Michael Jackson Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! === Early life and the Jackson 5 (1958–1975) === [[File:2300 Jackson Street Yuksel.jpg|thumb|alt=The single-story house has white walls, two windows, a central white door with a black door frame, and a black roof. In front of the house there is a walkway and multiple colored flowers and memorabilia.|Jackson's childhood home in [[Gary, Indiana]], pictured in March 2010]] Michael Joseph Jackson<ref name="certificate">[[Los Angeles County Department of Health Services|County of Los Angeles Department of Health Services]] (2009). [[:File:Michael Jackson death certificate.jpg|Michael Jackson death certificate]].</ref><ref name="allmusic">{{cite web |first=Steve |last=Huey |title=Michael Jackson – Artist Biography |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/michael-jackson-mn0000467203/biography |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150507080746/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/michael-jackson-mn0000467203/biography |archive-date= May 7, 2015}}</ref> was born in [[Gary, Indiana]], on August 29, 1958.<ref name="Barnes">{{cite news |first=Brokes |last=Barnes |title=A Star Idolized and Haunted, Michael Jackson Dies at 50 |newspaper=The New York Times |date=June 25, 2009 |access-date=July 12, 2009 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/26/arts/music/26jackson.html?ref=obituaries&_r=0 |url-access=subscription |archive-date=December 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221208194246/https://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/26/arts/music/26jackson.html?ref=obituaries&_r=0 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Michael Jackson: 10 Achievements That Made Him The King of Pop |publisher=National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences |date=June 24, 2014 |access-date=October 20, 2016 |url=https://www.grammy.com/blogs/michael-jackson-10-achievements-that-made-him-the-king-of-pop |archive-date=February 15, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170215072653/https://www.grammy.com/blogs/michael-jackson-10-achievements-that-made-him-the-king-of-pop |url-status=live }}</ref> He was the eighth of ten children in the [[Jackson family]], a working-class [[African Americans|African-American]] family living in a two-bedroom house on Jackson Street.{{sfn|Jackson|2009|p=26}}{{sfn|Young|2009|p=18}} His mother, [[Katherine Jackson|Katherine Esther Jackson]] (''née'' Scruse), played clarinet and piano, had aspired to be a [[Country music|country-and-western]] performer, and worked part-time at [[Sears]].{{sfn|Young|2009|pp=17, 19}} She was a [[Jehovah's Witness]].<ref name="monstrous">{{cite news |first=Alexis |last=Petridis |title=Joe Jackson was one of the most monstrous fathers in pop |newspaper=The Guardian |date=June 27, 2018 |access-date=April 18, 2019 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/jun/27/joe-jackson-one-of-the-most-monstrous-fathers-in-pop |archive-date=December 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221208194300/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/jun/27/joe-jackson-one-of-the-most-monstrous-fathers-in-pop |url-status=live }}</ref> His father, [[Joe Jackson (manager)|Joseph Walter "Joe" Jackson]], a former boxer, was a crane operator at [[US Steel]] and played guitar with a local [[rhythm and blues]] band, the Falcons, to supplement the family's income.<ref name="Obit Guardian">{{cite news |first=Adam |last=Sweeting |title=Joe Jackson obituary |newspaper=The Guardian |date=June 27, 2018 |access-date=April 14, 2019 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/jun/27/joe-jackson-obituary |archive-date=December 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221208194246/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/jun/27/joe-jackson-obituary |url-status=live }}</ref>{{sfn|Young|2009|pp=18–19}} Joe's great-grandfather, July "Jack" Gale, was a US Army [[Cavalry scout|scout]]; family lore held that he was also a Native American [[medicine man]].{{sfn|Knopper|2016|p=6. Note: No tribal affiliation named in source}} Michael grew up with three sisters ([[Rebbie Jackson|Rebbie]], [[La Toya Jackson|La Toya]], and [[Janet Jackson|Janet]]) and five brothers ([[Jackie Jackson|Jackie]], [[Tito Jackson|Tito]], [[Jermaine Jackson|Jermaine]], [[Marlon Jackson|Marlon]], and [[Randy Jackson (The Jacksons)|Randy]]).<ref name="Obit Guardian" /> A sixth brother, Marlon's twin Brandon, died shortly after birth.<ref>{{cite web |first=Chris |last=Morris |title=Joe Jackson, Jackson Family Patriarch, Dies at 89 |magazine=Variety |date=June 27, 2018 |access-date=April 27, 2019 |url=https://variety.com/2018/music/news/joe-jackson-dead-dies-89-1202859242/ |archive-date=November 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221108051352/https://variety.com/2018/music/news/joe-jackson-dead-dies-89-1202859242/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1964, Michael and Marlon joined the Jackson Brothers—a band formed by their father which included Jackie, Tito and Jermaine—as backup musicians playing [[conga]]s and [[tambourine]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Michael Jackson: a life of highs and lows |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=June 26, 2009 |access-date= November 28, 2019 |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/michael-jackson/5642588/Michael-Jackson-a-life-of-highs-and-lows.html |archive-url= https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/michael-jackson/5642588/Michael-Jackson-a-life-of-highs-and-lows.html |archive-date= January 10, 2022 |url-status= live}} {{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=Jermaine |last=Jackson |year=2011 |title=You Are Not Alone: Michael: Through a Brother's Eyes |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |page=41 |isbn=978-1-4516-5156-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tk0zQIaFrccC&pg=PA41 |access-date=November 28, 2019 |archive-date=July 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230728015107/https://books.google.com/books?id=tk0zQIaFrccC&pg=PA41 |url-status=live }}</ref> Michael said his father told him he had a "fat nose",<ref name="bbcnews">{{cite news |title=Jackson interview seen by 14 m |agency=BBC News |date=February 4, 2003 |access-date=May 31, 2015 |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/2719763.stm |archive-date=December 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221208194247/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/2719763.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> and physically and emotionally abused him during rehearsals. He recalled that Joe often sat in a chair with a belt in his hand as he and his siblings rehearsed, ready to punish any mistakes.<ref name="monstrous" />{{sfn|Lewis Jones|2005|pp=165–168}} Joe acknowledged that he regularly whipped Michael.<ref>{{cite news |title=Can Michael Jackson's demons be explained? |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8121599.stm |agency=[[BBC News]] |date=June 27, 2009 |access-date=May 31, 2015 |archive-date=September 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220928143342/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8121599.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> Katherine said that although whipping came to be considered abuse, it was a common way to discipline children when Michael was growing up.<ref>{{cite AV media |title=Katherine Jackson: Michael's strict upbringing not abuse |publisher=CNN |format=video |date=May 15, 2012 |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldyRUqGN3XA |archive-url= https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211114/ldyRUqGN3XA |archive-date= November 14, 2021 |url-status= live}} {{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Alan |last=Duke |title=Joe Jackson denies abusing Michael |publisher=CNN |date=July 21, 2009 |access-date=May 31, 2015 |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/07/21/joe.jackson/index.html?iref=24hours |archive-date=June 12, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150612222819/http://edition.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/07/21/joe.jackson/index.html?iref=24hours |url-status=live }}</ref> Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and Marlon denied that their father was abusive and said that the whippings, which had a deeper impact on Michael because he was younger, kept them disciplined and out of trouble.<ref>{{cite web |title=Jackson Brothers: Was Joe Jackson Abusive? |url=https://celebrity.yahoo.com/video/jackson-brothers-joe-jackson-abusive-170000051.html |publisher=[[Yahoo! Celebrity]] |access-date=May 31, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150522073344/https://celebrity.yahoo.com/video/jackson-brothers-joe-jackson-abusive-170000051.html |archive-date=May 22, 2015}}</ref> Michael said that during his youth he was lonely and isolated.{{sfn|Young|2009|p=24}} Later in 1965, Michael began sharing lead vocals with Jermaine, and the group's name was changed to [[the Jackson 5]].<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Charlie |last=Burton |title=Inside the Jackson machine |magazine=[[GQ]] |date=February 7, 2018 |access-date=April 14, 2019 |url=https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/jacksons-legacy-jackson-5 |archive-date=October 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221007005527/https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/jacksons-legacy-jackson-5 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1965, the group won a talent show; Michael performed the dance to [[Robert Parker (singer)|Robert Parker]]'s 1965 song "[[Barefootin' (song)|Barefootin']]" and sang [[the Temptations]]' "[[My Girl (The Temptations song)|My Girl]]".{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2009|pp=13–14}} From 1966 to 1968, the Jacksons 5 toured the [[Midwestern United States|Midwest]]; they frequently played at a string of black clubs known as the [[Chitlin' Circuit]] as the opening act for artists such as [[Sam & Dave]], [[the O'Jays]], [[Gladys Knight]] and [[Etta James]]. The Jackson 5 also performed at clubs and cocktail lounges, where [[striptease]] shows were featured, and at local auditoriums and high school dances.{{sfn|Young|2009|pp=21–22}}<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Triumph & Tragedy: The Life of Michael Jackson |magazine=Rolling Stone India |date=August 25, 2009 |access-date=May 31, 2015 |url=https://rollingstoneindia.com/triumph-tragedy-the-life-of-michael-jackson/ |archive-date=December 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221208201712/https://rollingstoneindia.com/triumph-tragedy-the-life-of-michael-jackson/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In August 1967, while touring the [[Eastern United States|East Coast]], they won a weekly amateur night concert at the [[Apollo Theater]] in [[Harlem]].{{sfn|Young|2009|p=22}} [[File:Jackson 5 tv special 1972.JPG|thumb|Michael Jackson (center) as a member of the Jackson 5 in 1972. The group were among the first [[African Americans|African American]] performers to attain a crossover following.<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Vince |last=Aletti |title=Jackson Five: The Biggest Thing Since the Stones |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=November 26, 1970 |access-date=March 27, 2020 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/jackson-five-the-biggest-thing-since-the-stones-233775/ |archive-date=November 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211105171204/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/jackson-five-the-biggest-thing-since-the-stones-233775/ |url-status=live }}</ref>]] The Jackson 5 recorded several songs for a Gary record label, [[Steeltown Records]]; their first single, "[[Big Boy (song)|Big Boy]]", was released in 1968.{{sfn|Young|2009|p=21}} Bobby Taylor of [[Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers]] brought the Jackson 5 to [[Motown]] after they opened for Taylor at Chicago's [[Regal Theater, Chicago|Regal Theater]] in 1968. Taylor produced some of their early Motown recordings, including a version of "[[Who's Lovin' You]]".<ref>{{Cite magazine |first=Steve |last=Knopper |title=Bobby Taylor, Motown Singer Who Discovered Jackson 5, Dead at 83 |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=July 23, 2017 |access-date=July 1, 2019 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bobby-taylor-motown-singer-who-discovered-jackson-5-dead-at-83-202100/ |archive-date=December 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221208202025/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bobby-taylor-motown-singer-who-discovered-jackson-5-dead-at-83-202100/ |url-status=live }}</ref> After signing with Motown, the Jackson family relocated to Los Angeles.{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2009|pp=59–69}} In 1969, Motown executives decided [[Diana Ross]] should introduce the Jackson 5 to the public — partly to bolster her career in television — sending off what was considered Motown's last product of its "production line".<ref>{{cite journal |first=Phillip Brian |last=Harper |date=Winter 1989 |title=Synesthesia, "Crossover," and Blacks in Popular Music |journal=[[Social Text]] |issue=23 |page=110 |doi=10.2307/466423 |jstor=466423}}</ref> The Jackson 5 made their first television appearance in 1969 in the [[Miss Black America]] pageant, performing a cover of "[[It's Your Thing]]".<ref>{{cite book |first=Daryl |last=Easlea |year=2016 |title=Michael Jackson: Rewind: The Life and Legacy of Pop Music's King |publisher=Race Point Publishing |page=178 |isbn=978-1-63106-253-7}}</ref> ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' later described the young Michael as "a prodigy" with "overwhelming musical gifts" who "quickly emerged as the main draw and lead singer".<ref name="Bio">{{cite magazine |title=Michael Jackson – Biography |magazine=Rolling Stone |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/michaeljackson/biography |archive-date= April 2, 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080402062429/https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/michaeljackson/biography}}</ref> In January 1970, "[[I Want You Back]]" became the first Jackson 5 song to reach number one on the US [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]]; it stayed there for four weeks. Three more singles with Motown topped the chart: "[[ABC (The Jackson 5 song)|ABC]]", "[[The Love You Save]]", and "[[I'll Be There (The Jackson 5 song)|I'll Be There]]".<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Fred |last=Bronson |title=48 Years Ago Today, 'I Want You Back' Kicked It All Off for the Jackson 5 |magazine=Billboard |date=November 15, 2017 |access-date=April 6, 2019 |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/8038339/48-years-ago-today-i-want-you-back-debut-jackson-5 |archive-date=April 10, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190410223332/https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/8038339/48-years-ago-today-i-want-you-back-debut-jackson-5 |url-status=live }}</ref> In May 1971, the Jackson family moved into a large house at [[Hayvenhurst]], a {{convert|2|acre|adj=on}} estate in [[Encino, Los Angeles|Encino, California]].{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2009|pp=81–82}} During this period, Michael developed from a child performer into a [[teen idol]].{{sfn|Young|2009|p=25}} Between 1972 and 1975, he released four solo studio albums with Motown: ''[[Got to Be There]]'' (1972), ''[[Ben (album)|Ben]]'' (1972), ''[[Music & Me]]'' (1973) and ''[[Forever, Michael]]'' (1975).<ref name="McNulty">{{cite news |first=Bernadette |last=McNulty |date=June 26, 2009 |title=Michael Jackson's music: the solo albums |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/michael-jackson/5652389/Michael-Jacksons-music-the-solo-albums.html |archive-url= https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/michael-jackson/5652389/Michael-Jacksons-music-the-solo-albums.html |archive-date= January 10, 2022 |url-status= live}} {{cbignore}}</ref> "[[Got to Be There (song)|Got to Be There]]" and "[[Ben (song)|Ben]]", the title tracks from his first two solo albums, sold well as singles, as did a cover of [[Bobby Day]]'s "[[Rockin' Robin (song)|Rockin' Robin]]".{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2009|pp=98–99}} Michael maintained ties to the Jackson 5.<ref name="McNulty" /> The Jackson 5 were later described as "a cutting-edge example of black [[Crossover music|crossover artists]]".<ref>{{cite press release |first=Debra |last=Alban |title=Michael Jackson broke down racial barriers |publisher=CNN |date=June 28, 2009 |access-date=May 31, 2015 |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/06/28/michael.jackson.black.community/ |archive-date=December 21, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141221075015/http://edition.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/06/28/michael.jackson.black.community/ |url-status=live }}</ref> They were frustrated by Motown's refusal to allow them creative input.<ref>{{cite news |first=Helen |last=Brown |title=Michael Jackson and Motown: the boy behind the marketing |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=June 26, 2009 |access-date= April 14, 2019 |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/michael-jackson/5651468/Michael-Jackson-and-Motown-the-man-behind-the-marketing.html |archive-url= https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/michael-jackson/5651468/Michael-Jackson-and-Motown-the-man-behind-the-marketing.html |archive-date= January 10, 2022 |url-status= live}} {{cbignore}}</ref> Jackson's performance of their top five single "[[Dancing Machine]]" on ''[[Soul Train]]'' popularized the [[Robot (dance)|robot dance]].{{sfn|Mansour|2005|p=403|ps=: 'The Robot was a mimelike dance, popularized by The Jackson 5 and their Top Ten hit "Dancing Machine"'}} Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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