At the age of 11, Jackson broke through to national success on the Motown label with the first of his four consecutive No 1 hits. "I want You Back" was followed by "Got to Be There", "Rockin Robin" and "Ben" in 1972.

In the early 1970s Jackson abandoned his solo career because the Jackson 5's popularity had declined. He assumed leadership of the group and they changed their name to the Jacksons. They slowly clawed their way back to popularity by writing their own material.

Jackson felt that he had done enough for his brothers and returned to his solo career in 1979. He joined forces with the legendary producer Quincy Jones and the two combined to make the brilliant Off the Wall album. The record was a mixture of mature driving dance songs such as "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough" and lush ballads like "She's Out of My Life". The album outsold any previous group or solo effort and spawned four Top 10 hits.

Jackson left his solo career again in 1981 and toured again with his brothers, but in 1982 he released Thriller, the biggest selling albums of all time with worldwide sales of over 20 million copies. He won several Grammy awards and became the most popular entertainer in the world. The record also had seven Top 10 hits and remains as one of the best pop albums of all time. Clearly Jackson had grown beyond his brothers, but he stayed with them for one more album and tour in 1984.

By this time Jackson was continually in the limelight. The press would not leave him alone. From plastic surgery to his home life with his animals, Jackson's life became a media circus. He was also accused of sexually abusing young boys, but nothing could be proved.

In 1987 Jackson released Bad, which was accompanied by a world tour sold and six million copies in America. Only six of its seven singles made the Top Ten, but five in a row hit No 1.

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

In 1995 Jackson released History, featuring a by a disc of greatest hits and on of new material. Michael Jackson remains as a music enigma and pop icon and will continue to serve his fans with outstanding material.