Michael Joseph Jackson was a famous American singer, dancer, song writer, choreographer, philanthropist and an entrepreneur. He won 15 Grammy Awards and hundreds of other prizes during his life. Michael Jackson was born on the 29th of August, 1958, in the state of Indiana. He was the eighth of ten children of Joseph and Katherine Jackson. His father was a former boxer and a guitarist at the local R&B band. Michael was known to have many troubles with his father, who regularly whipped him and verbally abused. As a child Michael was afraid to sleep alone in his own room as he had nightmares.