As part of the Jackson 5, a group made up of his brothers, Michael Jackson was among the most popular singing stars of the '70s. On his own, he was the biggest pop star of the '80s. Michael Jackson was always the visual and vocal focus of the Jackson 5, who broke through to national success on the Motown label in 1970, when he was 11, with the first of four straight #1 hits, "I Want You Back." Michael was also promoted as a solo artist, and he scored his first hit, "Got to Be There," in 1971. Subsequent hits included his remake of "Rockin' Robin" and "Ben" in 1972.

Michael Jackson's and the Jackson 5 's fortunes declined somewhat after the early '70s, and the group moved to Epic at mid-decade, with Michael temporarily abandoning his solo career and subsuming his group leadership to other members of what was now called the Jacksons. The group gradually built back its popularity by writing its own material. Michael returned to solo work in 1979 with Off the Wall, a mature combination of driving dance songs ("Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough") and feelingly sung ballads ("She's Out of My Life") that outsold any previous group or solo effort, and spawned four Top Ten hits. Michael Jackson again recorded and toured with the Jacksons, but his next album, Thriller (1982), became a musical phenomenon. It was the biggest-selling album of all time, moving over 50 million copies world wide and including seven Top Ten hits. Clearly Michael had grown beyond his brothers, but he stayed with them for one more album and tour in 1984. His follow-up album, Bad (1987), accompanied by a solo world tour, sold over 30 million copies world wide. Six of nine singles hit #1 and the others all reached the Top Ten.

In late 1991, Michael Jackson returned with Dangerous, which, by 2002, had sold 30 million copies and spawned the hits "Black or White," "Remember the Time," "In the Closet," and "Jam." Jackson's second world tour, launched in Europe in June 1992, continued into 1993.

Although numerous rumors had circled around Jackson throughout his career, his reputation remained clean. It wasn't until 1993 that he suffered serious damage to his image. Jackson was accused of child abuse by a teenage friend, sparking a major media frenzy. Through it all, Jackson vehemently denied the accusations. The civil case was settled out of court in early 1994. Jackson began working on HIStory soon after the settlement. HIStory contained one disc of Jackson's greatest hits and one disc of new material. It was released on June 20, 1995.

2 years later, another collection was issued, 'Blood on the Dance Floor: History in the Mix,' which collected dance remixes of several of the new compositions on 'History,' as well as a few brand new tracks. In March of 2001, Jackson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but a broken foot prevented the 'King of Pop' from performing at the ceremony. Later in the year, a star-studded Michael Jackson tribute concert was booked for Madison Square Garden in New York City, including performances by Whitney Houston, Britney Spears, and Destiny's Child, among others, as well as appearances by such celebrities as Marlon Brando, Elizabeth Taylor, and Shaquille O'Neal. But the concert's biggest draw for many fans was when a full Jackson five reunion set was announced to be part of the show. A month before the show, a new Michael Jackson single was released to radio, "You Rock My World," with an all-new studio album, 'Invincible,' followed in October.

In 2003 a new compilation album titled "Number Ones" was released which features all of the King Of Pop's number 1 hits. 17 in total. A new song was also included and released as a single: "One More Chance".

The story continues...