Michael Jackson was an African-American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was born August 29, 1958 in Gary, Indiana. Jackson was the 8th child out of 10 children in his family. In 1965, his family band, originally known as the Jackson Brothers, became known as the popular band “The Jackson 5”. From 1966 to 1968 they toured the Midwest, frequently performing 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 band eventually signed with Motown in 1969 and ended up leaving Gary, Indiana to move to Los Angeles, California. About 6 years later, in 1975, the band signed with Epic Records and changed the band name, yet again, to “The Jacksons”.

Michael later went on to be a part of charity events such as “We Are The World” which grossed roughly $63 Million for famine relief and became one of the best selling singles of all time with about20 million copies sold.

Jackson unfortunately passed away on June 25, 2009 from Cardiac Arrest.