Early years and Solo career

Michael Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana on August 29, 1958. He was the eighth out of ten in the Jackson family, with five brothers (Marlon had a twin that passed shortly after birth) and three sisters. In 1964, Michael and Marlon joined the Jackson Brothers (later renamed Jackson 5), a band formed by patriarch, Joe Jackson, which had their three older brothers, Tito, Jermaine, and Jackie. Michael said his father would tell him he had a "fat nose", and would often abuse him physically and emotionally during rehearsals. However, his older brothers denied their father being abusive and said he kept them disciplined, but he was harder on Michael. They toured the midwest from 1966 to 1968, they opened for Sam & Dave, the O'Jays, Gladys Knight, and Etta James. The had their first TV appearance in 1969 in the Miss Black America pageant. Rolling Stone described Michael as "a prodigy" with "overwhelming musical gifts who quickly emerged as the main draw and lead singer".

"I Want You Back" was the group's first song to reach number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, it lasted four weeks in January 1970. "ABC", "The Love You Save", and "I'll Be There", also reached number one, making them the first act to achieve that feat. Michael started his own solo career and released four albums between 1972 and 1975: Got to Be There, Ben, Music & Me, and Forever, Michael. In 1979, his fifth album, Off the Wall, produced four top 10 entries in the US: "Off the Wall", "She's Out of My Life", while "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" and "Rock with You" topped the charts. The album ranked number three on the US Billboard 200 and sold over 20 million copies worldwide. He won three AMAs in 1980 (American Music Award), Favorite Soul/R&B Album, Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist, and Favorite Soul/R&B Single for "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough". He then won a Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal Perfomance for "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough". In 1981, He won two AMAs again for Favorite Soul/R&B Album and Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist.

His best selling album Thriller, was released in 1982. It's the best selling album of all time in the US and worldwide, even today selling around 70 million copies. It was the top album on the Billboard 200 for 37 weeks and top 10 for 80 consecutive weeks. It was the first album to produce seven Billboard Hot 100 top-10 singles, including "Billie Jean", "Beat It", and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin". On March 25, 1983, he reunited with his brothers for Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever. His "Billie Jean" performance earned his first Emmy Award nomination. It was also famous for his signature white rhinestone glove and moonwalk.