The Man, The Music, The Legend: The End Of An Era.

Everyone here at The Crawley Happy Times was saddened to hear of the death of Michael Jackson, but today we’d like to celebrate his life.

The Legacy

Michael (August 29, 1958 – June 25^th, 2009) debuted on the music scene as a member of the of the Jackson 5 (band together 1966-1990) who sang and danced their way to the top of the charts with ‘ABC’, ‘I Want You Back’, ‘The Love You Save’ and ‘I’ll Be There’.

The Jackson 5 went down in music history as the first music act to top the American charts with all four of their first major singles.

Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael further found success with Top 5 hits like ‘Mama’s Pearl’, ‘Never Can Say Goodbye’ and ‘Dancing Machine’.

Michael began his solo career in 1971 whilst still a member of the Jackson 5. Now recognised as the ‘King of Pop’, Michael’s legacy is a testament to his musical genius.

Jackson (affectionately known as MJ) has many accolades to his name, most notably the fact that four of his solo albums (‘Off The Wall‘, ‘Bad‘, ‘Dangerous‘ & ‘HIStory’) are best-selling albums. His 1982 album, ‘Thriller‘, is the best-selling record of all time!

MJ revolutionised the music industry with his compelling music videos, exhibiting an artist without peer.

The End Of An Era

Until June 25^th, 2009, few of us fully appreciated how his music touched us and provided a soundtrack to our lives. Whilst younger readers may only know of the controversy surrounding him in more recent times, everyone here at The Crawley Happy Times hope that the news of his death and the subsequent radio airplay of his massive back catalogue will bring more awareness of his genius, and influence the next generation of singers, songwriters and dancers for many years to come.

What are your memories of MJ’s music? Do you associate a specific time or place with a favourite song or album? For this writer, 2001′s ‘You Rock My World‘ (No. 2 in the UK Charts) elicits nostalgia for the first flush of love.