Micael Jackson

Singer, songwriter. Jackson was born August 29, 1958, in Gary,

Indiana, to an African-Americanworking-class family. His father,Joseph Jackson, had been a guitarist but had put aside his musical aspirations to provide for his family as a crane operator. Believing his sons had talent, he molded them into a musical group in the early 1960s. At first,

the Jackson Family performers

consisted of Michael's older

brothersTito, Jermaine, and

Jackie. Michael joined his siblings

when he was five, and emerged

as the group's lead vocalist. He

showed remarkable range and

depth for such a young

performer, impressing audiences

with his ability to convey

complex emotions. Older brother

Marlonalso became a member of

the group, which evolved into

theThe Jackson 5.

Behind the scenes, Joseph

Jackson pushed his sons to

succeed. He was also reportedly

known to become violent with

them. Michael and his brothers

spent endless hours rehearsing

and polishing up their act. At

first, the Jackson 5 played local

gigs and built a strong following.

They recorded one single on

their own, "Big Boy" with the b-

side "You've Changed," but it

failed to generate much interest.

The Jackson 5 moved on to

working an opening act for such

R&B artists asGladys Knight and

the Pips, James Brown, and Sam

and Dave. Many of these

performers were signed to the

legendary Motown record label,

and it has been reported that

Gladys Knight may have been the

one to tell Motown founder Berry

Gordy about the Jackson 5.

Impressed by the group, Gordy

signed them to his label in 1968.

Relocating to Los Angeles,

Michael and his brothers started

work on their music and dancing

with their father as their

manager. They lived with Gordy

and also with Supremes singer

Diana Ross when they first

arrived there. In August 1969,

the Jackson 5 was introduced to

the music industry at a special

event, and later served as the

opening act for the Supremes.

Their first album, Diana Ross

Presents the Jackson 5, hit the

charts in December of that year.

It's first single, "I Want You Back,"

hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100

chart in January 1970.

More chart-topping singles

quickly followed, such as "ABC,"

"The Love You Save," and "I'll Be

There." At the age of 13, Jackson

launched a solo career in

addition to his work with the

Jackson 5. He made the charts in

1971 with "Got to Be There"

from the album of the same

name. His 1972 album, Ben,

featured the eponymous ballad

about a rat. The song became

Jackson's first solo No. 1 single.

For several years, Michael Jackson

and the Jackson 5 maintained a

busy tour and recording

schedule, under the supervision

of Berry Gordy and his Motown

staff. Gordy wrote many of the

songs recorded by the group

and by Michael Jackson as a solo

artist. The group became so

popular that they even had their

own self-titled cartoon show,

which ran from 1971 to 1973.