Awards and charted thirteen #1 singles in the United States, more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era. In November 2006, the World Music Awards announced that Michael Jackson had sold over 750 million units worldwide and given $300 million to charity, making Jackson one of the best-selling music artists and one of the most charitable humanitarians of all time, whose efforts on the latter front have been acknowledged with a Nobel Peace Prize nomination. However Jackson's controversial appearance and actions has damaged his reputation in the eyes of some of the public and album sales has been in decline since the mid 1990`s.

From 1988 to 2005, Jackson lived on his Neverland Ranch property, where he built an amusement park and private zoo that was frequently attended by disadvantaged and terminally ill children. Rumors of sleepover parties received both negative media coverage and public attention after it was revealed that children frequently slept in his bed or bedroom. This first came to light when he was accused of child sexual abuse in 1993. Michael Jackson's relationship with children was brought into the spotlight again in 2003 when the TV documentary Living with Michael Jackson was broadcast. This resulted in Jackson being tried, and later acquitted, of more child molestation allegations and several other charges in 2005. After this, Jackson went on hiatus, travelling to countries such as Bahrain, before starting work on new material in Ireland. He will be releasing a new album on February 112008 called Thriller 25 which will include new material.

Discography

Filmography

Further reading

• Jackson, Michael (1988). Moonwalk. Doubleday. ISBN 0-434-37042-8. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
• Taraborrelli, J. Randy (1991). The Magic and the Madness. Headline. ISBN 1-55972-064-6. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
• Taraborrelli, J. Randy (2004). The Magic and the Madness. Headline. ISBN 0-330-42005-4. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
• Jackson, Michael (1992). Dancing The Dream. Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-40368-2. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
• Grant, Adrian (1994, 1997, 2002 and 2005). Michael Jackson: The Visual Documentary. Omnibus Press. ISBN 1-84449-432-2. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |year= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
• Noonan, Damien (1994). Michael Jackson. Carlton Books. ISBN 1-85797-587-1. {{cite book}}: |format= requires |url= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
• Jackson, Michael (2006). My World, The Official Photobook, Vol. 1. Triumph International. ISBN 0-9768891-1-0. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

External links

• Sony's Official Michael Jackson website
• MJ Licensing, LLC. (Official Michael Jackson Licensing)
• Template:MySpace
• Michael Jackson at IMDb
• MJFC - Michael Jackson Fan Club
• Michael Jackson's UK Fan Club
• Michael Jackson at All Movie Guide
• Template:Amg
• Rock and Roll Hall of Fame page on Michael Jackson
• Songwriters' Hall of Fame page on Michael Jackson
• Template:Dmoz
• Michael Jackson's Family Tree
• Michael Jackson discography at Discogs
• Michael Jackson Collection

Template:Jackson siblings

Template:Persondata

1. "Media go into MJ Overdrive". usatoday.com. Retrieved 2007-08-09.
2. "Michael Jackson's Biography". Fox News. Retrieved 2006-11-12.
3. Campbell, Lisa (1993). Michael Jackson: The King of pop. Branden. ISBN 082831957X.an example of the appellation "king of pop", Abdelnour, Mark (2004). Buying & Selling Music, Instruments, and Music Collectibles on Ebay. Thomson Course Technology. 159200504.indicates "MJ" as a well-recognized abbreviation,
4. "Michael Jackson: In a Class by Himself". bmi.com. Retrieved 2007-04-11.
5. "Michael Jackson". vh1.com. Retrieved 2007-02-22.
6. "Michael Jackson". msn.com. Retrieved 2007-03-14.
7. "Michael Jackson". real.com. Retrieved 2007-03-14.
8. "Why Are Michael Jackson's Fans So Devoted?". abcnews.com. Retrieved 2007-04-06.
9. "Jackson receives his World Records". Yahoo! News. November 14 2006. Retrieved 2006-11-16. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
10. http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/michaeljackson/biography
11. "History: 1970s". Michael Jackson's official website. Retrieved 2006-11-11.
12. "Jacko's Back!". MTV UK. November 16 2006. Retrieved 2006-11-19. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
13. "Grammy Winners Search". Grammy's official website. Retrieved 2006-11-11.
14. "The Return of the King of Pop". accesshollywood.com. Retrieved 2007-03-14.
15. CBS: Pop Icon Looks Back At A "Thriller" Of A Career In New Interview
16. YouTube
17. "Nobel Peace Prize: You Got A Shot?". CBS News. Retrieved 2007-08-18.
18. "Make or break for Michael Jackson". BBC. October 15 2001. Retrieved 2007-12-27. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
19. "The Jackson TV Show". TV.com. Retrieved 2006-11-21.
20. "The Simpsons: Stark Raving Dad". TV.com. Retrieved 2006-11-21.

• Jackson family
• Michael Jackson
• 1958 births
• African-American singers
• African-American singer-songwriters
• American choreographers
• American dance musicians
• American dancers
• American disco musicians
• American funk musicians
• American male singers
• American multi-instrumentalists
• American pop singers
• American record producers
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• American rock singers
• American funk singers
• American soul singers
• BRIT Award winners
• Falsettos
• Former Jehovah's Witnesses
• Grammy Award winners
• Hollywood Walk of Fame
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• Jackson 5 members
• Living people
• Motown artists
• Multi-instrumentalists
• Guinness World Record holders
• People acquitted of sex crimes
• People from Gary, Indiana
• Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees as a Performer
• UK Music Hall of Fame inductees
• Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees
• Sony BMG artists