Michael Jackson

About

From Wikipedia:

Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, and dancer. Dubbed the “King of Pop”, he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century and one of the greatest entertainers in the history of music. Through stage and video performances, he popularized complicated dance techniques such as the moonwalk, to which he gave the name. His sound and style have influenced artists of various genres. Jackson’s contributions to music, dance, and fashion, along with his publicized personal life, made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades.

The eighth child of the Jackson family, Jackson made his professional debut in 1964 with his elder brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, and Marlon as a member of the Jackson 5. Jackson began his solo career in 1971 while at Motown Records, and rose to solo stardom with his fifth studio album Off the Wall (1979) during the peak of disco. By the early 1980s, Jackson became a dominant figure in popular music. His music videos, including those for “Beat It”, “Billie Jean”, and “Thriller” from his sixth studio album Thriller (1982), are credited with breaking racial barriers and transforming the medium into an art form and promotional tool. Their popularity helped propel Jackson and the television channel MTV into prominent highlights of 1980s pop culture. At the 26th Grammy Awards, Thriller won a record-breaking eight Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year. Jackson continued to innovate with videos including “Leave Me Alone” and “Smooth Criminal” from Bad (1987), “Black or White” and “Remember the Time” from Dangerous (1991), “Scream” from HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (1995) and “Ghosts” from the remix album Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix (1997). With songs such as “Man in the Mirror”, “Black or White”, “Heal the World”, “Earth Song” and “They Don’t Care About Us”, Jackson’s music emphasized racial integration, environmentalism and fighting against prejudice and injustice. […]

Jackson is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with estimated sales of over 350 million records worldwide. His albums Off the Wall (1979), Thriller (1982), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991), and HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (1995), rank among the best-selling of all time. Thriller is the best-selling album of all time, with estimated sales of 66 million copies worldwide. Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix (1997) is the best-selling remix album of all time. Bad was the first album to produce five Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles. Jackson had 13 Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles, more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era, and was also the first artist to have a top ten single in the Billboard Hot 100 in five different decades. He won more awards than any other artist in the history of popular music, has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, and is the only recording artist to have been inducted into the National Museum of Dance and Hall of Fame. His other achievements include 39 Guinness World Records, including the Most Successful Entertainer of All Time, 26 American Music Awards, 16 World Music Awards, 13 Grammy Awards, as well as the Grammy Legend and Lifetime Achievement awards, 11 MTV Video Music Awards, 6 Brit Awards, and a Golden Globe Award. In 2016, his estate earned $825 million, the highest yearly amount for a celebrity ever recorded by Forbes.

[…] Jackson collaborated with Paul McCartney in the early 1980s, and learned that McCartney was making $40 million a year from owning the rights to other artists’ songs. By 1983, Jackson had begun buying publishing rights to others’ songs, but he was careful with his acquisitions, only bidding on a few of the dozens that were offered to him. Jackson’s early acquisitions of music catalogs and song copyrights such as the Sly Stone collection included “Everyday People” (1968), Len Barry’s “1-2-3” (1965), and Dion DiMucci’s “The Wanderer” (1961) and “Runaround Sue” (1961).

In 1984 Robert Holmes à Court announced he was selling the ATV Music Publishing catalog comprising the publishing rights to nearly 4000 songs, including most of the Beatles’ material. In 1981, McCartney had been offered the catalog for £20 million ($40 million). Jackson submitted a bid of $46 million on November 20, 1984. When Jackson and McCartney were unable to make a joint purchase, McCartney did not want to be the sole owner of the Beatles’ songs, and did not pursue an offer on his own. Jackson’s agents were unable to come to a deal, and in May 1985 left talks after having spent more than $1 million and four months of due diligence work on the negotiations. In June 1985, Jackson and Branca learned that Charles Koppelman’s and Marty Bandier’s The Entertainment Company had made a tentative offer to buy ATV Music for $50 million; in early August, Holmes à Court contacted Jackson and talks resumed. Jackson’s increased bid of $47.5 million was accepted because he could close the deal more quickly, having already completed due diligence. Jackson also agreed to visit Holmes à Court in Australia, where he would appear on the Channel Seven Perth Telethon. Jackson’s purchase of ATV Music was finalized on August 10, 1985. […]

From paulmccartney.com, June 26, 2009:

It’s so sad and shocking. I feel privileged to have hung out and worked with Michael. He was a massively talented boy man with a gentle soul. His music will be remembered forever and my memories of our time together will be happy ones. I send my deepest sympathy to his mother and the whole family and to his countless fans all around the world.

Paul McCartney

From paulmccartney.com, July 4, 2009:

I first heard from Michael when he phoned me over the Christmas holiday season in 1980 and my initial reaction was ‘who is this and how did he get my private telephone number?’. Michael laughed and explained who it was and, as we talked and I asked him why he was ringing, he said ‚’Do you wanna make some hits?’ and that was the start of our adventure together. He came over to England with his close friend and minder, Billy and they visited our house in the country many times as Michael and I put together the ideas for our songs together. First of all, we came up with and finished an idea for a song I had started which became Say Say Say. We recorded in Air Studios, London with George Martin producing and eventually went to California to make the video for the song. Funnily enough, I was staying at the ranch that Michael later bought and made into Neverland. My memories are of his great sense of humour and we seemed to spend most of the time playing around and having a laugh. He became very friendly with my family and we had lots of great times together. Although we drifted apart in later years I will always remember fondly the fun we had working and playing together. My family and I send our deepest condolences to his family and, like them, we know that his great talent will never be forgotten.

Paul McCartney

Last updated on April 29, 2023