August 29, 1958
Forty-five years ago today, Michael Joseph Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana. Before becoming “The King of Pop,” Michael began performing with his four brothers in their group The Jackson 5. Michael’s singing and dancing talents were amazingly mature and he soon became the dominant voice of The Jackson 5. The group scored its first No. 1 single in 1969 with “I Want You Back,” and by age 14 Michael had released his first solo album.
Michael saw continued success with several solo albums in the ’70s, but his breakthrough came in 1979 with Off the Wall. It made him the first solo artist to score four Top 10 hits from one album. In 1983 Thriller became the best-selling album of all time, selling 45 million copies worldwide. This time, he scored seven Top 10 singles, and the album won eight Grammys. Michael continued releasing smash records with Bad in 1987 and Dangerous in 1991.
