The first single, "I Want You Back," hit number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in January 1970. Many more chart-topping singles similar followed, such as "ABC," and "I'll Be There" (Michael Jackson Biography).
At the young age of 13, Michael Jackson started a solo career in addition to his role in the Jackson 5. He made charts in 1971 with "Got to Be There" from the album under the same name (The Bio History of Michael Joseph Jackson).
For many years, Michael and the rest of the Jackson 5 had a busy schedule, with tours and recording new songs. Gordy and the rest of the Motown staff wrote many of the songs by the Jackson 5 and by Michael's solo career. The group was so popular at one point that they had their own cartoon show that ran from 1971 to 1973 (Michael Jackson Biography).
Despite the success, there was turmoil between the Jacksons and their recording label. They wanted more control over their recordings, which eventually led to most of the Jacksons breaking ties with Motown in 1975 (Michael Jackson Biography). Working with music producer Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson astonished the music industry with his 1979 Off The Wall. It featured blends of funk and pop style music with tracks such as the Grammy Award-winning "Don't Stop Till You Get Enough" and "Rock with You." This overwhelmingly positive response to Michael's solo album helped the Jacksons' career. Triumph sold over one million copies, and the brothers toured extensively to support the majorly successful record (Michael Jackson Biography). Jackson, although successful with his brothers, began to branch out on his own more often. His next solo album, Thriller (1982), had seven top 10 hits and became the best-selling album in history thus far. Honoring Motown on a television special, Jackson preformed his number 1 hit "Billie Jean." This was also when his iconic dance move "the moonwalk" was debuted (Bio History of Michael Joseph Jackson).