Michael Jackson

Michael Joseph Jackson was born as the eighth child of Joseph and Katherine Jackson in Gary, Indiana, on August 29, 1958, at 7:33 PM.[2] His mother, a Jehovah's Witness, played clarinet, cello, and piano, and had aspirations as a country-and-western performer. She also worked part-time at Sears.[3] His father, a former boxer, worked as a crane operator at US Steel, and was also a guitarist for local rhythm and blues band the Falcons.[4][3] Jackson grew up with three sisters (Rebbie, La Toya, and Janet) and five brothers (Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, and Randy).[4] A sixth brother, Marlon's twin Brandon, died shortly after his birth.[5]

Around 1962, Joe was harboring aspirations of musical stardom, so he shepherded his sons into a band, named the "Jackson Brothers". At that point, it was just Tito, Jackie, and Jermaine, but eventually, Jackson and his older brother, Marlon, joined them in 1964, as backup musicians playing congas and tambourine. Jackson said his father physically and emotionally abused him during rehearsals; he recalled Joe often sitting in a chair with a belt in his hand, prepared to punish any mistakes made.[6][7] Joe acknowledged that he regularly whipped Jackson, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and Marlon, however, denied that their father was abusive and said that the whippings, which had a deeper impact on Jackson because he was younger, kept them disciplined and out of trouble.[8] Jackson also said that during he was lonely and isolated in his youth days.[3]

In 1965, Jackson began sharing lead vocals with Jermaine, and around the same time, the group name was changed to The Jackson 5. The group won a talent show in the same year; Jackson performed the dance to Robert Parker's 1965 song "Barefootin'" and sang the Temptations' "My Girl".[9] From 1966 to 1968, The Jackson 5 toured the Midwest, frequently playing 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.[3][10] In August 1967, while touring the East Coast, they won a weekly amateur night concert at the Apollo Theater in Harlem.[3]

The first single from Thriller was "The Girl Is Mine". It made the impression that the album didn't suggest its adventure, though this was just Jackson playing it safe by releasing the McCartney duet. The second single on the other hand, "Billie Jean", forged ahead into new, unnamable territory. It was a absolute sucess, topping the charts in the U.S., U.K., Australia, and Canada. It was also one of the two songs that was #1 in the Billboard Hot 100. Some of its success can undoubtedly be credited to its striking music video, the first to break the fledgling MTV's then-unspoken racial barrier. Following "Billie Jean" was "Beat It", the other song that went #1 in the Billboard Hot 100. It was accompanied by an equally cinematic video, turned into an equally huge smash on MTV and helped push Thriller into the stratosphere. The next three singles: "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin''" "Human Nature" and "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)", kept Thriller at number one with its last single, the title track, being a huge sucess also, mostly due to the short film, Michael Jackson's Thriller.

Due to vitiligo universalis - a skin condition Jackson dealt with for years - Michael's skin began to slowly pale overtime, despite it previously leaving spots only. Additionally, surgeries he underwent through the years (in result of breathing issues and unsatisfaction with his appearance) led media to pick up on Jackson's changing looks, continuously mocking him, making up different speculations and conspiracy theories about him for years to come. As vitiligo patches further spread through his body, Michael became completely pale, which prompted tabloids to spread more false rumors on him. The public's view on Jackson changed overtime, as many accused him of racism, and supposedly making himself look pale on purpose. He spoke out against the claims in February 1993 during the Michael Jackson Talks ... to Oprah television special, revealing to the public for the first time, that for many years he's been struggling with Vitiligo.

Michael is a black man, but due to his vitiligo, his skin is white. He has dark brown eyes and smooth black hair, coming down to his shoulders. His voice is soft, polite, and he hardly yells. He considers himself a gentleman, despite the dirty lyrics to much of his music, and the dance moves he does. Faced with abuse from his father and stress from the public, he's had a lot of mental trauma.