Today marks the 50th Birthday for the “King Of Pop”, Michael Jackson. So much of what he’s done for music and entertainment still resonates today. You can say the name Michael Jackson to anyone, any age, anywhere in the world, and they’ll know who you’re talking about and can name at least one of his songs. He truly is the “King Of Pop”, and despite his weirdness now, and some of the negative things you hear, see and read about him, you can’t deny that the music he created is timeless.
Today, 91.5 The Beat honors the man with the sparkly white gloves and penny loafers that are perfect for moonwalking in. Listen to the 9 O’Clock Showdown tonight for a special edition version where two of MJ’s BIGGEST singles will go head to head, and you get to vote for your favorite one. Then on the Old School Sunday show, we’ll play one song per hour!
Some stats on Michael Jackson:
Born in Gary, Indiana
He is the 7th of 9 children
His professional debut came at the age of 11 as part of “The Jackson 5”
He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame, twice!
Five of his solo studio albums have become some of the world's best-selling records: Off the Wall (1979), Thriller (1982), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991) and HIStory (1995)
In 1982, he released “Thriller”. The album remained in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 for 80 consecutive weeks there and 37 of those weeks at the peak position. It was the first album to have seven Billboard Hot 100 top 10 singles, including "Billie Jean", "Beat It" and Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'. Thriller was certified for 27 million shipments by the RIAA, giving it Double Diamond status in the US. It is often cited as the best-selling album of all time, with worldwide sales between 47 million and 104 million copies.
Set Guinness World Records for Thriller, his 13 Grammy Awards, 13 Number One Singles, and the sale of over 750 Million albums worldwide!
His debut of the “Moonwalk” came in 1983 at the 25th Motown Anniversary special. His performance during the event was seen by 47 million viewers!
If you ever went to Disney Land or Disney World as a kid, you might remember seeing this 3-D movie at Epcot Center!
In addition to his record-setting success, MJ has been cited as an influence by many of today’s biggest pop/ R&B stars, including R. Kelly, Usher, Ne-Yo, Justin Timberlake, Chris Brown, even Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz and many more!
