Named the "Most Successful Entertainer of All Time" by the Guinness World Records, Jackson is among the most highly acclaimed and influential artists in pop culture. He's been named the World Music Award's Best-Selling Pop Male Artist of the Millennium and the American Music Award's Artist of the Century. He has also been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice: in 1997 as a member of the Jackson 5 and as a solo artist in 2001.
In 1984, Jackson received a record-breaking 12 Grammy nominations, going on to win eight, which stands as the record for most Grammy Awards to be won by anyone in a single year. Seven of Michael's Grammys that year were for Thriller: Album of the Year; Record of the Year ("Beat It"); Best Male Pop Vocal Performance ("Thriller"); Best Engineered Recording, Non-Classical (Thriller); Best Male Rock Vocal Performance ("Beat It"); Best Male R&B Vocal Performance ("Billie Jean"); Best R&B Song ("Billie Jean"). That same year, he took home eight American Music Awards and three MTV Video Music Awards. The following year, "The Making of Michael Jackson's Thriller" took home the Best Video Album trophy at the 27th Annual Grammy Awards.
This year Epic/Legacy Recordings celebrated the 25th anniversary of Michael Jackson's Thriller, the world's biggest-selling album of all time, with a newly expanded deluxe edition of the phenomenal record-breaking pop culture touchstone.
The Thriller - 25th Anniversary Edition includes the original album in its entirety plus seven bonus tracks and a DVD featuring groundbreaking short films from Thriller ("Thriller," "Beat It," and "Billie Jean") and the artist's Emmy-nominated breakout performance of "Billie Jean" from the legendary "Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever" television special.
The newly expanded version of Thriller also premieres six tracks previously unreleased in any form: "Beat It 2008" with Fergie; a new Kanye West remix of "Billie Jean"; a new version of "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" with Akon; Will.i.am remixes of "The Girl Is Mine" and "P.Y.T."; and "For All Time," a rare unreleased cut from the original recording sessions, newly mixed and mastered by Michael Jackson.
Originally released in the US 25 years ago, Thriller, Michael Jackson's sixth solo album and second with producer Quincy Jones, rocketed the former child-star lead singer for the Jackson 5 into the stratosphere of international superstardom. Introducing the "robot" and the "moonwalk" into the international lexicon of clubland dance moves via the pulsing sounds of Thriller, Michael Jackson revolutionized all aspects of mainstream pop culture and became the world's most popular entertainer in the process.
The original Thriller spent an astounding 80 consecutive weeks in the American Top 10, 37 of those at #1. Seven of the album's original nine tracks became Top 10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 while Individual singles from Thriller reached #1 chart positions in the US, the UK, France, Italy, Australia, Denmark, Belgium, South Africa, Spain, Ireland, New Zealand and Canada.
Thriller made history as the first and only record to be America's top-selling album two years running (1983 and 1984).
In 1985, the Guinness Book of Records named Thriller the Best Selling Album of All Time, an achievement which remains unsurpassed to this day.
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