Most preteen show business personalities fade from the spotlight upon reaching adolescence. But not Michael Jackson. He first earned fame during the late 1960s as the lead singer of The Jackson Five, a pop-rock group featuring Michael and four of his five brothers. The Jackson Five enjoyed a series of smash-hit records. Young Michael—still in elementary school—was acknowledged as among the era's finest rhythm and blues (R&B; see entry under 1940s—Music in volume 3) vocalists.

While barely out of his teens, Jackson began to be marketed as a solo performer. He appeared as the scarecrow in the 1978 screen adaptation of The Wiz. A hit Broadway musical, The Wiz was an all-black-cast version of the classic Hollywood musical The Wizard of Oz (1939; see last two entries under 1930s—Film and Theater in volume 2). Hit singles and albums followed. His 1983 album Thriller sold...