William howard jarvis biography of michael jackson

Michael Jackson

Michael Joseph Jackson (born August 29, 1958) was an American singer and songwriter. He is the third youngest child of The Jackson Family of entertainers.

Early Life

Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana, near Chicago, on August 29, 1958. He was the eighth of ten children in the Jackson family, a working-class African-American family living in a two-bedroom house on Jackson Street. His mother, Katherine Esther Jackson (nee Scruse), played clarinet and piano, had aspired to be a country-and-western performer and worked part-time at Sears. She was a Jehovah's Witness. His father, Joseph Walter "Joe" Jackson, a former boxer, was a crane operator at U.S. Steel and played guitar with a local rhythm and blues band, the Falcons, to supplement the family's income. His father's great-grandfather, July "Jack" Gale, was a Native American medicine man and U.S. Army scout. Michael grew up with three sisters (Rebbie, LaToya and Janet) and five brothe

Written a year before his death:

Michael Jackson has been back in the spotlight this past month to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Thriller. He’s riding a wave of nostalgia powerful enough, it would seem, to make people forget/ignore what he’s become in the intervening years. People love Thriller (and what Thriller represents) THAT much!

Part of me is excited about this. I have been a devoted Michael Jackson fan since I first saw Captain EO as a six year-old, and it’s gratifying to see him recognized for something other than kookiness. And Thrilleris an incredible piece of work.

But there’s “another part of me”(!) that, frankly, resents the revival and sees it as fair-weather friendship, one that fundamentally misses the boat when it comes to the King of Pop.

What do I mean? For those of us interested in the practical ramifications of the Christian Gospel, AKA how judgment, demand, scrutiny and conversely, love, forgiveness, and mercy play out in everyday life–there is no more interesting case study than Michael Jackson. And not Thriller-era, I’m talking about Michael Jackson in the 90s. Dangerous-era, HIStory-era, Lisa Marie Presley-era, etc.

The 90s also happen to be my favorite period of MJ, when I would argue he produced much of his greatest music. This is a controversial opinion, so let’s be clear: Michael Jackson is strange, strange man, full of contradictions, and an undeniable megalomaniac. Deranged? Perhaps. I may have agreed with the not-guilty verdict re: the “allegations”, but I would never go so far as to label him innocent. Not knowing him personally, none of us are qualified comment more than that. Where I do feel qualified to comment, however, is his art: his music, his dancing, and his videos, but especially his music.

By

American singer (1958–2009)

For other uses, see Michael Jackson (disambiguation).

"King of Pop" redirects here. For other uses, see King of Pop (disambiguation).

Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant figures of the 20th century. Over a four-decade career, his world record music achievements broke racial barriers in America and made him a global figure. Through songs, stages, and fashion, he proliferated visual performance for artists in popular music; popularizing street dance moves including the moonwalk (which he named), the robot, and the anti-gravity lean. Guinness World Records named him the most successful entertainer of all time.

As part of the Jackson family, Michael at age six made his public debut in 1964 with his older brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and Marlon, as a member of the Jackson 5 (later known as the Jacksons). Th