Although, the life of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson has a long list of achievements and it’s difficult to pick few of them but we have tried our best to enlist the top 10 achievements of Jackson’s career that majorly contributed towards his reputation and fan following.
Not all of them are monetary but also some of these achievements are due to his immensely friendly and kind nature towards the people including the fellow artists as well as the people in need. Michael has donated millions of dollars to the charity. His songs including “Heal the World” and “Earth Song” are part the evidence of his love towards the Earth and its creatures.
1. Eight Grammy Awards in 2 hours
The 1980s was a golden decade for Mr. Jackson. There’s a long list of his achievements in that era but the most popular happened to be during the Grammy Awards Ceremony on 28th Feb 1984 where Michael won 8 awards majorly for the “Thriller” album. His pairing with Quincy Jones has always resulted in wonders. At such a young age, when he was just 25 years old, he was a threat to many senior artists of that time.
2. Artist of the Century
Not for a year or a decade but MJ has been known by us as the “Artist of the Century”. The world knew it that from the very beginning that the baby Michael who used to sing and dance with his brothers will leave the world speechless with his legacy but on 9th January 2002, the world saw him receiving the American Music Award for being the Artist of the Century and that is when we had a quick flashback over the unforgettable achievements of MJ throughout his career.
3. We Are the World – Charity supergroup of 45 singers
Michael gathered 45 singers accompanying him in singing “We are the World” to be released on 7th March 1985 for a great social cause that was to help the victims of famine in Ethiopia. The song was a huge success and was sold enormously. The singers included Lionel Richie, Diana Ross, Cyndi Lauper, Stevie Wonder and other fellow artists. For the chorus, the Jackson brothers were also there. The song earned 63 million USD.
4. Received twice in Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
We can observe Michael Jackson’s name in the list of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees not only once but twice. In 1997, the Jacksons were inducted and in 2001, Michael being a solo artist was again inducted and according to him, it was an honor and a great pleasure to be blessed with this achievement again after 4 years. At the occasion, Michael stated that he owes Barry Gordy so much for his success. He also thanked Quincy Jones, Diana Ross and other close friends for the support.
5. Super Bowl 27 Performance
Michael Jackson was an initiative person and one of the examples of this trait of MJ is his Live performance in Super Bowl on 31st January 1993 and enlisted his name on the top of a list of the solo artists who performed during the halftime of Super Bowl. Michael sang his best songs including “Billie Jean”,”Jam”,”Heal the World” and “Black or White”. Since then, the ratings for the Super Bowl halftime got increased.
6. Best selling artist of all time
After The Beatles on the top and Elvis Presley on the 2nd position, Michael Jackson is the top 3rd artist among the best selling artists of all time with an active period of 45 years having maximum sales of 350 million (minimum 300 million). Jackson’s first solo single “Got to be there” was released in 1971 and became his first charted record. Whether in the group or as a solo artist, Michael has always been awesome and special.
7. Grammy Living Legend Award
What’s more special than taking an award from your own sister’s hand? The King of Pop took this honor at a pleasant night of 24th February 1993 while receiving the Grammy Living Legend Award from Janet Jackson. MJ became one of the 15 artists that have received this precious award. The world has known him as one of the biggest influencers of the music industry whose legacy is unbeatable and he himself is immortal.
8. Jackson 5’s Four debut singles on the chart
Michael Jackson being a preteen, became the reason for the four singles of Jackson 5 to be on the Billboard chart. “I want you back”,”ABC”,”I’ll be There” and “ The Love You Save” are the songs that lead the Jackson brothers to the peaks of success and it was majorly because of the melodious voice of the young Michael that captured the hearts of the people when he used to perform with a smile on his face.
9. Billie Jean – first music video by a black singer to be aired
Michael Jackson opened the way for many black artists towards the music industry and his role in encouraging the black musicians and singers is something we can’t deny. Before “Billie Jean” was aired on MTV, no music video of a black artist was shown on TV before which is a great achievement of young Michael whose “Thriller” album was released only to break the records and to win the hearts.
10. Patented Special Boots
Leaning forward 45 degrees, it’s only Michael Jackson that always had something special for his fans in his music videos. The boots worn by Mr. Jackson were specially designed for “Smooth Criminal” music video and were patented. He also wore those shoes while performing in live music concerts.
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