"overwhelming musical gifts," writing
that he "quickly emerged as the main
draw and lead singer." The group set a
chart record when its first four
singles—"I Want You Back" (1969),
"ABC" (1970), "The Love You Save"
(1970), and "I'll Be There" (1970)—
peaked at number one on
the Billboard Hot 100. In May 1971,
the Jackson family moved into a large
home on two-acre estate in Encino,
California, where Michael evolved
from child performer into a teen
idol. As Jackson began to emerge as a
solo performer in the early 1970s, he
continued to maintain ties to the
Jackson 5 and Motown. Between
1972, when his solo career began, and
1975, Michael released four solo
studio albums with Motown: Got to
Be There (1972), Ben (1972), Music
& Me (1973), and Forever,
Michael (1975). "Got to Be There"
and "Ben", the title tracks from his
first two solo albums, both became
successful singles, as did a remake
of Bobby Day's "Rockin' Robin".
The Jackson 5 were later described as
"a cutting-edge example of black
crossover artists." Although the
group's sales began declining in 1973,
and the band members chafed under
Motown's refusal to allow them
creative control or input, they
continued to score several top 40 hits,
including the top five single "Dancing
Machine" (1974), before the group
left Motown in 1975.
1975–81: Move to Epic and Off the
Wall
In June 1975, the Jackson 5 signed
with Epic Records, a subsidiary
of CBS Records, and renamed
themselves the Jacksons. Younger
brother Randy formally joined the
band around this time, while Jermaine
chose to stay with Motown and
pursue a solo career. The Jacksons
continued to tour internationally, and
released six more albums between
1976 and 1984. Michael, the group's
lead songwriter during this time,
wrote hits such as "Shake Your Body
(Down to the Ground)" (1979), "This
Place Hotel" (1980), and "Can You
Feel It" (1980). Jackson's work in film
began in 1978, when he starred as
the Scarecrow in The Wiz, a musical
directed by Sidney Lumet that also
starred Diana Ross, Nipsey Russell,
and Ted Ross. The film was a boxoffice disaster. While working on the
film Jackson met Quincy Jones, who
was arranging the film's musical
score, and Jones agreed to produce
Jackson's next solo album, Off the
Wall. In 1979, Jackson broke his nose
during a complex dance routine. His
subsequent rhinoplasty was not a
complete success; he complained of
breathing difficulties that would affect
his career. He was referred to
Dr. Steven Hoefflin, who performed
Jackson's second rhinoplasty and
subsequent operations.
Off the Wall (1979), which Jones and
Jackson co-produced, established