From
Wikipedia.com
Michael Jospeh Jackson was
born on August 29, 1958 in Gary, Indiana to Joseph and Katherine
Jackson. He was the seventh of nine children; Rebbie, Jackie,
Tito, Jermaine, LaToya, Marlon, Randy and Janet.
Michael Jacksons
legendary career spanned four decades, with numerous ground
breaking and trend setting accomplishments.
Jackson
had nine platinum singles in the United States, trailing only
Elvis Presley (27) and Mariah Carey (10). Rihanna also has
9 platinum singles, which are only calculated by the RIAA
for a fee, upon request. Jackson had 16 gold singles in the
United States, behind only Elvis Presley (54), Madonna (26),
The Beatles (24), Mariah Carey (23), Janet Jackson (21), Whitney
Houston (18), Elton John (17) and The Temptations (17).
Jackson's Thriller remained
at number one for thirty-seven weeks, the longest-ever stay
by a non-soundtrack album and second only to West Side Story.[1]
Thriller spent
a record 80 consecutive weeks, more than a year and a half,
in the Top 10 of the Billboard 200. It was the first of only
three albums to remain on the Top 10 for more than a year
(along with Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill and Celine
Dion's Falling into You).
"Thriller"
is the best-selling album in U.S. history, at 50 million.
Thriller is
the only album in the United States to have sold more copies
than any other in two separate years, topping the sales charts
in 1983 and 1984.
Four of Jackson's
albums, Bad, Dangerous, HIStory, and Invincible, debuted at
number one in the United States.
Jackson was the first artist
to have four Top 10 singles from one album (Off the Wall).
Jackson
was the first artist to have seven Top 10 singles from one
album (Thriller), a feat matched only by his sister Janet
and Bruce Springsteen.
Jackson was
the first artist to simultaneously have the number one album
and number one single on Billboard's Pop Charts and Black
Charts.
Jackson was
the first artist in the 1980s to have two simultaneous Top
5 hits ("Beat It" and "Billie Jean" on
April 16, 1983).
Jackson is
the only artist to have five number one hits from one LP,
Bad ("Bad", "The Way You Make Me Feel",
"Man in the Mirror", "I Just Can't Stop Loving
You", and "Dirty Diana").
Jackson had
nine number one singles in the 1980s, more than any other
artist during the decade.
Jackson was
the first artist to have a song debut as high as #5 on the
Hot 100 ("Scream" in 1995).
Jackson was
the first artist to ever have a song debut at number one on
the Billboard Hot 100 ("You Are Not Alone").[1]
Jackson's album
Bad remained in the top five of the Billboard 200 for 38 weeks,
longer than any other album to date.
Jackson has
had 13 number-one singles on Billboard's Hot 100 singles charts,
trailing only The Beatles (20), Mariah Carey (18) and Elvis
Presley (18 or 17, depending on source).
Jackson had
28 top ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100, trailing only The
Beatles (29), Elvis Presley (36), and Madonna (37).
Jackson had
37 top 40 hits on the Hot 100.
Jackson
has supported more charities than any other pop singer - 39
charitable organizations either with monetary donations through
sponsorships of their projects or the participation in their
activities. The charities involved include AIDS Project L.A.,
American Cancer Society, BMI Foundation, Inc., Childhelp USA,
United Negro College Fund, YMCA - 28th Street/Crenshaw, The
Sickle Cell Research Fund and Volunteers of America[7].
David O. Selznick's
1940 Best Film Oscar for Gone with the Wind (USA, 1939) was
bought by Jackson for $1,542,000 on June 12, 1999, at Sotheby's,
New York City. The Academy Awards no longer permits such sales,
all but ensuring that it will remain the most expensive Oscar.
Jackson and
Bubbles, a porcelain sculpture created by the artist Jeff
Koons in 1988 sold for $5,616,750 at Sotheby's in New York
City on May 15, 2001. The piece measures 106.7 x 179.1 x 82.6
cm (42 x 70.5 x 32.5 in) and is described as a mix of pop
culture and high art. The sculpture shows Jackson reclining
with his arm around his pet monkey. It is the most valuable
sculpture by a living artist.
Jackson's part-feature
film, part-music video, Ghosts (USA, 1996), is 38 minutes
long and was based on an original concept by horror writer
Stephen King. Jackson plays five different roles in the video,
directed by Stan Winston. It is the longest music video of
all time.
Jackson holds
the record for most expensive music video ("Scream"
in 1995 with sister Janet Jackson) cost reportedly over seven
million U.S. dollars.
On November
14, 1991, Michael Jackson’s music video, Black or White
was broadcast simultaneously in 27 countries with an estimated
audience of 500 million people. It is the largest audience
ever to view a music video.
In March 1991,
Jackson signed a new record-breaking US$890 million contract
by Sony. It is still the largest recording contract of all
time.
In 1986 Jackson
signed a $15 million deal with Pepsi - it was the largest
ever endorsement for product promotion.
Jackson has
the record for the two best-selling VHS music videos ever
released ("Moonwalker" [1988] in first place, and
"The Making of Michael Jackson's Thriller" [1984]
in second place).
Jackson jointly
holds the record for most Grammy Awards won in a single year.
He won eight awards at the 1984 ceremony. This was equaled
by Carlos Santana at the 2001 ceremony.
Jackson jointly
holds the record for most American Music Awards won in a single
year, winning eight awards at the 1984 ceremony. This was
equaled by Whitney Houston at the 1994 ceremony.
Jackson jointly
holds the record for the most World Music Awards won in a
single year, with five awards at the 1996 ceremony (tied with
Whitney Houston from the 1994 ceremony).
Jackson holds
the record for winning more Billboard awards than any other
male artist, having 26.
Jackson holds
the record for winning more Billboard awards than any other
artist in one year, grabbing 13 in 1983.
Jackson has
more music awards than any other artist in the history of
music.
Honored as
artist of the decade by former President, George H. W. Bush
in 1989 and another seven awards from others.
Named "Artist
Of The Century" at the American Music Awards ceremony
in 2002.
Jackson's "Bad
World Tour" (1987–1989) was the highest-grossing
tour ever at the time, with over $125 million earned.
This record was later broken by the "Dangerous World
Tour" (1992-
