[歌手介绍]

　　Michael Jackson was unquestionably the biggest pop star of the '80s, and certainly one of the most popular recording artists of all time. In his prime, Jackson was an unstoppable juggernaut, possessed of all the tools to dominate the charts seemingly at will: an instantly identifiable voice, eye-popping dance moves, stunning musical versatility, and loads of sheer star power. His 1982 blockbuster Thriller became the biggest-selling album of all time (probably his best-known accomplishment), and he was the first black artist to find stardom on MTV, breaking down innumerable boundaries both for his race and for music video as an art form.

　　Michael Joseph Jackson was born August 29, 1958. The fifth son of steelworker Joe Jackson, Michael displayed a talent for music and dance from an extremely young age. His father began to organize a family musical group around his three eldest sons in 1962, and Michael joined them the following year, quickly establishing himself as a dynamic stage performer. Dubbed the Jackson 5, the group signed to Motown in 1968 and issued their debut single in October 1969, when Michael was just 11 years old. "I Want You Back," "ABC," "The Love You Save," and "I'll Be There" all hit number one in 1970, making the Jackson 5 the first group in pop history to have their first four singles top the charts. Later in 1972, Jackson had his first number-one solo single, "Ben." In 1977, he met producer/composer Quincy Jones for the first time. With Jones producing, Jackson recorded his first solo album as an adult, Off the Wall.

　　Released in 1982, the Quincy Jones-produced Thriller refined the strengths of Off the Wall; the dance and rock tracks were more driving, the pop tunes and ballads softer and more soulful, and all of it was recognizably Michael. It was no surprise that Thriller was a hit; what was a surprise was its staying power. Jackson's duet with McCartney, "The Girl Is Mine," was a natural single choice, and it peaked at number two; then "Billie Jean" and the Van Halen track "Beat It" both hit number one, for seven and three weeks respectively.

　　Those latter two songs, as well as the future Top Five title track, had one important feature in common: Jackson supported them with elaborately conceived video clips that revolutionized the way music videos were made. The anti-gang-violence "Beat It" became an homage to West Side Story; and the ten-minute-plus clip for "Thriller" (routinely selected as the best video of all time) featured Jackson leading a dance troupe of rotting zombies, with loads of horror-film makeup and effects.

　　20世纪的流行乐坛群星璀璨，Micheal Jackson则是这100年间极具代表意义的歌手。1958年8月29日，Micheal Jackson出生于美国印每安纳州(Indiana)的工业小城镇加里市(Gray)。他是Micheal Jackson家族的第九个黑人成员。父亲约瑟夫是一家钢铁厂的吊车工，有一双能娴熟摆弄吉它的手。母亲凯瑟琳能唱许多早年的流行歌曲。父亲不在家的时候，孩子常从壁橱里拿出父亲的吉它学着弹唱，居然将父亲弹的曲子一首首全部都学会了。约瑟夫发现了孩子们的天赋，于是他买来了吉它、贝斯、音响放大器等乐器及设备，组建了一个家庭乐队，由嗓音优美的Micheal担任主唱。这个家庭乐队就是后来的 “杰克逊五兄弟”(Jackson Five)

　　1971年10月，13岁的Micheal Jackson推出了他很快成为热门歌曲的首支个人单曲《必须成功》（Got to be There），这是他单飞的起点。

　　1978年，Micheal Jackson的全新个人专辑《墙外》(off the Wall)，在不到一年的时间内就销出的1100万张，并在流行歌曲排行榜上一直停留了五年。

　　1982年11月，Micheal Jackson的新专辑《颤栗者》(Thriller)更使许多流行乐坛的纪录被推翻。

　　1985年3月，由众多名星参与的慈善义演《天下一家》（We Are the World）及其影带在全球推出。成为音乐界最为轰动的事件。这次义演是Micheal Jackson参与发起的。他因而成为具有强大影响力和号召力的“文化大使”。