Michael Jackson

     Michael Joseph Jackson (born August 29, 1958) is an American musician and entertainer. The seventh child of the Jackson family, he debuted on the professional music scene at the age of eleven as a member of The Jackson 5. Jackson went on to begin a solo career in 1972, becoming a pop icon and named the “King of Pop”, in subsequent years. Five of his solo studio albums, Off the Wall (1979), Thriller (1982), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991) and HIStory (1995), have become some of the world’s best selling pop records.
     Michael Jackson’s domination of radio and television in the 1980s earned him the nickname “King of Pop.” His first solo hit, “Got to Be There,” was released in 1971, only two years after the Jackson 5 broke onto the charts. “Billie Jean” turned Jackson into MTV’s first African-American star. CBS Records had to pressure MTV to air it in 1983. The album Thriller spent 37 weeks at No. 1 in the U.S. and spawned seven Top 10 singles. Jackson has appeared in movies including The Wiz, Moonwalker and Men in Black II.
     Jackson became a dominant figure in popular music in the late 1970s as the first black entertainer to amass a strong crossover following on MTV. The popularity of his videos aired on MTV, such as “Beat It” and “Billie Jean”, helped to put the relatively young channel “on the map”, while videos such as “Black or White” and “Scream” made Jackson a staple on MTV into the 1990s. He transformed the music video into an art form and a promotional tool as well. Jackson popularized physically complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk, along with a distinctive musical sound and vocal style that have influenced numerous hip hop, pop, and R&B artists.

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Rascal Flatts

     Rascal Flatts is an American Grammy Award-winning country group founded in Nashville, Tennessee. Since its inception, Rascal Flatts has been composed of three members: Gary LeVox (lead vocals); LeVox’s second cousin, Jay DeMarcus (bass guitar, harmony vocals); and Joe Don Rooney (lead guitar, harmony vocals).
     Rascal Flatts mix twangy pedal steel licks with contemporary R&B to create a soulful yet countrified version of a boy band. Some of the members of the harmony-laden Rascal Flatts were once the backing band of a young country diva named Chely Wright. From 2000 to 2007, Rascal Flatts sold well over eight million albums. Rascal Flatts’ third album “Feels Like Today” went platinum in just under one week. Rascal Flatts have performed for the President and First Lady. They have also become spokesmen for the American Red Cross.
     Rascal Flatts has released five studio albums and a live compilation to date, all on Lyric Street Records. Their first two albums, 2000’s Rascal Flatts and 2002’s Melt, have been certified 2× platinum and 3× platinum, respectively, in the United States, while 2004’s Feels Like Today and 2006’s Me and My Gang have received 5× platinum and 4× platinum certifications respectively. Still Feels Good, their most recent album, is certified 2× platinum.

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