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With a rousing, "Ow!" and spirited "Shamon!" Michael Jackson
moonwalked his way to become the biggest superstar of the '80s. With an
electrifying stage presence, the biggest selling album of all time (Thriller
- 47m copies worldwide) and a somewhat eccentric private life, Jackson was
the quintessential pop star but a troubled one - a larger than life Peter
Pan figure, sheltered from real life by the greasepaint and glamour of
showbiz.
Michael Joseph Jackson was born on August 29, 1958 in Gary,
Indiana, the fifth son of steelworker and strict disciplinarian Joe Jackson.
Joe began to organise a group around his sons Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and
Marlon in 1962. Michael would join them the following year, aged 4, quickly
establishing himself as a dynamic stage performer, mimicking the whirling
dervish moves of his hero James Brown. The Jackson 5 signed to Motown in
1968 and released their debut single, I Want You Back in 1969. That song and
following singles ABC, The Love You Save and I'll Be There all hit No. 1 in
the US in 1970, making the Jackson 5 the first group in pop history to have
their first four singles top the charts. |
(
Nov 2, 2006 )
