A look at the career of Michael Jackson
A look at the career of Michael Jackson:
-- Aug. 29, 1958: Michael Joseph Jackson is born in Gary, Ind., the seventh of nine children.
-- 1963: After several years of training, The Jackson 5 begin to perform in public.
-- Dec. 14, 1969: The Jackson 5 appear on the "The Ed Sullivan Show."
-- 1970: Their first album, "Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5," includes the hit singles "I Want You Back" and "I'll Be There," which go to No. 1.
-- 1972: While still singing with the Jackson 5, Michael Jackson puts out his first solo album, "Got to Be There."
-- 1979: Jackson's first solo album as an adult, "Off the Wall," is released. He becomes the first solo artist to place four singles from the same record in the top 10.
-- 1982: His album "Thriller" wins a record eight Grammys and becomes the world's biggest selling record of all time. Along with the title track, it includes the songs "Billie Jean" and "Beat It."
-- 1983: Jackson electrifies the 50 million viewers of the "Motown 25" television special by singing and dancing to "Billie Jean" while wearing a black fedora, one white glove, and pants that end above his ankles.
-- 1984: During production of a Pepsi-Cola commercial, Jackson's scalp sustains burns when an explosion sets his hair on fire.
-- 1985: Jackson and Lionel Richie write what becomes one of the fastest-selling singles ever with "We Are the World." The song was produced to raise money for victims of the Ethiopian famine.
-- 1987: His album "Bad" produces five No. 1 singles and sells at least 22 million copies worldwide.
-- 1995: Releases the album "HIStory: Past, Present, and Future Book I." In August, the song "You Are Not Alone" becomes the first single in pop music history to enter the Billboard chart at No. 1.
-- 1997: The album, "Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix," sells in the hundreds of thousands worldwide, disappointing numbers for Jackson.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
