Prelude to a Legacy 6.26.09: Michael Jackson
Posted by Fred Richani on 06.26.2009
Michael Jackson is sadly gone, but his legacy as an artist is alive and well. Forget the tabloid stories and BS. Michael Jackson did more positive things than negative in this world. Allow The F-Bomb to remind you of his musical contributions...
Wow, did today come as a shock or what? If you don't already know, Michael Jackson died Thursday in Los Angeles at the age of 50, after suffering from cardiac arrest. This is a great tragedy for a number of reasons.
First of all, he was so young. People shouldn't be dying at age 50. More importantly though, he will go down as arguably the biggest and most talented pop star of all time. Out of respect for his accomplishments and legacy, I will not go in-depth on the past charges levied against him, nor his plastic surgery experiences. This column is a brief, albeit informative look at a phenomenal performer. This column or any other can't do The King of Pop justice, so please read the following bearing that in mind.
Michael Jackson was born the seventh child of a total of nine from father Joe and mother Katherine on August 29, 1958 in Gary, Indiana. His father Joe Jackson was a steel mill employee, who performed in an R&B band named The Falcons. Due to his father's gig, young Michael was exposed to music at relatively ripe age, performing in front of classmates, family, friends, among others.
The Jackson 5
In 1964, Michael and his brother Marlon joined fellow siblings Tito, Jermaine, and Jackie, previously known as The Jackson Brothers, to form The Jackson 5. He was primarily a back-up singer for the Motown/R&B group, being the youngest at the age of eight. The five brothers toured between 1966 and 1968 in the Midwest. In 1967, the band recorded a number of songs for a local record label. One thing led to another and the collective was signed to Motown Records in 1968. Many saw the raw, but talented Michael as a star in the making. The Jackson 5 set a Billboard Hot 100 songs charts record, with their first four singles "I Want You Back", "ABC", "The Love You Save", and "I'll Be There").
Here's a little known fact you can Google and probably find: Motown Records at one point actually had their public relations department claim that Michael Jackson was two years younger than he really was to come off "cute and adorable" to fans.
Solo Career
Despite their initial wave of success and Michael's four solo albums under the Jackson 5 franchise, the group's popularity as a whole was declining and by the mid-1970s, the writing was on the wall. By the 1975, The Jackson 5 were ready to leave Motown and signed with the Philadelphia International Records (later Epic Records), a division of CBS Records.
While The Jackson 5 (then known as The Jacksons, due to legal reasons) still released albums, Michael was the foundation, penning a majority of the group's songs. After awhile, Jackson decided to release a true solo album, jointly producing the classic titled Off the Wall. The album was a critical and commercial success. It was released in 1979, becoming the first album to spawn Top 10 singles, including my personal favorite "Don't Stop 'Til you get Enough". Off the Wall as an album sold 7 million copies, peaking at Number Three. This was the start of a prominent solo career, where he would later earn the moniker "The King of Pop."
By time 1980s, Michael Jackson had the highest royalty rate in the music industry, making millions upon millions. The main reason for that was due to the success of arguably the highest selling album of all-time in terms of worldwide sales in Thriller. The album is believed to have figures ranging 50 to 100 million copies sold worldwide, originally releasing in 1982 and later reissued in 2007. the album had many hits like the previous one, but it was the music video for the single "Thriller' that changed the face of the industry. Forget the shots of bands performing in front of a large crowd. "Thriller" was practically a mini-movie, complete with horror, suspense, cool dance moves, and great music.
After Thriller, he released the albums Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991), HIStory (1995), and Invincible (2001), selling more millions, but never matching the success of the 1982 classic.
Over the next two decades, Michael Jackson continued to ride the wave of his success. His sister Janet also experienced fame and fortune in the music industry as a solo artist. During that time, he revolutionized fashion with his sequin gloves, flashy clothing, and sick dance moves, complete with his often imitated, never duplicated Moonwalk. Yet when the new millennium in 2000 dawned upon us, sadly Michael's life became more about his tabloid stories than his music. And even more sadly, I grew up hearing more bad things than good about Michael Jackson. If only I could have witnessed MJ in his prime.
Legacy
If it makes my generation feel better, not only did he make phenomenal music, but also influenced the top pop stars of today, particularly Usher and Justin Timberlake, who have been responsible for a number of hits within the last decade. So, what else is to say?
Michael Jackson hadn't put out much music since 2001, but his influence was still felt in the music industry. The impact Jackson has left on the world is uncanny. From the peace-preaching song "We are the World" to showing fans that being "Bad" can be cool, Michael Jackson will always be remembered for how he became famous (and his awesome video game), rather than he dissension to infamy at times. My condolences to his family and friends.
