The Life and Times of Michael Jackson: A look into the Man in the Mirror
Ishmael Johnson
College of Southern Nevada
The artist who had the biggest impact on me was Michael Jackson. He was my Elvis and Beatles…(Michael Buble). In today’s society we flock to the glamour and the glitz. In music if you wanted to be discovered you have to be where the action is; Los Angeles, New York or Nashville Tennessee. With such a direct approach to finding success who would have guessed that the best of the best would have been found in a diverse musical family in the middle of Garry Indiana.
Born Michael Joseph Jackson he was the 8th child in the family of 9 children. Not exactly in the best position to stand out in the family.
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The Chitlin’ Curcuit gave these performs a safe environment where they could showcase their talents. Eventually the Jackson 5 went to the Apollo. The Apollo was the pinnacle for African American performers at that time. This all led the Jackson five to their first contract with Steeltown records in 1967. The only released 2 singles before getting to sign with Berry Gordy and Motown in 1968-69. That was the beginning of something special.
As a part of Motown The Jackson 5 was a part of a very strong group of performers, many who had a lot of success and were either at the top of their game or on a steady climb to the top. The Jackson 5 however was no slouch in the group. As a part of Motown they were surrounded by great performers such as The Temptations, The Supremes, The Four Tops and Diana Ross. However even with all that talent the Jackson 5 made history and showed they could compete by being the first recording act to have their first 4 singles reach #1 on the Billboard 100. The songs “ABC”, “I’ll be there”, “I want you back” and “The love you save,” made the Jackson 5 a hit not only in the United States but across the globe. Even though Michael was added to The Jackson Brothers group as a part of the backup band he quickly shined and became the lead singer and was considered to be a prodigy by Rolling stone magazine. The Jackson 5 was a hit lead by young Michael Jackson and they continued to have numerous successes having
"This was a record that had something for everybody by adding harder funk, hard rock, softer ballads, and smoother soul-expanding the approach to have something for every audience. That alone would have given the album a good shot at a huge audience, but it also arrived precisely when MTV was reaching its ascendancy, and Michael Jackson helped the network by being not just its first superstar, but first black star”. (https://www.udiscovermusic.com/artists/michael-jackson/, n.d.)
However, it can also be seen as his environment and experiences of why Michael Jackson was so into becoming a music legend. Michael Jackson used his music as a therapeutic way of transcending his personal struggles. He believed that music is a 'mantra to the soul' which shows that he used his music as a way of moving on from any experiences that he had suffered from. His surroundings in the music industry helped him to do this successfully, his determination to move on from his experiences lead him to one of the most successful music careers in the industry. Being nurtured through his experiences helped him become a music legend.
Motown took the world over by surprise. The vivid and new sounds from Motown artists made screaming dedicated fans all over the world. With the addicted fans, Motown artists raised the bad and opened the eyes of those who thought African Americans would never amount to anything. Although there still happened to be racism, and prejudice, African Americans managed to become recognized and well known for their abilities. Not only were the Motown artists extraordinary talented, but they also were unbelievably strong and persistent for going against all those people out there who discriminated on them. They took the criticisms continued and went on with what they loved to do. One of the most famous groups during the
Michael Jackson was known around the world as the “King of Pop.” He was raised as a Jehovah’s Witness, which molded him into a shy and quiet person. Something he was opposite of on stage. It is well documented that his father became violent with him and his brothers in order to push them to become successful. Thus, missing out on his childhood. During his early life, Michael had an accident that resulted in burns on his head and face. After this incident he had plastic surgery, changing the shape of his nose. Although he was born an African American, it became apparent that he started to appear lighter and lighter, bleaching his skin and ultimately appearing white. He created his own amusement park called Neverland, where there were exotic
Psychological development is essential in shaping the personalities, behaviors, and morals of human’s. Many factors influence the development of an individual’s psychological makeup; including heredity and environment. Michael Jackson is quite possibly the most famous person to live during the 21st Century. Born August 29, 1958 in Gary, Indiana to struggling middle-class parents, Michael learned all too quickly the reality and price of being famous. Although the world adored him from the moment he was a small child as a member of the Jackson Five and throughout the rest of his life, it was difficult to ignore the obvious changes to his physical
Michael Jackson was born August 29, 1958. Born the eighth of 10 children, Michael grew up in a working class family in a small three bedroom home in Gary, Indiana. As a child, Michael struggled with his fame. He never lived a normal childhood and throughout his adulthood he tried to recapture his lost youth. Although labeled as an outstanding entertainer and humanitarian in the world, Michael became dependent on pain medications. Scandals of child molestation and Michael’s obsession with his appearance further fueled his addiction. Overdosing
Michael Jackson was the king of pop which was a big part of the 1980s fashion world his dancing seemed to surprise everyone. Everyone wanted to be like him and dress like him. He dressed in leather jackets and some dress shoes and suits he was mesmerizing in the public eye he influenced a lot of the
Berry Gordy the founder of Motown, played a huge part in changing the world to what it is today. This young entrepreneur had vision and he made that dream a reality. He made African Americans singers and artists popular amongst everybody and it paved the road for many more in the future. Gordy knew to sell his records would be difficult if they were African American artists, but he knew just how to change that. His company has left its mark on the world and it will forever be changed because of it.
Joe Jackson was known for being too violent to his children. He was known for hitting the kids regularly for disobeying(Pratt, 18). Growing up Michael and his siblings weren’t allowed to play with kids in the neighborhood and they were very afraid of him(Pratt, 18). His father whooped his son for popping a string on his guitar and that was the night they became a musical group. When they started to have stardom every decision was made through their father. “When you’re a show business child, you really don’t have the maturity to understand a great deal of what is going on around you. People make a lot of decisions concerning your life when you’re out of the room. So here’s what I remember. I remember singing at the top of my voice and dancing with real joy and working too hard for a child. Of course, there are many details, I don’t remember at all. I do remember the Jackson 5 taking off when I was eight or nine,” Michael Jackson. (Pratt 16). The difficult part was they/he didn’t get a break from work. They worked on singing and performing everyday for hours. The pressure of being the best got to them all and made them go different
Music has meant many things throughout history. For many, music can be used as a form of religion, worship, or as way to pass the time while working in the fields (Music 2001). In the case of Motown, it was able to change the way that the black society was viewed. Before Motown, African Americans did not have very many rights and were seen as unequal to the white society. All of this change was achieved with the help of a man named Berry Gordy. Gordy was able to take the struggles from the lives of past African Americans, change the music world with some key players, and change the way that society viewed the African American race.
Michael Jackson had been making music for pretty much his entire life, for he started making music at a very young age. In fact, he started his music career at the age of 5 (“Michael Jackson”). He was considered to be the favorite out of the group by most people. “Michael Jackson was the youngest and most talented of five brothers whom his father, Joseph, shaped into a dazzling group of child stars known as the Jackson 5” (Vincent). The world soon became aware of how talented this young Michael really was. “Jackson was one of the nation’s finest 1960s rhythm-and-blues vocalists
In 1964, Michael joined his older brothers in forming the group called the Jackson 5. The Jackson 5 was managed by their father Joseph, who began to book their performances. The group began performing at many clubs and bars eventually gaining attention from recording labels. In 1968, The Jackson 5 signed with Motown records. As the group progressed, Michael caught the eyes of most viewers with his amazingly smooth and soft melodic voice. His ability to capture so much emotion while he sang is what made him seem mature for his age, and interesting to watch. The Jackson 5 quickly climbed the charts producing number one hit singles,
In the late 1960s and early 1970s Motown released a new band called the Jackson 5. The band consisted of brothers Jermaine Jackson, Randy Jackson, Tito Jackson, Jackie Jackson, and Michael Jackson. They grew up and started their band in Gary, Indiana. Their father Joe Jackson was their manager, he was a “stern temperamental disciplinarian”. It was also his idea to get his kids into music because one day Joe came home and noticed that the boys where stealing his guitar and playing it without permission. However, he then realized his sons had serious talent, and from that day on he trained them.
Like many legendary performers before them, the Jackson 5 gained early recognition on the “chitlin’ circuit”, a loose association of theaters that held around 2,000-3,000 people located in inner-city neighborhoods that stretched from Kansas City to Washington D.C (Sullivan). Despite lacking experience, they would go onto win several amateur talents shows, which would help land them their first record deal with Gordon Keith of Steeltown Records. Most of the time the other acts on the bill were unknowns, but once in a while an established artist would grace the stage the same night as the Jacksons. This arrangement gave the upstarts, especially Michael, an opportunity to learn from the experienced players (Taraborrelli). They opened for and formed great friendships with the Temptations, the O’Jays, Sam & Dave, and Jackie Wilson. These relationships created the start of a valuable network, while also exposing the brothers to the realities of the entertainment world.
Michael Jackson, a man that changed the music world forever. Jackson made his professional singing debut in 1964 with his siblings in a band called the Jackson 5. Jackson made it big with Jackson 5 having many singles reach the top 100 in the United States. But, when Jackson decided to start his own solo career in 1971 we were seeing a side of Michael Jackson that we have never seen before. Most importantly Jackson 1982, mulit-platinum selling album Thriller. Michael Jackson broke music barriers and made a change for racial equality in the music industry.