French postcard by Editions F. Nugeron, no. Star 78.
French postcard by Editions F. Nugeron, no. Star 91. Michael Jackson in the video clip Billie Jean (Steve Barron, 1983).
The dominant voice and focus of the Jackson 5
Michael Joseph Jackson was born in 1958 in Gary, Indiana, and entertained audiences nearly his entire life. His father, Joe Jackson had been a guitarist but was forced to give up his musical ambitions following his marriage to Michael's mother Katherine Jackson (née Katherine Esther Scruse).
Together, they prodded their growing family's musical interests at home. Michael was the brother of Rebbie Jackson, Jackie Jackson, Tito Jackson, Jermaine Jackson, La Toya Jackson, Marlon Jackson, Randy Jackson, and Janet Jackson.
By the early 1960s, Jackie, Tito, and Jermaine had begun performing around the city. By 1964, Michael and Marlon had joined in. A musical prodigy, Michael's singing, and dancing talents were amazingly mature, and he soon became the dominant voice and focus of the Jackson 5.
An opening act for such soul groups as the O-Jays and James Brown, it was Gladys Knight (not Diana Ross) who officially brought the group to Berry Gordy's attention. By 1969, the boys were producing back-to-back chart-busting hits for Motown as 'I Want You Back', 'ABC', 'Never Can Say Goodbye', 'Got to Be There', etc.
As a product of the 1970s, the boys emerged as one of the most accomplished black pop/soul vocal groups in music history, successfully evolving from a group like The Temptations to a disco phenomenon. Michael was originally intended to begin his solo career when he turned eighteen in 1976, but financial problems forced him to remain with the Jackson Five, renaming themselves The Jacksons for legal reasons, until 1979.
French postcard by Editions F. Nugeron, no. Star 78.
French postcard by Editions F. Nugeron, no. Star 96.
One of the greatest music videos of all time
Solo success for Michael Jackson was inevitable, and by the 1980s, he had become infinitely more popular than his brotherly group. He was the first solo artist to generate four top ten hits on the Billboard charts on one album with his debut solo album 'Off the Wall' (1979). It sold around 20 million copies worldwide.
This success culminated in the biggest-selling album of all time, 'Thriller' (1982) with sales of over 100 million copies worldwide. The album generated seven top ten hits in the USA.
With his next album, 'Bad' (1987), he even generated five #1 hits in the USA. He was the highest-earning singer of 1988-1989, with $125 million from his worldwide 'Bad' album tour.
A TV natural, he ventured rather uneasily into films, such as playing the Scarecrow opposite Diana Ross as Dorothy in The Wiz (Sidney Lumet, 1978), but he had much better luck with elaborate music videos.
Jackson hired film director Martin Scorsese to direct the video for the "Bad" album's title track. When the 18-minute music video debuted on television, it sparked a great deal of controversy as it was apparent that Jackson's appearance had changed dramatically. Starting with 'Michael Jackson: Black or White' (1991), Jackson and his record company referred to his music videos as "short films," never "videos".
His video for 'Michael Jackson: Thriller' (1983), which was directed by John Landis, is widely regarded as one of the greatest music videos of all time. In the 1990s, the downside as a 1980s pop phenomenon began to rear itself. Michael grew terribly child-like and introverted by his peerless celebrity.
A rather timorous, androgynous figure to begin with, his physical appearance began to change drastically. In 1993 Jackson claimed that his changing skin color is due to a skin disorder vitiligo whilst on The Oprah Winfrey Show. His behaviour grew alarmingly bizarre, making him a consistent target for scandal-making, despite his numerous charitable acts.
Two brief marriages - to Elvis Presley's daughter Lisa Marie Presley (1994-1996) and to Debbie Rowe (1996-1999) - were forged. He had two children with his second wife. The purposes behind these marriages appeared image-oriented. In November 2002, Jackson shocked his fans when he dangled his third child, infant Bigi Jackson, over a balcony on the fourth floor of a Berlin, Germany hotel for all hovering fans to see.
Michael Jackson died in 2009 in Los Angeles, California. His death triggered an outpouring of grief. Fans gathered outside the UCLA Medical Center, his Holmby Hills home, the Apollo Theater in New York, and at Hitsville U.S.A., the old Motown headquarters in Detroit where his career began, now the Motown Museum. Streets around the hospital were blocked off, and across America people left offices and factories to watch the breaking news on television.
Gary Brumburgh at IMDb: "His passion and artistry as a singer, dancer, writer, and businessman were unparalleled, and it is these prodigious talents that will ultimately prevail over the extremely negative aspects of his troubled adult life." Michael Jackson sold over 750 million albums worldwide.
French postcard by Editions F Nugeron, no. Star 89.
French postcard by Editions F. Nugeron, no. Star 77. Michael Jackson in the video clip Billie Jean (Steve Barron, 1983). Caption: The Little Prince of Rock.
French postcard by Editions SPR, Réf. 163.
Sources: Gary Brumburgh (IMDb), Wikipedia, and IMDb.
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