Michael Jackson 2001: You Rock My World
 Michael Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana to a working-class family. He was the second-youngest brother of seven and the eighth of ten children of Joseph (Joe) and Katherine Jackson. Katherine, a Jehovah's Witness, raised the children in that faith, while Joe, who initially started studying with the Witnesses, eventually decided not to join. Jackson's father, a steel mill employee who often performed in an R&B band called The Falcons with his brother Luther, was a strict disciplinarian. Many of the Jackson children recall being spanked or whipped by their father for misbehaving. Jackson showed musical talent early on and joined his brothers when they formed a group in 1964.
During this period, the boys toured Indiana extensively, and after winning a major local talent show in 1966 with a rendition of The Temptations' My Girl, led by Michael, they began playing professional gigs in Chicago, Illinois and across the mid-eastern U.S. Many of these gigs were in a string of black clubs and venues collectively known as the chitlin' circuit, and the young kids sometimes had to open for strip teasers and other adult acts in order to earn money. The young Jackson had taken co-lead singing duties with brother Jermaine when the group's name changed from The Jackson Brothers to The Jackson 5 in 1966.
The group eventually auditioned for, and signed a contract with, Motown Records in 1968. They hit stardom with their first four singles, I Want You Back, ABC, The Love You Save, and I'll Be There, which charted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, the first time ever a group had pulled off that feat. As a solo artist, Jackson released a total of four studio albums with Motown, among them Got to Be There in 1971 and Ben in the following year. These were released as part of the Jackson 5 franchise and produced successful singles such as Got to Be There, Ben, and a remake of Bobby Day's Rockin' Robin.
The group's sales declined after 1973 and they chafed under Motown's strict refusal to allow them creative control or input. In 1976, the group signed a new contract with CBS Records (first joining the Philadelphia International division and then Epic Records). When this became apparent to Motown Records, they sued the group for breach of contract.
As a result of the legal proceedings, which were complicated further by the fact that Jermaine Jackson was married to the daughter of Motown president (Berry Gordy), the Jacksons lost the rights to use the Jackson 5 name and logo. Jermaine left the group, choosing to stay at Motown. They changed their name to The Jacksons, featuring youngest brother Randy in Jermaine's place, and continued their successful career, touring internationally and releasing six more albums between 1976 and 1984, with Jermaine eventually re-joining in 1983, making them a sextet. From 1976 to 1984, Michael was the lead songwriter of the group, laying down such hits as Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground), This Place Hotel, and Can You Feel It. In 1978, Jackson starred as the scarecrow in The Wiz with former-label mate Diana Ross playing Dorothy. The songs for the musical were arranged by Quincy Jones, who established a partnership with Jackson during the film's production and agreed to produce his first solo album in four years.
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