Michael Jackson (English singer)
Encyclopedia
Michael Jackson is a UK male singer who was lead vocalist with the heavy metal
band Satan
/Pariah.
in 1964 to Estelle & Michael Jackson. He was brought up by his mother in Morecambe
, Lancashire from an early age. A fanatical Queen fan Michael Jackson dreamed of being a rock singer like his idol Freddie Mercury.
Entering the Merchant Navy
straight from school Michael spent 5 years sailing all over the world while singing with the band Rough Edge between assignments. Eventually he decided to answer an advertisement, learned the required songs and travelled to London
for his audition with the band Satan. After a successful interview at Clink Studios, Tower Bridge, London Michael moved there to join Satan.
At this point Satan realised they were creating the wrong impression with their band name. During their tour with Running Wild religious groups would gather outside venues burning tour t-shirts. After much deliberation the band decided to change their name to Pariah.
Michael's next album with Pariah was the very heavy "The Kindred". It was released in 1987 but Michael was never a big fan of the songs and always felt they could have produced something better. At this point touring dates dried up and Michael was feeling a little despondent with the way things were going. Having become friends with the band Sabbat and wanting to keep busy Michael roadied for Sabbat during their first UK tour along with fellow band mates Graeme English and Steve Ramsey (who was the tour manager). It was a fun tour and the band realised it was time to write a much more versatile album so began working on what Michael later came to realise was the best piece of work the band ever produced.
"Blaze of Obscurity" was (like "The Kindred") recorded in Germany and released in 1989 to a KKKKK review in Kerrang magazine and fantastic reviews across publications throughout Europe. Despite the critical acclaim Michael left the band towards the end of 1989.
"After the release of "Blaze of Obscurity" I felt the band had produced a truly great album. We toured Germany to promote the album and recorded a live concert that was to be released plus a video for Blaze. At this time we were introduced to Japanese label Metal Mania who confirmed they would not only be releasing "Blaze of Obscurity" but also the band's back catalogue of music in Japan. An American publishing deal was also mentioned and the band were extremely excited about their future. Unfortunately, as time went by it was obvious that, due to the lack of a strong management team, these new avenues for the band were just fading away. A new album was mentioned but I felt it was time to go home to Morecambe to clear my head and make a decision as to what to do next. I decided against returning to the band as the disappointment in the events surrounding Blaze were too much and I felt the record company we were with was just not strong enough. If the record company couldn't break Blaze into the marketplace then what chance would another album make under the same company banner? I have been asked over the years why I left and that's basically it. We made great records yet were still knocking at closed doors. Mike Jackson"
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band Satan
Satan (band)
Satan are a heavy metal band originating from Newcastle, England in 1979, known as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. " Though generally obscure throughout their career, the band is considered influential for playing a form of proto-thrash metal that was fairly advanced by the...
/Pariah.
Early life
Michael was born in Lancaster, LancashireLancaster, Lancashire
Lancaster is the county town of Lancashire, England. It is situated on the River Lune and has a population of 45,952. Lancaster is a constituent settlement of the wider City of Lancaster, local government district which has a population of 133,914 and encompasses several outlying towns, including...
in 1964 to Estelle & Michael Jackson. He was brought up by his mother in Morecambe
Morecambe
Morecambe is a resort town and civil parish within the City of Lancaster in Lancashire, England. As of 2001 it has a resident population of 38,917. It faces into Morecambe Bay...
, Lancashire from an early age. A fanatical Queen fan Michael Jackson dreamed of being a rock singer like his idol Freddie Mercury.
Entering the Merchant Navy
Merchant Navy
The Merchant Navy is the maritime register of the United Kingdom, and describes the seagoing commercial interests of UK-registered ships and their crews. Merchant Navy vessels fly the Red Ensign and are regulated by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency...
straight from school Michael spent 5 years sailing all over the world while singing with the band Rough Edge between assignments. Eventually he decided to answer an advertisement, learned the required songs and travelled to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
for his audition with the band Satan. After a successful interview at Clink Studios, Tower Bridge, London Michael moved there to join Satan.
Satan/Pariah
The first recordings Michael did with Satan later became the EP "Into the Future" which was well received by the press, leading to a deal with Steamhammer Records, Germany. In between recordings the band toured Europe, mainly Holland, which culminated in their appearance at the first Dynamo Open Air Festival in 1986. Michael has fond memories of this festival, especially meeting Angelwitch and Laaz Rocket. Satan were later to tour with Angelwitch in 1987. The first full album, "Suspended Sentence" was released in 1987 and toured Europe with Running Wild to promote it.At this point Satan realised they were creating the wrong impression with their band name. During their tour with Running Wild religious groups would gather outside venues burning tour t-shirts. After much deliberation the band decided to change their name to Pariah.
Michael's next album with Pariah was the very heavy "The Kindred". It was released in 1987 but Michael was never a big fan of the songs and always felt they could have produced something better. At this point touring dates dried up and Michael was feeling a little despondent with the way things were going. Having become friends with the band Sabbat and wanting to keep busy Michael roadied for Sabbat during their first UK tour along with fellow band mates Graeme English and Steve Ramsey (who was the tour manager). It was a fun tour and the band realised it was time to write a much more versatile album so began working on what Michael later came to realise was the best piece of work the band ever produced.
"Blaze of Obscurity" was (like "The Kindred") recorded in Germany and released in 1989 to a KKKKK review in Kerrang magazine and fantastic reviews across publications throughout Europe. Despite the critical acclaim Michael left the band towards the end of 1989.
Reason for leaving
Many fans were surprised that Michael left the band at such a time."After the release of "Blaze of Obscurity" I felt the band had produced a truly great album. We toured Germany to promote the album and recorded a live concert that was to be released plus a video for Blaze. At this time we were introduced to Japanese label Metal Mania who confirmed they would not only be releasing "Blaze of Obscurity" but also the band's back catalogue of music in Japan. An American publishing deal was also mentioned and the band were extremely excited about their future. Unfortunately, as time went by it was obvious that, due to the lack of a strong management team, these new avenues for the band were just fading away. A new album was mentioned but I felt it was time to go home to Morecambe to clear my head and make a decision as to what to do next. I decided against returning to the band as the disappointment in the events surrounding Blaze were too much and I felt the record company we were with was just not strong enough. If the record company couldn't break Blaze into the marketplace then what chance would another album make under the same company banner? I have been asked over the years why I left and that's basically it. We made great records yet were still knocking at closed doors. Mike Jackson"