name	Thriller
type	Studio album
artist	Michael Jackson
cover	Michaeljacksonthrilleralbum.jpg
border	yes
released	November 30, 1982
recorded	April 14 – November 8, 1982Westlake Recording Studios (Los Angeles, California)
genre	Pop, R&B;, rock, funk
length
label	EpicEK-38112
producer	Quincy JonesMichael Jackson (co-producer)
last album	''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'' (1982)
this album	''Thriller''(1982)
next album	''Bad''(1987)
misc	}}

''Thriller'' is the sixth studio album by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It was released on November 30, 1982 by Epic Records as the follow-up to Jackson's critically and commercially successful 1979 album ''Off the Wall''. ''Thriller'' explores similar genres to those of ''Off the Wall'', including pop, R&B;, rock and post-disco music.

Recording sessions took place between April and November 1982 at Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles, California, with a production budget of $750,000, assisted by producer Quincy Jones. Jackson wrote four of ''Thriller''s nine tracks. In just over a year, ''Thriller'' became—and currently remains—the best-selling album of all time, with sales estimated by various sources as somewhere between 65 and 110 million copies worldwide, and is also tied for the best-selling album in the United States. Seven of the album's nine songs were released as singles, and all reached the top 10 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The album won a record-breaking eight Grammy Awards at the 1984 Grammys.

''Thriller'' enabled Jackson to break down racial barriers via his appearances on MTV and meeting with President Ronald Reagan at the White House. The album was one of the first to use music videos as successful promotional tools—the videos for "Thriller", "Billie Jean" and "Beat It" all received regular rotation on MTV. In 2001, a special edition issue of the album was released, which contains additional audio interviews, a demo recording and the song "Someone In the Dark", which was a Grammy-winning track from the ''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'' storybook. In 2008, the album was reissued again as ''Thriller 25'', containing re-mixes that feature contemporary artists, a previously unreleased song and a DVD.

''Thriller'' ranked number 20 on ''Rolling Stone'' magazine's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list in 2003, and was listed by the National Association of Recording Merchandisers at number three in its Definitive 200 Albums of All Time. The ''Thriller'' video was preserved by the Library of Congress to the National Recording Registry, as it was deemed "culturally significant".

Background

Jackson's previous album ''Off the Wall'' (1979) was a critical success and received critical acclaim. It was also a commercial success, eventually selling over 20 million copies worldwide. The years between ''Off the Wall'' and ''Thriller'' were a transitional period for the singer, a time of increasing independence. The period saw the singer become deeply unhappy; Jackson explained, "Even at home, I'm lonely. I sit in my room sometimes and cry. It's so hard to make friends ... I sometimes walk around the neighborhood at night, just hoping to find someone to talk to. But I just end up coming home." When Jackson turned 21 in August 1979, he hired John Branca as his manager.

Jackson confided in Branca that he wanted to be "the biggest star in show business" and "the wealthiest". The singer was upset about what he perceived to be the under-performance of ''Off the Wall'', stating, "It was totally unfair that it didn't get Record of the Year and it can never happen again." He also felt undervalued by the music industry; in 1980 when Jackson asked the publicist of ''Rolling Stone'' if they would be interested in doing a cover story on him, the publicist declined, to which Jackson responded, "I've been told over and over that black people on the cover of magazines doesn't sell copies ... Just wait. Someday those magazines are going to be ''begging'' me for an interview. Maybe I'll give them one. And maybe I won't."

Recording

Jackson reunited with ''Off the Wall'' producer Quincy Jones to record his sixth studio album. The pair worked together on 30 songs, nine of which were eventually included. Several members of the band Toto were also involved in the album's recording and production. Jackson wrote four songs for the record: "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'", "The Girl Is Mine", "Beat It" and "Billie Jean". Unlike many artists, Jackson did not write these songs on paper. Instead, he would dictate into a sound recorder; when recording he would sing from memory.

The relationship between Jackson and Jones became strained during the album's recording. Jackson spent much of his time rehearsing dance steps alone. When the album's nine songs were completed, both Jones and Jackson were unhappy with the result and remixed every song, spending a week on each.

Jackson was inspired to create an album where "every song was a killer," and developed ''Thriller'' with that in mind. Jones and songwriter Rod Temperton gave detailed accounts of what occurred for the 2001 reissue of the album. Jones discussed "Billie Jean" and why it was so personal to Jackson, who struggled to deal with a number of obsessed fans. Jones wanted the long introduction on the song to be shortened; however, Jackson insisted that it remain because it made him want to dance. The ongoing backlash against disco made it necessary to move in a different musical direction from the disco-heavy ''Off the Wall''. Jones and Jackson were determined to make a rock song that would appeal to all tastes and spent weeks looking for a suitable guitarist for the song "Beat It", a song Jackson wrote. Eventually, they found Eddie Van Halen of the rock band Van Halen.

When Rod Temperton wrote the song "Thriller", he originally wanted to call it "Starlight" or "Midnight Man" but settled on "Thriller" because he felt the name had merchandising potential. Always wanting a notable person to recite the closing lyrics, Jones brought in actor Vincent Price who was an acquaintance of Jones' wife, who completed his part in just two takes. Temperton wrote the spoken portion in a taxi on the way to the recording studio. Jones and Temperton said that some recordings were left off the final cut because they did not have the "edginess" of other album tracks.

Songs recorded by Jackson for consideration included "Carousel" (written by Michael Sembello), "Nite Line" (written by Glen Ballard), "Trouble" (aka "She's Trouble", written by Terry Britten, Bill Livsey and Sue Shifrin) and "Hot Street" (written by Rod Temperton, and aka "Slapstick"). Jackson also cut a version of "Starlight". Demos of all these songs exist and have leaked onto the internet. "Carousel" and "Hot Street" were completed but left off the final version of the album. A short clip of "Carousel" appeared as a bonus track on the 2001 reissue of the album.

Composition

}} According to Steve Huey of Allmusic, ''Thriller'' refined the strengths of Jackson's previous album ''Off the Wall''; the dance and rock tracks were more aggressive, while the pop tunes and ballads were softer and more soulful. The album includes the ballads "The Lady in My Life", "Human Nature", and "The Girl Is Mine"; the funk pieces "Billie Jean" and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'"; and the disco set "Baby Be Mine" and "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" and has a similar sound to the material on ''Off the Wall''. "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" is accompanied by a bass and percussion background and the song's centerpiece, a climaxing African-inspired chant (often misidentified as Swahili, but actually syllables based on Duala), gave the song an international flavor. "The Girl Is Mine" tells of two friends' fight over a woman, arguing over who loves her more and concludes with a spoken rap. With ''Thriller'', Jackson would begin his association with the subliminal motif of paranoia and darker themes, including supernatural imagery in the album's title track. This is evident on the songs "Billie Jean", "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" and "Thriller". 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 gossips and the media. In the former song, Jones had Jackson sing vocal overdubs through a six-foot-long cardboard tube, and brought in jazz saxophonist Tom Scott to play a rare instrument, the lyricon, a wind-controlled analog synthesizer. Bassist Louis Johnson ran through his part on a Yamaha bass guitar. The song opens with a long bass-and-drums introduction. In the song "Thriller", sound effects such as creaking door, thunder, feet walking on wooden planks, winds and howling dogs can be heard.

The anti-gang-violence "Beat It" became a homage to ''West Side Story'', and was Jackson's first successful rock cross-over piece. Jackson later said of "Beat It", "the point is no one has to be the tough guy, you can walk away from a fight and still be a man. You don't have to die to prove you're a man". "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)", credited to James Ingram and Quincy Jones, and "The Lady in My Life" by Rod Temperton, both gave the album a stronger R&B; direction; the latter song was described as "the closest Jackson has come to crooning a sexy, soulful ballad after his Motown years" by Taraborrelli.

Release and reception

''Thriller'' was released on November 30, 1982, and sold one million copies worldwide per week at its peak. Seven singles were released from the album, including "The Girl Is Mine"—which was seen as a poor choice for the lead release and led some to believe that the album would be a disappointment, and to suggestions that Jackson was bowing to a white audience. Success continued with the single "Beat It", which featured guitarists Eddie Van Halen and Steve Lukather. The title track "Thriller" was released as a single and also became a hit internationally.

Robert Christgau published a positive (A−) graded overview of the album a few days before its release. He acknowledged that there were "fillers" on the record but still labeled it "almost classic". He expressed the opinion that "Beat It" was the album's best track, calling it "the triumph and the thriller", but criticized "The Girl Is Mine" as "Michael's worst idea since "Ben"". He was of the opinion that the collaboration did not work well, but still praised it for "getting interracial love on the radio". A year after the album's release, ''Time'' summed up the three main singles from the album, saying, "The pulse of America and much of the rest of the world moves irregularly, beating in time to the tough strut of "Billie Jean", the asphalt aria of "Beat It", the supremely cool chills of "Thriller". Conversely, in a ''Melody Maker'' review, Paolo Hewitt stated "[t]his is not a good LP"; in his opinion there were only "two songs worthy of mention". "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" was praised as an "exciting", "uptempo electro-funk song", as was "Billie Jean". Hewitt's stance was that as a whole, the album could only be described as "bland", particularly the closing tracks. He summed up: "Jackson seems to have lost his talent for turning gross into gold".

The album won Jackson a record-breaking eight Grammy Awards in 1984, including Album of the Year. The eighth Grammy went to Bruce Swedien. That same year, Jackson won eight American Music Awards, the Special Award of Merit and three MTV Video Music Awards. ''Thriller'' was recognized as the world's best-selling album on February 7, 1984, when it was inducted into the ''Guinness Book of World Records''. It is one of only three albums to remain in the top ten of the ''Billboard'' 200 for a full year, and spent 37 weeks at number one out of the 80 consecutive weeks it was in the top ten. The album was also the first of three to have seven ''Billboard'' Hot 100 top ten singles, and was the only album to be the best-seller of two years (1983–1984) in the US.

On August 21, 2009 ''Thriller'' was certified 29x Multi-Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, for shipments of at least 29 million copies in the US. The album topped the charts in many countries, sold 3.7 million copies in the UK, 2.5 million in Japan and went 15x Platinum in Australia. Still popular today, ''Thriller'' sells an estimated 130,000 copies in the US per year; it reached number two in the US Catalog charts in February 2003 and number 39 in the UK in March 2007. As of 2010, the album is estimated as having sold approximately 65-110 million copies worldwide.

Influence and legacy

Music industry

''Blender'' described Jackson as the "late twentieth century pre-eminent pop icon", while ''The New York Times'' gave the opinion that he was a "musical phenomenon", and that "in the world of pop music, there is Michael Jackson and there is everybody else". Jackson changed the way the industry functioned: both as an artistic persona, and as a financial, profitable entity. His attorney John Branca observed that Jackson achieved the highest royalty rate in the music industry to that point: approximately $2 for each album sold. As a result, Jackson earned record-breaking profits from compact disc sales, and from the sale of copies of the documentary, ''The Making of Michael Jackson's Thriller'', produced by Jackson and John Landis. Funded by MTV, the film sold over 350,000 copies in its first few months. In a market then driven by singles, ''Thriller'' raised the significance of albums, yet its multiple hit singles changed perceived notions as to the number of successful singles that could be taken from an individual album. The era saw the arrival of novelties like the Michael Jackson doll, that appeared in stores in May 1984 at a price of $12. ''Thriller'' retains a position in American culture; biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli explains, "At some point, ''Thriller'' stopped selling like a leisure item—like a magazine, a toy, tickets to a hit movie—and started selling like a household staple".

At the time of the album's release, a press statement from Gil Friesen, the then President of A&M; Records, read that, "The whole industry has a stake in this success". ''Time'' magazine speculated that "the fallout from ''Thriller'' has given the [music] business its best years since the heady days of 1978, when it had an estimated total domestic revenue of $4.1 billion". ''Time'' summed up ''Thriller'''s impact as a "restoration of confidence" for an industry bordering on "the ruins of punk and the chic regions of synthesizer pop". The publication described Jackson's influence at that point as, "Star of records, radio, rock video. A one-man rescue team for the music business. A songwriter who sets the beat for a decade. A dancer with the fanciest feet on the street. A singer who cuts across all boundaries of taste and style and color too".

Music videos and racial equality

Before the success of ''Thriller'', many felt Jackson had struggled to get MTV airing because he was black. In an effort to attain air time for Jackson, CBS Records President Walter Yetnikoff pressured MTV and declared, "I'm not going to give you any more videos and I'm going to go public and fucking tell them about the fact you don't want to play music by a black guy".

His position persuaded MTV to begin airing "Billie Jean" and later "Beat It", which led to a long partnership and later helped other black music artists to gain mainstream recognition. MTV denies claims of racism in their broadcasting. The popularity of his videos, such as "Beat It" and "Billie Jean", helped to place the young channel "on the map", and MTV's focus shifted in favor of pop and R&B.; Jackson transformed the medium of music video into an art form and promotional tool through the use of complex story lines, dance routines, special effects and cameo appearances by well known personalities. When the 14-minute-long ''Thriller'' video aired, MTV ran it twice an hour to meet demand. The short film marked an increase in scale for music videos and has been routinely named the best music video ever. The popularity of the video sent the album back to number one in the album chart, but Jackson's label did not support the release of the third music video from the album. They were already pleased with its success, so Jackson convinced MTV to fund the project.

For a black artist in the 1980s to that point, Jackson's success was unprecedented. According to ''The Washington Post'', ''Thriller'' paved the way for other African-American artists such as Prince. "The Girl Is Mine" was credited for getting interracial love on the radio. ''Time'' noted, "Jackson is the biggest thing since The Beatles. He is the hottest single phenomenon since Elvis Presley. He just may be the most popular black singer ever".

Contemporary appeal

Today, the album is still viewed in a positive light by critics some three decades later. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic gave the album the maximum five stars and wrote that the record had something to interest everyone. He believed it showcased harder funk and hard rock while remaining "undeniably fun". He went on to compliment "Billie Jean" and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" and said, "The record's two best songs: 'Billie Jean, ...and the delirious 'Wanna Be Startin' Somethin', the freshest funk on the album [but] the most claustrophobic, scariest track Jackson ever recorded." Erlewine gave the opinion that it was an improvement on the artist's previous album, although Allmusic was critical of the title track, describing it as "ridiculous" and as having the effect of "arriving in the middle of the record and sucking out its momentum". Slant Magazine gave the album five stars and, like the Allmusic review and the original ''Rolling Stone'' review, paid compliment to the lyrics of "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'".

The author Nelson George wrote that Jackson "has educated R. Kelly, Usher, Justin Timberlake and countless others with ''Thriller'' as a textbook". As a sign of the album's longevity, in 2003 ''Thriller'' was ranked at number 20 on the ''Rolling Stone'' 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list, and was listed by the National Association of Recording Merchandisers at number three of the Definitive 200 Albums of All Time. In 2008, 25 years after its release, the record was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and, a few weeks later, was among 25 recordings preserved by the Library of Congress to the National Recording Registry as "culturally significant". In 2009, music critics for MTV Base and VH1 both listed ''Thriller'' as the best album released since 1981. ''Thriller'', along with other critic favorites were then polled by the public. 40,000 people found ''Thriller'' to be the Best Album of all time by MTV Generation, gaining a third of all votes.

Reissues and catalog sales

''Thriller'' was reissued on October 16, 2001 in an expanded set titled ''Thriller: Special Edition''. The original tracks were remastered, and the album included a new booklet and bonus material, including the songs "Someone In the Dark", "Carousel", and Jackson's original "Billie Jean" demo, as well as audio interviews with Jones and Temperton discussing the recording of the album. Sony also hired sound engineer and mixer Mick Guzauski to work with Jackson on creating 5.1-channel surround sound mixes of ''Thriller'', as well as all his other albums, for release on the then-new Super Audio CD format. Despite numerous retries, the artist never approved any of the mixes. Consequently, ''Thriller'' was issued on SACD only in a stereo version.

In February 2008, Epic Records released ''Thriller 25''; Jackson served as executive producer. ''Thriller 25'' appeared on CD, USB and vinyl with seven bonus tracks, a new song called "For All Time", a snippet of Vincent Price's voice-over, and five remixes featuring American artists Fergie, will.i.am, Kanye West, and Akon. It also included a DVD featuring three music videos, the ''Motown 25'' "Billie Jean" performance, and a booklet with a message from Jackson. The ballad "For All Time" supposedly dates from 1982, but is often credited as being from ''Dangerous'' sessions. Two singles were released from the reissue: "The Girl Is Mine 2008" and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' 2008".

''Thriller 25'' was a commercial success and did particularly well as a reissue. It peaked at number one in eight countries and Europe. It peaked at number two in the US, number three in the UK and reached the top 10 in over 30 national charts. It was certified Gold in 11 countries including the UK, received a 2x Gold certification in France and received platinum certification in Poland. In the United States, ''Thriller 25'' was the second best-selling album of its release week, selling one hundred and sixty six thousand copies, just fourteen thousand short of reaching the number one position. It was ineligible for the ''Billboard'' 200 chart as a re-release but entered the Pop Catalog Charts at number one (where it stayed for ten non-consecutive weeks), with the best sales on that chart since December, 1996. With the arrival of Halloween that November, ''Thriller 25'' spent an eleventh non-consecutive week atop the US catalog chart. This brought US sales of the album to 688,000 copies, making it the best selling catalog album of 2008. This was Jackson's best launch since ''Invincible'' in 2001, selling three million copies worldwide in 12 weeks.

After Jackson's death in June 2009, ''Thriller'' set additional records. It sold more than 100,000 copies, placing it at number two on the Top Pop Catalog Albums chart. Songs from ''Thriller'' also helped Jackson become the first artist to sell more than one million song downloads in a week. According to Nielsen Soundscan, ''Thriller'' was the 14th best selling album of 2009 in the United States with 1.27 million copies sold.

Track listing

Charts and certifications

Year-end charts

! Chart (1983)	! Peakposition
List of Top 25 albums for 1983 in Australia
Japan([[Oricon)
UK Albums (The Official Charts Company)
US Billboard Year-End
! Chart (1984)	! Peakposition
[[List of Top 25 albums for 1984 in Australia
Japan ([[Oricon)
UK Albums (The Official Charts Company)
US ''[[Billboard (magazine)
! Chart (2009)	! Peakposition
! Chart (2010)	! Peakposition
US ''[[Billboard (magazine)

Certifications

}} |- |salesamount=119,061|salesref=}} |recent=false|certyear=1988|salesamount=2,366,700|salesref=}} |- | Netherlands (NVPI) | 8× Platinum | 400,000^* |- |- Note: User needs to enter "Michael Jackson" in the "Search" field, "Artist" in the "Search by" field and click the "Go" button. Select "More info" next to the relevant entry to see full certification history.|salesamount=3,825,857|salesref=}} }}

Personnel

Brian Banks – keyboards, synthesizers, programming

Michael Boddicker – keyboards, synthesizers

N'dugu Chancler – drums

Paulinho da Costa – percussion

David Foster – keyboards, synthesizers

Gary Grant – trumpet and flügelhorn

Eddie Van Halen – guitar solo on "Beat It"

Jerry Hey – trumpet and flügelhorn

Michael Jackson – co-producer, lead and background vocals, drum case beater, bathroom stomp board

Paul Jackson – guitar

Louis Johnson – bass guitar

Quincy Jones – producer

Steve Lukather – guitar, bass guitar

Anthony Marinelli – synthesizer programming

Paul McCartney – vocals on "The Girl Is Mine"

David Paich – keyboards, synthesizers, programming

Dean Parks – guitar

Greg Phillinganes – keyboards, synthesizers, programming

Jeff Porcaro – drums, horn and string arrangements

Steve Porcaro – keyboards, synthesizers, programming

Vincent Price – voice-over on "Thriller"

Bill Reichenbach – trombone

Bruce Swedien – recording engineer, mixer

Rod Temperton – keyboards, synthesizers

David Williams – guitar

Larry Williams – saxophone and flute

Bill Wolfer – keyboards, synthesizers

La Toya Jackson – background vocals on "PYT"

Janet Jackson – background vocals on "PYT"

See also

:

References

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

Notes

}} Category:1982 albums Category:Albums produced by Michael Jackson Category:Albums produced by Quincy Jones Category:Albums released in Super Audio Category:English-language albums Category:Epic Records albums Category:Grammy Award for Album of the Year Category:Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients Category:Michael Jackson albums Category:Recording Industry Association of America Diamond Award albums Category:United States National Recording Registry recordings

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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, MJ, King of Pop
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, musician, composer, dancer, choreographer, record producer, actor, businessman, philanthropist
years active	1964–2009
label	Motown, Epic, Legacy, MJJ Productions
associated acts	The Jackson 5
relatives	Janet Jackson (sister)
website	}}

Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Often 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 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 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 made him the most-awarded recording artist in the history of popular music.

Aspects of Jackson's personal life, including his changing appearance, personal relationships, and behavior, generated controversy. In 1993, he was accused of child sexual abuse, but the case was settled out of court and no formal charges were brought. In 2005, he was tried and acquitted of further child sexual abuse allegations and several other charges after the jury found him not guilty on all counts. While preparing for his concert series titled ''This Is It'', Jackson died of acute propofol and benzodiazepine intoxication on June 25, 2009, after suffering from cardiac arrest. The Los Angeles County Coroner ruled his death a homicide, and his personal physician was convicted of involuntary manslaughter. Jackson's death triggered a global outpouring of grief, and as many as one billion people around the world reportedly watched his public memorial service on live television. In March 2010, Sony Music Entertainment signed a $250 million deal with Jackson's estate to retain distribution rights to his recordings until 2017, and to release seven posthumous albums over the decade following his death.

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.

The group's sales began declining in 1973, and the band members chafed under Motown's strict refusal to allow them creative control or input. Although they scored several top 40 hits, including the top 5 disco single "Dancing Machine" and the top 20 hit "I Am Love", the Jackson 5 left Motown in 1975.

Move to Epic and ''Off the Wall'' (1975–81)

In June 1975, the Jackson 5 signed with Epic Records, a subsidiary of CBS Records and renamed themselves the Jacksons. Younger brother Randy formally joined the band around this time, while Jermaine left to pursue a solo career. 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. ;Bibliography

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

Further reading

External links

Michael Jackson at MTV

FBI file on Michael Jackson

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Name	Tank
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Durrell Babbs
Born	January 01, 1976Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US
Origin	Washington, DC, US
Genre	R&B;, pop, hip hop, dance, crunk&B;, reggae
Occupation(s)	Singer, dancer, actor, model, musician
Instruments	Vocals, keyboard, piano, drums
Years active	1996–present
Label	Blackground (2000-2009), Atlantic (2010-Present)
Associated acts	TGT, Tyrese, Ginuwine, The Underdogs, Aaliyah, Omarion
Website	www.TheRealTank.com }}

Tank (born Durrell Babbs on January 1, 1976 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is an American R&B; singer, songwriter and producer.

Career

Tank was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and moved with his family as a child to the Washington, D.C. suburb of Clinton, Maryland. He was a multi-sport athlete at Crossland High School and was offered the opportunity to play college football. However Tank decided to focus on music and his talent eventually led him to an opportunity to sing background vocals for Ginuwine during one of Ginuwine's tours. In 2001, following Ginuwine's successful tour Tank released his debut album ''Force of Nature'' which spawned the ''R&B; Top Ten''-single "Maybe I Deserve".

In 2002, Tank released his second album ''One Man'' and a single of the same name.

Tank released his third solo album entitled "Sex, Love & Pain" on May 15, 2007. The lead single was intended to be "I Luv Dem Girls", but for unknown reasons the song was given to Marques Houston who renamed it "Strip Club" (intending to place it on his third solo album "Veteran"). However, "Strip Club" did not make "Veteran," and "Sex, Love & Pain"'s last track is the Timbaland remix to "I Luv Dem Girls". The first single from Tank's third album was "Please Don't Go". Later in the year Tank, Ginuwine and Tyrese Gibson formed a group called TGT. Their first single was a remix of "Please Don't Go" with an international tour entitled "The Shirts Off Tour" and search for a fourth member to follow. Tank released his fourth studio album, ''Now or Never'', on December 14, 2010. Tank collaborated with other artists on this project like Chris Brown, Drake, Letoya Luckett and many other artists.

Tank's song writing and production credits include working with Dave Hollister, Marques Houston, Omarion, Jamie Foxx, Donell Jones and Monica amongst others. As an associate of production team The Underdogs, also Harvey Mason and with his team, Song Dynasty. He has worked with many different artists over the years and was also a contributor to the score of the film adaptation of the musical ''Dreamgirls'', in which he also had a cameo. He was also featured in the movie "The Preacher's Kid."

Personal life

Tank is the father to four children listed here in birth order: Jordan & Ryen Babbs, Zoey Babbs and Durrell Babbs Jr..

Discography

Albums

Year	Album	Chart positions		!align="center" rowspan="2" width="150"
		!width="60"	!width="60"
	align="left" valign="top"

¹Copies shipneeds

Singles

Year	Title	Chart positions			Album
! width="40"	! width="40"	! width="40"
align="left"
	align="left"
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Awards

Grammy Award Nominations

*2008, Best R&B; Male Vocal Performance: "Please Don't Go"

*2008, Best R&B; Album: ''Sex, Love & Pain''

*2010, Best R&B; Song: "Under"

*2011, Best R&B; Performance by a Duo or Group: "Take My Time" with Chris Brown

References

External links

Official website

French Group dedicated to Tank on SoulRnB.com (Photos, Videos, Discussions, Etc.)

Category:African American singers Category:American rhythm and blues singers Category:American male singers Category:Living people Category:People from Milwaukee, Wisconsin Category:People from Washington, D.C. Category:1976 births

es:Tank (cantante norteamericano) fr:Tank (chanteur) it:Tank (cantante statunitense) pl:Tank (wokalista)

name	Man
background	group_or_band
origin	Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales
genre	Progressive rock Pub rock
years active	1968–19761983–present
labels	Pye RecordsUnited Artists Records MCA Records
associated acts	Dire Straits, Quicksilver Messenger Service
website	manband.co.uk
current members	Josh AceMartin AceJames BeckRene RobrahnPhil Ryan
past members	John CipollinaClive John (AKA Clint Space)George Jones Jeff JonesMicky JonesDeke LeonardTweke LewisGareth Llewellyn ThorringtonJohn McKenzieRick MartinezMalcolm Morley Bob Richards John Weathers Ken WhaleyRay WilliamsTerry Williams Will Youatt
notable instruments	}}

Man are a rock band from South Wales whose style is a mixture of West Coast psychedelia, progressive rock, blues and country-rock. Formed in 1968 as a reincarnation of Welsh rock harmony group ‘’The Bystanders’’, Man are renowned for the extended jams in their live performances, and having had numerous line up changes.

The Bystanders

Man evolved out of The Bystanders, a successful close harmony pop group from Merthyr Tydfil who played numerous club residencies in Wales, often playing several clubs a night. The Bystanders issued eight singles, including "98.6" (#45 in UK Singles Chart, in February 1967) which featured in the 2009 film, ''The Boat That Rocked'' (although Keith's version was the bigger hit, reaching #24 in the UK) and "When Jesamine Goes", written by their manager Ronnie Scott and Marty Wilde under the pseudonyms of Frere Manston and Jack Gellar, which was later covered by The Casuals as "Jesamine" and got to #2 in the UK Chart. They also recorded sessions of cover versions for the BBC as rules restricting needle time required "live" performances between the records during the 1960s; becoming regulars on the ’’Jimmy Young Show’’, "The David Symonds Show" and others.

When formed in 1962 The Bystanders included Owen Money, then known as Gerry Braden, but he was replaced by Vic Oakley, giving the classic line up of Micky Jones (guitar), Ray Williams (bass), Jeff Jones (drums), Clive John (aka Clint Space) (keyboards) and Vic Oakley (vocals). By 1968 the other members wanted to change musical direction to a more psychedelic/American west-coast guitar sound, so Oakley left, to be replaced by Deke Leonard; and the band changed its name to Man.

The Pye years

Man were initially signed to Pye Records, for whom they recorded their first two albums:- ''Revelation'' noted for the simulated orgasm on "Erotica", which received a UK ban, and ''2 Ozs of Plastic with a Hole in the Middle''. Whilst mixing the second album, Leonard left, and was replaced by Martin Ace from Leonard’s previous band, Dream. At this time, Man were recording three demo sessions a week for Leeds Music, including Down the Dustpipe which they taught to Status Quo.

Man then toured Europe, predominantly Germany, where they supported Chicago, but on their return, were stopped as suspected terrorists, then jailed for drugs offences in Belgium. Leonard then rejoined, but Ace stayed on as a multi-instrumentalist. Shortly after, Ray Williams and Jeff Jones were fired, with Terry Williams joining on drums and Ace moving to bass. Leonard, Ace and Terry Williams having been together in “Dream”, this was seen by some as a take-over.

A bootleg of the first gig by this line up, October 1970 in Hamburg, was issued as ''To Live for to Die'' and was later re-bootlegged by the band. Despite good reviews in Britain ''Two Ounces of Plastic ...'' was more popular in Germany, so the band spent a year in Germany, where, having to play 4–5 hours a night, most numbers became extended jams.

The United Artists Years

Their manager, Barrie Marshall, obtained a new record contract with Andrew Lauder of United Artists Records, for whom the band recorded the eponymous ''Man'' album, which received mixed reviews. Their media break came when outperforming Soft Machine, Yes and Family at a concert in Berlin, but they continued to play on the continent. Having appeared on the United Artists sampler album, ''All Good Clean Fun'', they undertook a tour of Switzerland, to promote the album, together with Help Yourself and Leicester band ''Gypsy''.

The next album ''Do You Like It Here Now, Are You Settling In?'' recorded at Rockfield Studios by Kingsley Ward, received good reviews, and the band played German TV and Iceland with Badfinger. Constant touring was creating internal pressures, and in January 1972, John left the band, to form “Iowerth Pritchard and the Neutrons” with Phil Ryan and Will Youatt.

The new four piece supported Hawkwind and Brinsley Schwarz at a charity gig at The Roundhouse on 13 February 1972, recorded and issued as ''Greasy Truckers Party'', a limited edition double album which rapidly became a collectors' item. United Artists' A&R; man, Andrew Lauder, persuaded them to follow this up with a live album. ''Live at the Padget Rooms, Penarth'' was recorded on 8 April 1972. It was sold at a reduced price and only 8000 copies were pressed, which sold out in a week, making it No 1 in the “budget” album chart. Man recorded the first of their three Peel Sessions on 29 August 1972, (the others being 18 September 1973 & 31 October 1974)

The band then tried to write a new studio album, but lacked inspiration. Martin Ace left, to form "The Flying Aces" with his wife George, so Micky Jones and Terry Williams sacked Leonard, and John rejoined together with his new band members, Ryan (keyboards) and Youatt (bass). The new band recorded ''Be Good to Yourself at Least Once a Day'' which received good reviews. A party on 19 December 1972, with Dave Edmunds, Help Yourself, The Flying Aces and others, was issued as ''Christmas at the Patti'', a double 10” album, which again topped the “budget” album chart, but on tour John fell out with Micky Jones, and left again.

The four-piece started to record ''Back Into The Future'', but felt the need for a second guitarist, so Alan “Tweke” Lewis joined from ''Wild Turkey''. On 24 June 1973 they recorded the live half of this double album at Man’s spiritual London home, The Roundhouse, backed by the Gwalia Male Voice Choir, who had previously sung with Man at The Oval, when they supported Frank Zappa. The album initially sold well, rising to No 23, and again, this was tipped to be album that would make the band, but pressing was restricted by a lack of plastic during the oil crisis. The follow-up tour had Deke Leonard’s ''Iceberg'' as support. During the tour, Micky Jones and Leonard discussed a new Man line-up, so when Ryan and Youatt left to form ''The Neutrons'' in December 1973, Leonard disbanded Iceberg and rejoined Man along with two former members of Help Yourself; Malcolm Morley (keyboards) and Ken Whaley (bass), who had also played in Iceberg.

The next album ''Rhinos, Winos and Lunatics'' was produced by Roy Thomas Baker, noted for his work with Queen, and spent 4 weeks in the UK album chart, peaking at No 24. In March/April 1974 Man supported Hawkwind on ''The 1999 Party'', a 5 week US tour. At the Los Angeles Whisky a Go Go on 12 March, Jim Horn joined on saxophone, which was issued as a bonus disc with the reissue of the ''Rhinos ...'' Album in 2007. The 21 April gig in Chicago, was recorded for radio, and issued on CD as ''The 1999 Party Tour'' in 1997, but omits Morley from the credits, although he is on the recording.

Morley left the day before recording started on the next album ''Slow Motion''. Before the album was released, the band toured the UK (again with Badfinger) and USA in August–October 1974. They returned to the USA in March 1975, to promote the album by touring with REO Speedwagon and New Riders of the Purple Sage, but the tour collapsed on the first night. A new US tour, with REO Speedwagon and Blue Öyster Cult broke up two-thirds of the way through. Additional dates were arranged, but most were cancelled when Micky Jones developed pneumonia, so the final gigs were to be at the San Francisco Winterland. These were a great success, and promoter Bill Graham paid them a bonus, and rebooked them, but Whaley had had enough, and left.

Martin Ace flew out as a stand in, and the band met and rehearsed with John Cipollina of Quicksilver Messenger Service, who played with them at Winterland, and agreed to play a UK tour. On this tour, the Roundhouse gig was recorded, but it is rumoured that Micky Jones had to over-dub Cipollina’s guitar, as it was out of tune, before the ''Maximum Darkness'' album could be released. The album eventually reaching no 25 in the UK album chart. and Martin Ace continued as “stand in” bassist, until the end of a French tour, with Hawkwind, Gong and Magma, when he returned to the ''Flying Aces''.

MCA

The band changed label to MCA Records, Ryan rejoined on keyboards, but as no bass players they knew were available, the band had to audition for the first time in their history. Auditions went badly, until the final audition, of John McKenzie of Global Village Trucking Company, who was immediately offered the job. They then recorded ''The Welsh Connection'' which reached No 40 in the UK Album Chart and was toured in March/April 1976 in Britain and June/July in the US. During the US tour differences arose again, and on the subsequent European tour Ryan and McKenzie announced they would be leaving, and the rest of the band agreed to call it a day. The MCA record deal, however, was for 3 albums, but nobody was willing to contribute new material, and their attempts at covers were poor, so MCA eventually agreed to a live farewell album. ''All's Well That Ends Well'' was recorded at the Roundhouse on 11–13 December, although the final gig was in Slough on 16 December 1976. The band agreed that they “would never, ever, be one of those bands who reformed in a futile attempt to recapture past glories ...”.

Interval

After the 1976 break up, band members undertook numerous projects, often with other former members.

Martin Ace

Ace left Man before ''The Welsh Connection'' to reform The Flying Aces with his wife George (guitar), Mickey Gee (guitar), Phil Ryan (keyboards) and Stuart Halliday (drums). Ryan returned to Man and Halliday joined ‘’Alkatraz’’ being replaced first by Dave Charles, (ex Help Yourself) and then Mike Gibbins (ex Badfinger)

In the 1980s Ace & Micky Jones occasionally backed Welsh Elvis impersonator, Peter Singh in ''The Screaming Pakistanis'' and Ace also played with guitarist David Tipton with John 'Pugwash' Weathers (ex Gentle Giant) on drums.

Micky Jones

Shortly after the break-up, Micky Jones recorded some demos with John McKenzie (bass), Malcolm Morley (guitar & keyboards) and Derek Ballard (drums). In 1978 he formed the ''Micky Jones Band'', with Tweke Lewis (guitar), Steve Dixon (drums), Al McLaine (bass) and Steve Gurl (ex Wild Turkey & Babe Ruth) (keyboards).

Lewis & Gurl left, so Jones, Dixon & McLaine continued as three-piece ''Manipulator'' occasionally known as ‘’The Acidtones’’. In 1981 Jones disbanded Manipulator and formed ''The Flying Pigs'' with Mick Hawksworth (bass) and Phil Little (drums).

Deke Leonard

Leonard reformed ''Iceberg'', with Lincoln Carr (bass) and Terry Williams (when not playing with ''Rockpile''). He still had a record contract and initially recorded with Martin Ace and Terry Williams, but needed two attempts to complete the album ‘'Before Your Very Eyes’', release of which was delayed for five years, when EMI took over United Artists. A later line up included 2 musicians Leonard had played with in ''Help Yourself'', Richard Treece (guitar & bass) and B.J. Cole (pedal steel guitar), plus Reg Isadore (drums). Leonard took up writing, and briefly moved to the USA, where he worked on a Walter Egan album.

Leonard formed ''The Force'' with Sean Tyla (ex Ducks Deluxe) (guitar), Micky Groome (bass) and Paul Simmons (drums). Their album ''Force's First'' also included Terry Williams and Martin Ace. The Force disbanded after Tyla suffered severe stage fright in 1982, and Leonard reformed the band as another ''Iceberg''

John McKenzie

McKenzie initially joined Ryan and Pete Brown, before joining Steve Hillage appearing on some tracks of the ‘'Live Herald'’ album. He then became a session/backing musician, touring with Dr John, Albert Lee, Davy Spillane, The Christians, Seal, Alison Moyet and Everything but the Girl and recording with Bob Dylan, The Pretenders, Eurythmics, David Bowie, Mary Coughlan, Paul Brady, Moya Brennan, Andrea Corr, Damien Rice, and Wham.

Phil Ryan

Ryan rejoined his former Piblokto partner Pete Brown and briefly formed The Brown & Ryan Band with McKenzie (bass), Taff Williams (ex Neutrons) (guitar) and Steve Jones (drums). A second line up of Pete Brown, Phil Ryan, Taff Williams, Dill Katz (bass) and Jeff Seopardie (drums) known as both ‘’Pete Brown and the Interoceters’’ and ‘’Ray Gammond and the Interoceters’’ recorded some tracks issued on Pete Brown’s 1984 album ‘’Party in the Rain’’. He also played a few gigs with the Flying Aces.

Ryan then moved to Denmark, where his wife Bolette came from, and wrote music for films and TV

Terry Williams

On the breakup of Man, Williams immediately joined Rockpile with Dave Edmunds, Nick Lowe and Billy Bremner. They continued until 1982, issuing several successful albums & singles and touring the USA and Europe. Williams briefly worked with Meat Loaf, before receiving an offer from Dire Straits, who he was still working with, when Man reformed.

Reformed

The band reformed in 1983, with a line-up of Micky Jones and Deke Leonard on guitars, Martin Ace on bass and John “Pugwash” Weathers (formerly of Gentle Giant) on drums. This line up was to stay constant until 1996, except from a short spell, when Weathers was unwell, and Rick Martinez temporarily took over

After rehearsals, their first gig was on All Fools Day at the Marquee Club in London, and in June they recorded ''Friday 13th'' (Picasso PIK 001) at The Marquee, but this comprised old numbers, not new material. Not having a recording contract to promote them, albums were issued on several labels, e.g. ''Friday 13th'' was also issued as ''Live at the Marquee'' (Great Expectations PIPCD 055) and ''Talk about a Morning'' (Dressed to Kill DRESS 600). Later that year they played the Reading Festival which was recorded for Tommy Vance’s Friday Rock Show and released as ''Live At Reading '83'' in 1993.

In 1983, they also recorded an album of new material in Germany, but fell out with the producer, who was also the album’s promoter, so the album was never issued. The first studio album to be issued, ''The Twang Dynasty'' was issued in 1992 and included the track "Fast and Dangerous" which was used on trailers for Paul Whitehouse’s Fast Show, although the band were not paid for this.

Their performance at 1994’s Glastonbury Festival was issued as ''Live 1994 - Official Bootleg'' (and reissued as ''Live Official Bootleg''), and in 1995 they recorded ''Call Down The Moon'' issued on the Hypertension label, and produced by the band and Ron Sanchez – a US musician and DJ, who had long championed their cause.

Weathers left in 1996, allegedly because Gentle Giant were about to reform, and was replaced by returning drummer Terry Williams, who in the interim, had served in bands such as Dire Straits. Williams recorded some tracks, later released on the ''Undrugged'' album, and then Leonard suffered a minor stroke, so the band played a few gigs as a 3 piece. When Leonard returned in 1997, Williams left, to be replaced by drummer Bob Richards formerly of ''The Wild Family'' and ''The Adrian Smith Band''.

Former keyboardist Phil Ryan returned in 1998 taking the band back to the classic 5-piece line-up, which recorded a live double album at The Star Club, Oberhausen, West Germany, in March that year. Ryan played a major role in producing 2000's ''Endangered Species'', but then had to withdraw from the band for personal reasons. Ryan was replaced by Gareth Llewellyn Thorrington, who missed the recording of ''Down Town Live'' at the Down Town Blues Club, Hamburg, in May 2001, as his flight was cancelled due a bomb-scare, but appeared on part of the ''Undrugged'' album (an “unplugged” album with a twist in the title), which had been started in 1996, and was finally issued in 2002. ''Undrugged'' has some classic covers, including Brian Wilson's Sail on Sailor and Ray Charles's Georgia On My Mind both lead vocals being by Micky Jones.

In 2002 Micky Jones was diagnosed with a brain tumour and had to take time off for treatment. Micky's place was temporarily taken by his son George Jones, but when Micky had recovered enough to rejoin, in 2004, Leonard decided to leave, again, so George became a permanent member of the band. In 2005, Micky Jones' health deteriorated due to the re-occurrence of his brain tumour and he was replaced by Martin Ace's son Josh Ace.

In 2006, the album ''Diamonds and Coal'' was released, after which Thorrington was sacked, and the band continued as a 4-piece. The 40th anniversary tour in 2008, saw the return of Ryan on keyboards, giving a multi-generational line up, with two early members (Martin Ace and Phil Ryan), two sons of early members (George Jones and Josh Ace) and Bob Richards, who had been in the band since 1997. This line up also recorded a studio album, but before this was mixed, the band split. Josh Ace, Martin Ace and Phil Ryan recruited James Beck (guitar, vocals) and Rene Robrahn (drums, vocals) to the new line up and wiped parts of the album to replace George Jones. Bob Richards parts were kept on as they were unable to record over them, due to the lack of a click track. This latest album ''Kingdom of Noise'' was finally released in June 2009.

After leaving Man, Micky Jones continued to perform for a while, but was then diagnosed with another tumour, he spent the next year and a half in and out of hospital, his health meant he remained at a care home in Swansea for the next 3 years until he died peacefully, at the age of 63, on 10 March 2010. Fans paid tribute to Micky Jones online, calling Man the greatest Welsh band of all time.

Clive John, AKA Clint Space, another of the founding members, died after a long fight against emphysema on 24 August 2011.

Discography

For a full discography see "The Manband Archive". In August 2011 this listed 412 releases, on 71 labels, in 24 countries.

Band member timeline

References

Further reading

Leonard D. (1996 & Rev. 2001) ''Rhinos, Winos & Lunatics''. Northdown Publishing ISBN 1-900711-00-1 & ISBN 1900711091

Leonard D. (2000) ''Maybe I Should’ve Stayed in Bed?'' Northdown Publishing ISBN 1-900711-09-5

External links

Comprehensive fan site

Original fan site

Micky Jones Official site

Deke Leonard Official site

The Harvard Man Home Page

Tribute Album download page

Man at Discogs.com

Category:People from Swansea Category:British progressive rock groups Category:Welsh musical groups Category:Welsh rock music groups Category:Musical groups established in 1968

cs:Man (skupina) cy:Man de:Man (Band) es:Man (banda) pt:Man (banda)