Coordinates	33°51′35.9″N151°12′40″N
name	Louis J. Pearlman
background	non_performing_personnel
birth name	Louis Jay Pearlman
alias	Big Poppa Incognito Johnson.
born	June 19, 1954Flushing, Queens, NY, U.S.
religion	Jewish
genre	Dance-popBoy band
occupation	ProducerManagerconfidence trickster (convicted)
years active	1993–2006
label	Trans Continental Records
associated acts	Backstreet Boys*NSYNC,O-TownLFOTake 5NaturalUS5,Jordan KnightAaron CarterSmilez and SouthstarC-Note Marshall Dyllon Adams Hambüger-Hatt Innosense }}

Louis Jay "Lou" Pearlman (born June 19, 1954) is a former impresario of the successful 1990s boy bands the Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, Take 5 and O-Town. In 2006 it was discovered that Pearlman had perpetrated one of the largest and longest-running Ponzi schemes in American history, leaving more than $300 million in debts. After getting caught on the run, and pleading guilty to conspiracy, money laundering and making false statements during a bankruptcy proceeding, in 2008 Pearlman was convicted and sentenced to (up to) 25 years.

Early life and career

Lou Pearlman was born and raised in Flushing, Queens, the only child of Jewish parents Hy Pearlman, who ran a dry cleaning business, and Reenie Pearlman, a school lunchroom aide. Pearlman is the first cousin of Art Garfunkel. His home at Mitchell Gardens Apartments was located across from Flushing Airport, where he and childhood friend Alan Gross would watch blimps take off and land. According to Pearlman's autobiography, Bands, Brands, & Billions, it was during this period he used his position on his school newspaper to earn credentials and get his first ride in a blimp. (This version of events is disputed by Gross, who claims he was the school reporter, and allowed Pearlman to tag along.)

His cousin Garfunkel's fame and wealth helped fire Pearlman's own interest in the music business. As a teenager he managed a band, but when success in music proved elusive, he turned his attention to aviation. During his first year as a student at Queens College, Pearlman wrote a business plan for a class project based on the idea of a helicopter taxi service in New York City. By the late 1970s, he had launched the business based on his business plan, starting with one helicopter. He convinced German businessman Theodor Wüllenkemper to train him on blimps and subsequently spent some time at Wüllenkemper's facilities in Germany learning about the airships.

Suspicions of insurance fraud and pump & dump

Returning to the United States, Pearlman formed Airship Enterprises Ltd, which leased a blimp to Jordache before actually owning one. He used the funds from Jordache to construct a blimp, which promptly crashed. The two parties sued each other, and seven years later Pearlman was awarded $2.5 million in damages. On the advice of a friend, Pearlman started a new company, Airship International, taking it public to raise the $3 million he needed to purchase a blimp, claiming (falsely) that he had a partnership with Wüllenkemper. He leased the blimp to McDonald's, for advertising.

He then relocated Airship International to Orlando in July 1991, where he signed MetLife and Sea World as clients for his blimps. Airship International suffered when one of its clients left, and three of the aircraft crashed. The company's stock, once pumped up to $6 a share dropped to 3 cents and the company was shut down:

Entertainment industry career

Pearlman became fascinated with the success of the New Kids on the Block, who had made hundreds of millions of dollars in record, tour and merchandise sales. Thus he started Trans Continental Records with the intent of mimicking their boy-band business model. The label's first band, the Backstreet Boys, consisted of five unknown performers selected by Lou in a $3 million talent search. Management duties were assigned to a former New Kids on the Block manager, Johnny Wright, and his wife Donna. The Boys went on to sell 100 million albums worldwide, hitting gold and platinum in 45 different countries. Pearlman and the Wrights then repeated this formula almost exactly with the band *NSync, which sold over 56 million records globally.

With these two major successes under his belt, Pearlman had become a music mogul. Other boy bands managed by Pearlman were O-Town (created during the ABC–MTV reality TV series Making the Band), LFO, Take 5, Natural, and US5, as well as the girl group Innosense, together with Lynn Harless. Other artists on the Trans Continental label included Aaron Carter, Adams Hambüger-Hatt, Jordan Knight, Smilez & Southstar and C-Note. Pearlman also owned a large entertainment complex in Orlando, including a recording studio he called Trans Continental Studios, and a dance studio by Disney World named "O-Town".

Lou Pearlman also was an officer at TAG Entertainment.The independent film company TAG Entertainment produced some low budget yet profitable movies and DVDs. Pearlman presented himself as working to create an ethical and wholesome New Wave of Hollywood film making, along with others who actually worked on the movie projects for much less than what they would normally charge.

Band lawsuits

With the exception of US5, all of the musical acts who have worked with Pearlman have sued him in Federal Court for misrepresentation and fraud. All cases against Pearlman have either been won by those who have brought lawsuits against him, or have been settled out of court. All cases have also ended with a confidentiality agreement, meaning none of the parties are allowed to discuss Pearlman's practices in detail.

The members of Backstreet Boys were the first to file a lawsuit against Pearlman, feeling that their contract — under which Pearlman collected as both manager and producer — was unfair, since Pearlman was also paid as a sixth member of the Backstreet Boys (i.e., one-sixth of the band's own income). The band's dissatisfaction began when member Brian Littrell hired a lawyer to determine why the group had received only $300,000 for all of their work, while Pearlman and his record company had made millions. Fellow boy band *NSYNC was having similar issues with Pearlman, and its members soon followed suit.

At the age of 14, pop star Aaron Carter filed a lawsuit in 2002 that accused Pearlman and Trans Continental Records of cheating him out of hundreds of thousands of dollars and of racketeering in a deliberate pattern of criminal activity. This suit was later settled out of court.

Talent scouting scandal

In September 2002, Pearlman purchased Mark Tolner's internet-based talent company, Options Talent Group f/k/a Sector Communications (previously named Emodel and Studio 58), which would then go through several names including Trans Continental Talent, TCT, Wilhelmina Scouting Network (WSN), Web Style Network, Fashion Rock and Talent Rock. Regardless of the name, all incarnations were based on the business model used by Emodel founder Ayman el Difrawi (aka Alec Defrawy), himself a convicted conman, who played a principal role in running Options / TCT / WSN and setting up Fashion Rock. The companies received unfavorable press attention, ranging from questions about their business practices to outright declarations that they were scams.

After Hotjobs and Monster.com pulled over a thousand of the company's job ads from their boards, they were further advertised on the Difrawi-founded "Industry Magazine" website. The Better Business Bureau's opinion about Options / TCT / WSN was negative (a "pattern of complaints concerning misrepresentation in selling practices"). The New York State Consumer Protection Board issued an alert, naming it the largest example they had found of a photo mill scam (in which agencies force models to shoot portfolios with photographers on their own payrolls), and a State Senator called it trying "to make a quick, dishonest dollar".

The San Francisco labor Commissioner declared it in violation of California law, and several state agencies were reported to be investigating. In Florida, around 2,000 complaints were filed with the then-Attorney General Charlie Crist and the Better Business Bureau, and an investigation was started by Assistant AG Dowd. However, no charges were filed, as the newly appointed Assistant AG MacGregor was unable to find "any substantial violations" and the company had declared bankruptcy, "leaving no deep pockets to collect damages from."

By June 2004, Fashion Rock, LLC had filed a civil suit for defamation against some who had criticized Pearlman's talent businesses and outed suspicions of bankruptcy fraud. The case was dismissed and closed in 2006. One of the accused, Canadian consumer-fraud expert Les Henderson, successfully pursued a libel lawsuit against Pearlman, Tolner, El-Difrawi and several others.

Fashion Rock, LLC lived on until February 2, 2007, when its assets were sold in Pearlman's bankruptcy proceeding. Mr. Difrawi currently runs Softrock.org and OMG Talent, from the same address as former TCT.

Allegations of inappropriate sexual conduct

The November 2007 issue of Vanity Fair magazine reported claims of inappropriate sexual conduct made in interviews with several former and current boy band members, and male employees of Pearlman's. Many of the men had lived in Lou's Florida mansion, where the inappropriate conduct was alleged to have taken place, but none were willing to come forward publicly, and no charges were ever filed. Backstreet Boy Nick Carter's mother, Jane Carter, told the magazine: “Certain things happened and it almost destroyed our family. I tried to warn everyone. I tried to warn all the mothers." She said, "I tried to expose him for what he was years ago".

In a January 2009 interview on the Howard Stern show, LFO frontman Rich Cronin (now deceased) described Pearlman's alleged inappropriate sexual conduct. However, fellow LFO band member, Brad Fischetti, expressed sympathy for "his friend" Lou Pearlman in a 2007 AOL.Music interview, and doesn't mention anything about sexual inappropriateness. Nick Carter hasn't confirmed his mother's statements regarding Pearlman, and in a later interview, when asked if true (choosing his words carefully), he seemed to hint that bitterness may be a motivating factor for the sexual gossip. In an interview conducted by the Orlando Sentinel, openly gay former *NSYNC member Lance Bass, when asked about the Vanity Fair article, stated that Pearlman had never behaved inappropriately with them.

The Ponzi scheme

However, it was not the allegations of sexual conduct, but rather allegations of a Ponzi scheme that would prove to be Pearlman's downfall. In 2006 investigators discovered Pearlman had perpetrated a long running Ponzi scheme that defrauded investors out of $300 million. For more than 20 years Pearlman enticed individuals and banks to invest in Trans Continental Airlines Travel Services Inc. and Trans Continental Airlines Inc., both of which existed only on paper. Pearlman used falsified Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, AIG and Lloyd's of London documents to win investors' confidence in his "Employee Investment Savings Account" (EISA) program and he used fake financial statements created by a fictitious accounting firm Cohen and Siegel to secure bank loans.

Investigation

In February 2007, Florida regulators announced that Pearlman's Trans Continental Savings Program was indeed a massive fraud and the state took possession of the company. Most of the at least $95 million which was collected from investors was gone. Orange County Circuit Judge Renee Roche ordered Pearlman and two of his associates, Robert Fischetti and Michael Crudelle, to bring back to the United States "any assets taken abroad which were derived from illegal transactions."

Arrest

Following a flight from officials, Pearlman was arrested in Indonesia on June 14, 2007 after being spotted by a German tourist couple. Pearlman was then indicted by a federal grand jury on June 27, 2007. Specifically Pearlman was charged with three counts of bank fraud, one count of mail fraud and one count of wire fraud.

Conviction and sentencing

On May 21, 2008, Pearlman was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison, after pleading guilty to charges of conspiracy, money laundering, and making false statements during a bankruptcy proceeding. U.S. District Judge G. Kendall Sharp gave Pearlman the chance to cut his prison time, by offering to reduce the sentence by one month for every million dollars he helps a bankruptcy trustee recover. He also ordered that individual investors are to be paid before institutions in distributing any eventual assets.

Pearlman is currently serving his sentence with a release date of March 24, 2029.

References

External links

Lou Pearlman case

Page Six Story on Pearlman

Interview, HitQuarters Jul 2005

CNBC "American Greed" program which describes the massive fraud and Ponzi scheme, victim outrage at the federal offer to reduce Pearlman's sentence, his proposed "Jailhouse Rock" (gag) reality series and discusses the issue of sex with underage boys.

Books

Category:American money launderers Category:American music industry executives Category:American record producers Category:American white-collar criminals Category:American fraudsters Category:Confidence tricksters Category:People from Queens Category:Pyramid and Ponzi schemes Category:Show business scandals Category:1954 births Category:Living people Category:American Jews Category:American people convicted of fraud

de:Lou Pearlman es:Lou Pearlman fr:Lou Pearlman it:Lou Pearlman nl:Lou Pearlman pl:Louis Pearlman pt:Lou Pearlman simple:Lou Pearlman fi:Lou Pearlman

Coordinates	33°51′35.9″N151°12′40″N
Name	Aaron Carter
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Aaron Charles Carter
Birth date	December 07, 1987
Origin	Tampa, Florida, United States
Genre	Pop, dance-pop, hip hop
Occupation	Singer, rapper, songwriter, actor, dancer
Instrument	Vocals
Years active	1997–present
Label	Edel Music America, Jive/Zomba, Sony BMG
Website	Official Aaron Carter MySpace }}

Aaron Charles Carter (born December 7, 1987) is an American singer. He came to fame as a pop and hip hop singer in the late 1990s, establishing himself as a star among pre-teen and teenage audiences during the early-first decade of the 21st century.

Life and career

Carter was born at the Tampa General Hospital in Tampa, Florida, where his parents ran the Garden Villa Retirement Home; the family was originally from upstate New York, where his brother Nick, of the boy band Backstreet Boys, was born. Aside from his older brother Nick, he also has three sisters: twin sister Angel (a model), BJ and Leslie. Carter is named after his maternal grandfather Douglas "Charles" Spaulding and paternal grandfather (Aaron Charles Carter). Carter attended the Frank D. Miles Elementary School and the Ruskin School in Florida. Carter has said that the mood in his home was often tense because of his parents' divorce. His parents would often argue about his money and Carter would often be in the middle of the fight, trying to stop it. Carter later felt that he was pushed into show business when he was too young.

Carter began his performing career at the age of seven, as the lead singer of a local band, Dead End. He left the band after two years because they were leaning towards alternative music and he wanted to do pop. He made his first solo appearance, singing a cover of The Jets' "Crush on You", when opening for the Backstreet Boys in Berlin in March 1997. The performance was followed by a record contract, and in the fall of 1997, he released his first single, "Crush on You". His first full-length album was released on December 1, 1997. The eponymous debut album achieved gold status in Norway, Spain, Denmark, Canada, and Germany, and was released in the United States on June 16, 1998.

His next album, Aaron's Party (Come Get It) was released in the United States on September 26, 2000 under the Jive label. The album sold more than 1.5 million copies in the United States. The album included the hit singles, "I Want Candy", Aaron's Party (Come Get It)", "That's How I Beat Shaq" and "Bounce". In March 2001, he made his acting debut by guest starring on an episode of the Disney Channel series Lizzie McGuire. That same month, he and fellow teen star Samantha Mumba performed a concert on Disney Channel titled Aaron Carter and Samantha Mumba In Concert. In April 2001, he made his Broadway debut, playing JoJo the Who in Seussical the Musical by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty.

At the age of 13, Carter recorded the album Oh Aaron, which was released on August 7, 2001 and featured his first duet recording with his brother, Nick. Play Along Toys also created an Aaron Carter action figure in conjunction with the album's release. Carter's parents filed a lawsuit against his former manager, Lou Pearlman (now in federal prison for major fraud), in 2002 alleging failure to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in royalties on Carter's 1998 album, which was released through Pearlman's label and production company, Trans Continental. On March 13, 2003, Pearlman was declared in contempt of court for ignoring a court order to produce documents relating to royalty payments.

Carter's next album, Another Earthquake, was released on September 3, 2002, during the "Rock, Rap, and Retro" tour. The album featured the patriotic-themed "America A.O." and the ballad "Do You Remember". Carter's Most Requested Hits, a collection including tracks from his last three albums as well as a new single, "One Better", was released on November 3, 2003. Carter dated actresses Hilary Duff and Lindsay Lohan at the time, resulting in a high profile feud between the two.

"Saturday Night", which was released on March 22, 2005 and was promoted by Carter during his summer 2005 Remix Tour. The song was released by Trans Continental label, with Lou Pearlman as executive producer. The single was also featured in the soundtrack of the film Popstar, in which Carter starred. The direct-to-video film was based heavily on his own life as a performer. A real-life motocross racer, Carter also appeared in 2005's Supercross. On March 21, 2006, Trans Continental filed a lawsuit against Carter within the Los Angeles Superior Court, citing that Carter allegedly reneged on a recording deal. Carter had signed the contract on December 7, 2004, when he was 17 and underage. His attorney however stated that Carter had the right to "cancel or void various agreements" that were signed when he was a minor.

Carter and his siblings starred in a reality show, House of Carters, which ran in October–November 2006 on E!. The series features all five Carter siblings reuniting to live in the same house. On September 18, 2006, it was reported that Carter was engaged to former beauty queen and Playboy model Kari Ann Peniche. US Weekly later reported that Carter had broken off his engagement to Peniche, saying he was impulsive in proposing to her. On February 21, 2008, Carter was arrested in Kimble County, Texas, when he was pulled over for speeding, and authorities found less than two ounces of marijuana in his car. Carter joined season 9 primetime reality series, Dancing with the Stars. On November 10, 2009 he was eliminated from the show along with his partner Karina Smirnoff. They finished in fifth place.

{|class="wikitable" |- style="text-align:Center; background:#ccc; background:#ccc;" | rowspan="2"|Week # | rowspan="2"|Dance/Song | colspan="3"|Judges' score | rowspan="2"|Result |- style="text-align:center; background:#ccc; background:#ccc;" | style="width:10%; "|Inaba | style="width:10%; "|Goodman | style="width:10%; "|Tonioli |- | style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|1 | style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|Cha cha cha | style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|7 | style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|8 | style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|7 | style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|Safe |- | style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|2 | style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|Quickstep | style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|9 | style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|9 | style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|9 | style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|Safe |- | style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|3 | style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|Rumba | style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|8 | style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|6 | style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|7 | style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|Safe |- style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" ||4 ||Lambada ||6 ||6 ||6 ||Bottom Two |- style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" ||5 ||Argentine tango ||8 ||8 ||8 ||Bottom Two |- style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6; background:#faf6f6;" ||6 ||Waltz/Mambo Marathon ||8 ||9 ||8 ||Safe |- style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6; background:#faf6f6;" ||7 ||Jive/Team Paso Doble ||9 ||10 ||10 ||Safe |- style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6; background:#faf6f6;" ||8 ||Foxtrot/'90s Samba ||7/9 ||8/9 ||8/9 ||Eliminated |}

During this time he also released some music online, including the single "Dance with Me" featuring Flo Rida in an attempt to kickstart his music career again. On August 22, 2010, Carter performed in Lake Ronkonkoma, NY at a benefit concert for Audrianna Bartol, a 3-year-old stricken with Stage 4 neuroblastoma cancer. On January 23, 2011, Aaron Carter's manager Johnny Wright announced that Carter had entered a treatment facility "to heal some emotional and spiritual issues he was dealing with." After entering the facility, Carter's first message to his fans was, "The main thing in life is not to be afraid of being human." On February 10, 2011, it was announced that Carter had successfully completed a month of rehab at the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, California. Carter was scheduled to perform a second benefit concert for Audrianna Bartol on February 5, 2011 in Lake Ronkonkoma, NY and a benefit for the activist organization, "Four Years. Go", was originally scheduled for February 24, 2011 in Manville, New Jersey. The Manville show was rescheduled to take place on March 24, 2011.

Discography

Studio albums

1997: Aaron Carter

2000: Aaron's Party (Come Get It)

2001: Oh Aaron

2002: Another Earthquake

2011: TBA

Compilation albums

2003: Most Requested Hits

2006: Come Get It: The Very Best of Aaron Carter

2006: 2 Good 2 B True

DVDs

2000: Aaron's Party: The Videos

2001: Aaron's Party: Live in Concert

2002: Oh Aaron: Live in Concert

Filmography

Figure it Out .... Himself (1 episode, 1998) (TV)

Lizzie McGuire .... Himself (1 episode, 2001) (TV)

Sabrina, the Teenage Witch .... Himself (1 episode, 2001) (TV)

48 Hours Mystery .... Himself (1 episode, 2002) (TV)

Liberty's Kids .... Joseph Plumb Martin (2002) (TV) (voice)

Family Affair .... Liam Curtis (1 episode, 2003) (TV)

Fat Albert .... Darren/The Kid (2004)

7th Heaven .... Harry (2 episodes, 2004) (TV)

Ella Enchanted (2004) .... Singing main male vocals in "Somebody to Love"

Popstar .... JD McQueen (2005) (DVD)

Supercross .... Owen Cole (2005)

Penn & Teller: Off the Deep End .... Himself (2005) (TV)

House of Carters .... Himself (2006) (TV)

I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With .... Marty (Theatrical Release: 21 September 2007)

Grand Stand .... Mitch (2007) (TV Pilot - never aired)

References

External links

Category:1987 births Category:American child actors Category:American child singers Category:American dance musicians Category:American film actors Category:American male singers Category:American pop singers Category:American singer-songwriters Category:American television actors Category:Hip hop singers Category:Jive Records artists Category:Living people Category:Participants in American reality television series Category:People from Tampa, Florida Category:Rappers from Florida

ar:آرون كارتر ca:Aaron Carter ceb:Aaron Carter da:Aaron Carter de:Aaron Carter es:Aaron Carter fr:Aaron Carter ko:아론 카터 id:Aaron Carter it:Aaron Carter he:ארון קרטר nl:Aaron Carter ja:アーロン・カーター no:Aaron Carter pl:Aaron Carter pt:Aaron Carter ro:Aaron Carter ru:Картер, Аарон fi:Aaron Carter sv:Aaron Carter tr:Aaron Carter zh:亞倫·卡特

Coordinates	33°51′35.9″N151°12′40″N
alt	A mid-twenties African American man wearing a sequined military jacket and dark sunglasses. He is walking while waving his right hand, which is adorned with a white glove. His left hand is bare.
background	solo_singer
birth name	Michael Joseph Jackson
alias	Michael Joe Jackson
birth date	August 29, 1958
birth place	Gary, Indiana, U.S.
death date	June 25, 2009
death place	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
instrument	Vocals
genre	R&B;, pop, rock, soul, dance, funk, disco, New jack swing
occupation	Singer-songwriter, record producer, composer, musician, dancer, choreographer, actor, businessman, philanthropist
years active	1964–2009
label	Motown, Epic, Legacy
associated acts	The Jackson 5
relatives	Janet Jackson (sister), Paris Jackson (daughter)
website	130pxMichael Jackson's signature }}

Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records. His contribution to music, dance, and fashion, along with a much-publicized personal life, made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades. The seventh child of the Jackson family, he debuted on the professional music scene along with his brothers as a member of The Jackson 5, then the Jacksons in 1964, and began his solo career in 1971.

In the early 1980s, Jackson became a dominant figure in popular music. The music videos for his songs, including those of "Beat It", "Billie Jean", and "Thriller", were credited with transforming the medium into an art form and a promotional tool, and the popularity of these videos helped to bring the relatively new television channel MTV to fame. Videos such as "Black or White" and "Scream" made him a staple on MTV in the 1990s. Through stage performances and music videos, Jackson popularized a number of complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk, to which he gave the name. His distinctive musical sound and vocal style have influenced numerous hip hop, post-disco, contemporary R&B;, pop and rock artists.

Jackson's 1982 album Thriller is the best-selling album of all time. His other records, including Off the Wall (1979), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991), and HIStory (1995), also rank among the world's best-selling. Jackson is one of the few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice. He was also inducted into the Dance Hall of Fame as the first (and currently only) dancer from the world of pop and rock 'n' roll. Some of his other achievements include multiple Guinness World Records; 13 Grammy Awards (as well as the Grammy Legend Award and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award); 26 American Music Awards (more than any other artist, including the "Artist of the Century"); 13 number-one singles in the United States in his solo career (more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era); and the estimated sale of over 750 million records worldwide. Jackson won hundreds of awards, which have made him the most-awarded recording artist in the history of popular music.

Life and career

Early life and The Jackson 5 (1958–1975)

Michael Jackson was born on August 29, 1958, the eighth of ten children in an African American working-class family who lived in a small 3-room house in Gary, Indiana, an industrial city near Chicago. His mother, Katherine Esther Scruse, was a devout Jehovah's Witness, and his father, Joseph Walter "Joe" Jackson, was a steel mill worker who performed with an R&B; band called The Falcons. Jackson had three sisters: Rebbie, La Toya, and Janet, and five brothers: Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, and Randy. A sixth brother, Brandon, died shortly after birth.

Jackson had a troubled relationship with his father, Joe. In 1980, Jackson won three awards at the American Music Awards for his solo efforts: Favorite Soul/R&B; Album, Favorite Soul/R&B; Male Artist, and Favorite Soul/R&B; Single for "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough". That year, he also won Billboard Year-End for Top Black Artist and Top Black Album and a Grammy Award for Best Male R&B; Vocal Performance, also for "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough". Jackson again won at the American Music Awards in 1981 for Favorite Soul/R&B; Album and Favorite Soul/R&B; Male Artist. Despite its commercial success, Jackson felt Off the Wall should have made a much bigger impact, and was determined to exceed expectations with his next release. In 1980, he secured the highest royalty rate in the music industry: 37 percent of wholesale album profit.

Thriller and Motown 25 (1982–83)

In 1982, Jackson contributed the song "Someone In the Dark" to the storybook for the film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial; the record won a Grammy for Best Recording for Children in 1984. In the same year he won another seven Grammys and eight American Music Awards (including the Award of Merit, the youngest artist to win it), making him the most awarded in one night for both award shows. The album topped the Billboard 200 chart for 37 weeks and was in the top 10 of the 200 for 80 consecutive weeks. It was the first album to have seven Billboard Hot 100 top 10 singles, including "Billie Jean", "Beat It," and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'." Thriller was certified for 29 million shipments by the RIAA, giving it Double Diamond status in the United States. The album won also another Grammy for Best Engineered Recording – Non Classical in 1984, awarding Bruce Swedien for his work. Thanks to the Bad album, Bruce Swedien and Humberto Gatica won one Grammy in 1988 for Best Engineered Recording – Non Classical and Michael Jackson won one Grammy for Best Music Video, Short Form for "Leave Me Alone" in 1989. HIStory received a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year. However, the sales for Invincible were lower than those of his previous releases, due in part to a lack of promotion, no supporting world tour and the label dispute. The album also came out at a bad time for the music industry in general. Jackson rehearsed in Los Angeles in the weeks leading up to the tour under the direction of choreographer Kenny Ortega. Most of these rehearsals took place at the Staples Center, which was owned by AEG. With Thriller, Christopher Connelly of Rolling Stone commented that Jackson developed his long association with the subliminal theme of paranoia and darker imagery. Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine noted this is evident on the songs "Billie Jean" and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'". In "Billie Jean", Jackson sings about an obsessive fan who alleges he has fathered a child of hers. In "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" he argues against gossip and the media. "Beat It" decried gang violence in an homage to West Side Story, and was Jackson's first successful rock cross-over piece, according to Huey. He also observed that the title track "Thriller" began Jackson's interest with the theme of the supernatural, a topic he revisited in subsequent years. In 1985, Jackson co-wrote the charity anthem "We Are the World"; humanitarian themes later became a recurring theme in his lyrics and public persona.

In Bad, Jackson's concept of the predatory lover can be seen on the rock song "Dirty Diana". The lead single "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" is a traditional love ballad, while "Man in the Mirror" is an anthemic ballad of confession and resolution. "Smooth Criminal" was an evocation of bloody assault, rape and likely murder. Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine states that Dangerous presents Jackson as a very paradoxical individual. He comments the album is more diverse than his previous Bad, as it appeals to an urban audience while also attracting the middle class with anthems like "Heal the World". The first half of the record is dedicated to new jack swing, including songs like "Jam" and "Remember the Time". The album is Jackson's first where social ills become a primary theme; "Why You Wanna Trip on Me", for example, protests against world hunger, AIDS, homelessness and drugs. Dangerous contains sexually charged efforts such as the multifaceted love song, "In the Closet". The title track continues the theme of the predatory lover and compulsive desire. The second half includes introspective, pop-gospel anthems such as "Will You Be There", "Heal the World" and "Keep the Faith"; these songs show Jackson opening up about various personal struggles and worries. In the ballad "Gone Too Soon", Jackson gives tribute to his friend Ryan White and the plight of those with AIDS.

HIStory creates an atmosphere of paranoia. Its content focuses on the hardships and public struggles Jackson went through just prior to its production. In the new jack swing-funk-rock efforts "Scream" and "Tabloid Junkie", along with the R&B; ballad "You Are Not Alone", Jackson retaliates against the injustice and isolation he feels, and directs much of his anger at the media. In the introspective ballad "Stranger in Moscow", Jackson laments over his "fall from grace", while songs like "Earth Song", "Childhood", "Little Susie" and "Smile" are all operatic pop pieces. In the track "D.S.", Jackson launched a verbal attack against Tom Sneddon. He describes Sneddon as an antisocial, white supremacist who wanted to "get my ass, dead or alive". Of the song, Sneddon said, "I have not—shall we say—done him the honor of listening to it, but I've been told that it ends with the sound of a gunshot". Invincible found Jackson working heavily with producer Rodney Jerkins. It is a record made up of urban soul like "Cry" and "The Lost Children", ballads such as "Speechless", "Break of Dawn" and "Butterflies" and mixes hip-hop, pop and R&B; in "2000 Watts", "Heartbreaker" and "Invincible".

Vocal style

Jackson sang from childhood, and over time his voice and vocal style changed noticeably. Between 1971 and 1975, Jackson's voice descended from boy soprano to high tenor. Jackson first used a technique called the "vocal hiccup" in 1973, starting with the song "It's Too Late to Change the Time" from The Jackson 5's G.I.T.: Get It Together album. Jackson did not use the hiccup technique— somewhat like a gulping for air or gasping— fully until the recording of Off the Wall: it can be seen in full force in the "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" promotional video. With the arrival of Off the Wall in the late 1970s, Jackson's abilities as a vocalist were well regarded. At the time, Rolling Stone compared his vocals to the "breathless, dreamy stutter" of Stevie Wonder. Their analysis was also that "Jackson's feathery-timbred tenor is extraordinarily beautiful. It slides smoothly into a startling falsetto that's used very daringly". 1982 saw the release of Thriller, and Rolling Stone was of the opinion that Jackson was then singing in a "fully adult voice" that was "tinged by sadness".

A distinctive deliberate mispronunciation of "come on", used frequently by Jackson, occasionally spelled "cha'mone" or "shamone", is also a staple in impressions and caricatures of him. The turn of the 1990s saw the release of the introspective album Dangerous. The New York Times noted that on some tracks, "he gulps for breath, his voice quivers with anxiety or drops to a desperate whisper, hissing through clenched teeth" and he had a "wretched tone". When singing of brotherhood or self-esteem the musician would return to "smooth" vocals. When commenting on Invincible, Rolling Stone were of the opinion that—at the age of 43—Jackson still performed "exquisitely voiced rhythm tracks and vibrating vocal harmonies". Nelson George summed up Jackson's vocals by stating "The grace, the aggression, the growling, the natural boyishness, the falsetto, the smoothness—that combination of elements mark him as a major vocalist".

Music videos and choreography

Referred to as the King of Music Videos, Steve Huey of Allmusic observed how Jackson transformed the music video into an art form and a promotional tool through complex story lines, dance routines, special effects and famous cameo appearances; simultaneously breaking down racial barriers. Before Thriller, Jackson struggled to receive coverage on MTV, allegedly because he was African American. Pressure from CBS Records persuaded MTV to start showing "Billie Jean" and later "Beat It", leading to a lengthy partnership with Jackson, also helping other black music artists gain recognition. MTV employees deny any racism in their coverage, or pressure to change their stance. MTV maintains that they played rock music, regardless of race. The popularity of his videos on MTV helped to put the relatively young channel "on the map"; MTV's focus shifted in favor of pop and R&B.; His performance on Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever changed the scope of live stage show; "That Jackson lip-synced 'Billie Jean' is, in itself, not extraordinary, but the fact that it did not change the impact of the performance is extraordinary; whether the performance was live or lip-synced made no difference to the audience" thus creating an era in which artists re-create the spectacle of music video imagery on stage. Short films like Thriller largely remained unique to Jackson, while the group dance sequence in "Beat It" has frequently been imitated. The choreography in Thriller has become a part of global pop culture, replicated everywhere from Indian films to prisons in the Philippines. The Thriller short film marked an increase in scale for music videos, and has been named the most successful music video ever by the Guinness World Records.

In the 19-minute music video for "Bad"—directed by Martin Scorsese—Jackson began using sexual imagery and choreography not previously seen in his work. He occasionally grabbed or touched his chest, torso and crotch. When asked by Oprah in the 1993 interview about why he grabbed his crotch, he replied, "I think it happens subliminally" and he described it as something that was not planned, but rather, as something that was compelled by the music. "Bad" garnered a mixed reception from both fans and critics; Time magazine described it as "infamous". The video also featured Wesley Snipes; in the future Jackson's videos would often feature famous cameo roles.

}} ;Bibliography

George, Nelson (2004). Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection booklet. Sony BMG.

Further reading

External links

Michael Jackson Live: Best Pics – slideshow by Life magazine

Michael Jackson at MTV

FBI file on Michael Jackson

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Coordinates	33°51′35.9″N151°12′40″N
name	JC Chasez
background	solo_singer
birth name	Joshua Scott Chasez
alias	JC Chasez
born	August 08, 1976Washington, D.C., U.S.
origin	Bowie, Maryland
genre	Pop, dance-pop
occupation	Singer-songwriter, dancer, record producer, actor
years active	1988–present
label	Jive/Zomba (1999-2007)
associated acts	'N Sync }}

Joshua Scott "JC" Chasez (born August 8, 1976) is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, entertainer, record producer, and occasional actor, best known as one of the lead vocalists in the former pop group 'N Sync. In 2004, Chasez released a solo album, Schizophrenic, and has gone on to write and produce for music acts such as Girls Aloud, Basement Jaxx, David Archuleta, Matthew Morrison, and the Backstreet Boys. He is currently a judge for America's Best Dance Crew.

Early life

Chasez was born in Washington, DC. At age five he was adopted by Roy and Karen Chasez. His biological mother entrusted her son's care to her former foster parents Roy and Karen, hoping that they would be able to provide him with an education and a stable family life. Chasez has said that he does not know who his biological father is, and has no plans to search for him.

After being adopted, Chasez was raised in Bowie, Maryland as a Mennonite. He has a younger brother named Tyler and a younger sister named Heather. Chasez attended the former Belair Junior High School and then Bowie High School.

Career

Early career

As a child, Chasez was extremely shy, but when a friend bet him $20 to enter a talent show, he won the contest and soon realized he had a knack for performing and that he really enjoyed singing. In 1990, his mother Karen Chasez noticed a small ad in the Washington Post announcing auditions for Disney's The Mickey Mouse Club, and encouraged Chasez to try out. He chose to audition, selecting the song, "Right Here Waiting", by Richard Marx. Chasez was soon cast as a performer in the fourth season and stayed until the show's cancellation in 1994. Since there was another Mouseketeer named Joshua, Chasez went by his first and last initials,"JC", to avoid confusion. It was during his time as a Mouseketeer that Chasez befriended future bandmate Justin Timberlake, along with other future entertainers including Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.

He wrote the song "Give In To Me" (a.k.a. "Give Me The Love I Need") when he was 18 in 1994 and he sings the lead on it, on Euge Groove's debut CD.

'N Sync

JC Chasez and Justin Timberlake were the two lead singers of what would become the popular boy band 'N Sync. The group officially formed in 1995, and became popular in Europe in 1996. In 1998, the band released its debut album *NSYNC which sold 11 million copies, and became very popular in America. After the band had its series of legal struggles with manager Lou Pearlman, it signed with Jive Records. They released their second studio album No Strings Attached in 2000, which became the fastest selling album of all time selling 2.4 million copies in the first week alone, making it the most albums sold in one week, and had the #1 hit single "It's Gonna Be Me". The band went on to produce their third studio album, Celebrity' in 2001, which sold 1.8 million copies in the first week.

After the group's Celebrity Tour in 2002, the band decided to take a hiatus. During this time, Chasez produced his own album, Schizophrenic. Timberlake also went on to produce his album Justified. However, after Timberlake finished his album, it sold more than seven million copies worldwide. Since Timberlake had felt that he had made such a name for himself, and the fact that boy bands were becoming less and less popular, the band decided to extend the hiatus. They never officially disbanded, but since 2005, they have never reunited for any musical purposes.

Solo singer and after 'N Sync

During 'Nsync's scheduled hiatus, Chasez pursued work as a songwriter and producer. His first solo single, "Blowin' Me Up (With Her Love)", co-produced by Dallas Austin, was released on the 2002 Drumline soundtrack.

In 2004, Chasez's debut album Schizophrenic was released on Jive Records. The album was produced by Chasez, Dallas Austin, and contributing artists Basement Jaxx, BT and rapper Ol' Dirty Bastard, under the pseudonym Dirt McGirt.

Promotion for the album was affected by former band mate Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson's Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy, after which Chasez was unceremoniously dropped from his halftime-show performance at the 2004 Pro Bowl. The NFL feared lyrics of the album's first single, "Some Girls Dance with Women", expressed too much sexuality.

In 2007, Chasez parted ways with Jive records, indefinitely stalling the release of his second album, The Story of Kate. Two singles from the album, "Until Yesterday" and "You Ruined Me," have been released online, to positive fan reviews. Chasez continues to work as a song-writer and producer, with songs written for David Archuleta and Backstreet Boys. Chasez is currently a judge on Randy Jackson's America's Best Dance Crew on MTV. He just finished his sixth season.

November 2010, "If U C Kate" written by Chasez and Dallas Austin is featured on British band McFly's upcoming album "Above The Noise.

Discography

Albums

type	studio
name	Schizophrenic
cover	ChasezSchizophrenic.jpg
released	February 24, 2004
label	Jive/Zomba Label Group
chart position	#17 US, #46 UK
sales	170,000 (US)
singles	"Blowin' Me Up", "Some Girls", "All Day Long I Dream About Sex"
other info	}}

Singles

All regularly released singles and their chart peak position in U.S. Billboard Hot 100 (US 100), U.S. Top 40 Mainstream (US Main), UK Singles Chart (UK), Canadian Singles Chart (CAN), Australian Singles Chart (AUS), New Zealand Top 40 (NZ), Irish Top 50 (IRE) and in the Belgian UltraTop 50 (BEL).

Year

Single

Chart positions

Album

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*1 "Some Girls" was released as a double A-side with "Blowin' Me Up"

Guest appearances

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Filmography

+Films
! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
2009	21 and a Wake-Up	Dr. Tom Drury
2008	Killer Movie	Ted Buckley

+Television
! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
2008		William	"I Could Eat a Horse" (Season 5, episode 12)
2006	Ghost Whisperer	Samson	"The Curse of the Ninth" (Season 2, episode 9)
2003	Greetings from Tucson	Jay Dugray	"Home Sweet Home" (Season 1, episode 18)
2002		Himself	"Spa Day" (Season 1, episode 2)
2001	The Simpsons	Himself	Episode: "New Kids on the Blecch"

References

External links

Category:1976 births Category:American adoptees Category:American child singers Category:American dance musicians Category:American house musicians Category:American male singers Category:American Mennonites Category:American pop singers Category:American record producers Category:American singer-songwriters Category:English-language singers Category:Living people Category:Mouseketeers Category:Musicians from Maryland Category:Musicians from Washington, D.C. Category:'N Sync members Category:People from Bowie, Maryland Category:Reality television judges Category:Sony BMG artists

de:JC Chasez es:JC Chasez fr:JC Chasez he:ג'ושוע סקוט שאזיי nl:JC Chasez no:JC Chasez pl:JC Chasez pt:Joshua Scott Chasez simple:JC Chasez fi:JC Chasez tr:JC Chasez