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 11 as a member of The Jackson 5. Jackson began a solo career in 1971 while still a member of the group. In the early 1980s, he became a dominant figure in popular music as the first African-American entertainer to amass a strong crossover following on MTV. Referred to as the "King of Pop" in subsequent years, five of his solo studio albums have become some of the world's best-selling records: Off the Wall (1979), Thriller (1982), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991) and ' (1995).