Michael Jackson was born in Indiana, America, on August 29, 1958. He was the seventh of the nine children in his family. His father Joe Jackson had bis own band （乐队）. They would practice after work in the living room of their house. Joe soon noticed the talent （才能） of his sons and set up the family band "The Jacksons". They later became "The Jackson 5". Little Michael always watched his brothers practice singing. When he was about 5 years old, he joined the group and became the lead singer （领唱） of "The Jackson 5".
Michael gave his first show in a school program in 1963. Wearing black pants and a white shirt, he sang Climb EV'ry Mountain. Michael said, "When I finished that song. Everybody applauded （鼓掌） and people were smiling, and some of them were standing. My teachers were crying and I just couldn't believe that I had made them all happy and excited. It was such a great feeling. I felt a little surprised too because I didn't think I had done anything special. I was just singing the way I sang at home every night. When you're performing, you don't realize what you sound like or you're coming across. You just open your mouth and sing,"
Soon his father made the band take part in talent contests. He was very strict with young Michael and bis brothers. Under their father's control, at the age of 6, Michael and "The Jackson 5" started being popular with their acts at talent shows.
