Michael Jackson, 1984. Photo taken by Lynn Goldsmith. This 16” by 20” archival digital print was valued at between US$2,200 and US$2,800 and sold for US$2,375 including premium at Antiquorum’s October 2013 auction in New York. Photo: Antiquorum.
It would have been the 59th birthday for the King of Pop on 29 August 2017. We thought it would be interesting and good to honour the late Michael Jackson (29 August 1958 to 25 June 2009) by recalling what took place to commemorate his birthday a year ago, between July and August 2016, as well as to take a look at his achievements.
The events last year included birthday celebrations by Michael Jackson ONE and the Estate of Michael Jackson at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, USA.
Michael Jackson ONE is an ongoing musical production by Cirque du Soleil at Mandalay Bay in partnership with the Estate of Michael Jackson.
In July 2016, Michael Jackson’s HIStory statue, on loan from the Estate of Michael Jackson, was unveiled at the main lobby of the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino. The statue stands at the height of 10 foot (3.05 metres) with Michael Jackson wearing bandoliers. Photo: LVCVA
In July 2016, cast members of Michael Jackson ONE performed to his song, “Scream”, at the main lobby of the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino after unveiling Michael Jackson’s HIStory statue.
The statue stands at the height of 10 foot (3.05 metres) and is on loan from the Estate of Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson’s HIStory statue depicts him wearing bandoliers.
Video courtesy of LVCVA
The image of the statue was used for his album HIStory: Past, Present & Future, Book I that was released in 1995. “Scream” is the first single from the HIStory album. It is said that 20 million copies of this album were sold.
Michael Jackson, New York City, 1994. This image, taken by Timothy White with a RZ67 camera using Tri-x B&W negative film, was shot for Michael Jackson’s HIStory album cover. The 20″ by 24” archival digital print was valued at between US$1,500 and US$2,400 and sold for US$1,625 including premium at Antiquorum’s October 2013 auction in New York. Photo: Antiquorum.
By far, the most popular Michael Jackson album is Thriller, released in 1982. Guinness World Records states that Thriller is the world’s best-selling album with more than 65 million units sold. This number is based on an article written by Matt White of Guinness World Records (1984: Best-selling Album of All Time, 18 August 2015).
Source: YouTube
White adds that Thriller sold 1.27 million copies in the United States in 2009 alone, the year Michael Jackson passed on, “proving beyond doubt that Jackson’s music lives on in the hearts and minds of his adoring fans.”
“There will never be another performer like Michael Jackson, and on a number of levels, there will surely never be another like Thriller,” he concludes.
Michael Jackson’s songs and legacy also explain the Michael Jackson ONE musical production.
Five years after Thriller, there was Bad (1987), of which 30 million copies were reportedly sold. Not bad, considering that it is one of Michael Jackson’s top 5 albums.
Source: YouTube
Michael Jackson’s Off the Wall, produced in 1979, was his fifth solo album album and is said to have sold more than 20 million copies.
In 1974, Michael Jackson (seen opening a birthday card) celebrated his 16th birthday in Las Vegas, after a performance by the Jackson 5 at the MGM Grand. Photo: Herb Herpelsheimer/Las Vegas News Bureau
Speaking of the 1970s, it was in 1974 that Michael Jackson celebrated his 16th birthday in Las Vegas. This was after a performance by the Jackson 5 at the MGM Grand. The black and white photos of Michael Jackson with his birthday cake together with his sisters and brothers, were taken by Las Vegas News Bureau photographer Herb Herpelsheimer.
In 1974, after a performance by the Jackson 5 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Michael Jackson celebrated his 16th birthday together with his sisters and brothers. Photo: Herb Herpelsheimer/Las Vegas News Bureau
Yes, this article’s headline was inspired by Michael Jackson’s 1992 single “Remember the Time” from his eighth studio album, “Dangerous”.
Source: YouTube