Exactly when did Michael become part of music's most important/biggest trinity?

[Ms. BlueGangsta]

When it comes to modern music you have two groups of three that are revered as the best to ever do it.
The smaller and less important of the trinities being our very own King MJ, Madonna, and Prince, who are all seen as the best of their own era.
Their eras also happen to be rather recent and are looked to for inspiration by most current artist (especially MJ who's impact and influence is everywhere), which is why they're currently the second biggest trinity.

However, the biggest and most important musical trinity consist of none other then King Michael, the Beatles, and Elvis who are simply seen as the greatest of all time and the very foundation of music as we know it.
Their importance is such that many people believe that without them modern music as we know it may not even exist.
They built the world that every current artist exist in.

So the question is when exactly did MJ leave his peers behind to become not only the best of his own era, but the best solo artist of all time.

Do any of you know exactly when or around what time this ascension happened?

 

[SmoothCriminal1995]

I think it began around the time Thriller cleaned at the Grammys, then with the anticipation and then the release of Bad, he was on his own level in terms of popularity, success and sales.

 

[barbee0715]

The exact moment was Motown 25.

One of the accolades the day after (which Michael mentions in his book) was the new Sinatra, who I still believe belongs up there in changing modern music. He led the path in vocalists emotionally interpreting recorded music. And Sinatra also changed pop culture by inadvertently creating the crazed teen age fan.

 

[dewey]

I agree with you, barbee. There was a definite raising of the pop music bar after that performance. The Thriller video raised it even higher. His impact and influence was HUGE.

 

[barbee0715]

True, Dewey-Motown 25 was the electric explosion that got everybody talking and then the Thriller premiere-put it right over the top.
Suddenly everything changed. People suddenly wanted cable TV. People wanted videos. People went back to listening to the radio and hitting the record stores. The long running Midnight Special on network tv became Friday Night Videos.
All artists started upping their game. I never would have heard about Madonna or Prince had it not been for Michael. I discovered Billy Joel and Phil Collins and Hall and Oates. I started paying attention to Paul McCartney and Elton John.
It was just a glorious time for music.

 

[Ms. BlueGangsta]

Thanks for the answers.

 

[Psychoniff]

True, Dewey-Motown 25 was the electric explosion that got everybody talking and then the Thriller premiere-put it right over the top.
Suddenly everything changed. People suddenly wanted cable TV. People wanted videos. People went back to listening to the radio and hitting the record stores. The long running Midnight Special on network tv became Friday Night Videos.
All artists started upping their game. I never would have heard about Madonna or Prince had it not been for Michael. I discovered Billy Joel and Phil Collins and Hall and Oates. I started paying attention to Paul McCartney and Elton John.
It was just a glorious time for music.

You're making yourself sound really old Barbee.....

 

[#MJforever57]

I have to say Motown 25 stared it all too Michael took off after that there was no stopped him his impact change the world of music forever. He raise the bar Michael open the doors he pave the way. There will never be another Michael Jackson he was one of a kind.

 

[barbee0715]

You're making yourself sound really old Barbee.....

Lol. I AM really old. I can't help it that I'm lucky enough to be born when Michael was and lived thru this.


Or maybe I'm really a 25 year old music historian.

Actually, my love for Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, old time Hollywood music made me seem really old back in grade school.

I'll take you even further back. When I was a kid, long before I fell in love with Michael, I was watching him talk about the movie 'That's Entertainment'. And it was the first time I ever saw a boy my age (or any kid) talk about old Hollywood musicals with the same admiration I did. I had an immediate connection.

And years later, when his own videos started paying homage to these greats, is when I realized he was a genius.

 

[SarahJ]

True, Dewey-Motown 25 was the electric explosion that got everybody talking and then the Thriller premiere-put it right over the top.
Suddenly everything changed. People suddenly wanted cable TV. People wanted videos. People went back to listening to the radio and hitting the record stores. The long running Midnight Special on network tv became Friday Night Videos.
All artists started upping their game. I never would have heard about Madonna or Prince had it not been for Michael. I discovered Billy Joel and Phil Collins and Hall and Oates. I started paying attention to Paul McCartney and Elton John.
It was just a glorious time for music.

Your right, it was a glorious time for sure. I remember listening to pop, rock, disco, soul, jazz, even big band, the whole gamut. I also remember seeing the Jacksons on the Merv Griffin show when they performed Dancing Machine. He was standing out even back then, but I'd say he began to break away from the rest even around Off The Wall. His vocals on that album are sublime and it was playing everywhere (especially a certain club I managed to get into being a year or two under age) but when Thriller hit there was no stopping him.

 

[Bringing Brighter Days]

Your right, it was a glorious time for sure. I remember listening to pop, rock, disco, soul, jazz, even big band, the whole gamut. I also remember seeing the Jacksons on the Merv Griffin show when they performed Dancing Machine. He was standing out even back then, but I'd say he began to break away from the rest even around Off The Wall. His vocals on that album are sublime and it was playing everywhere (especially a certain club I managed to get into being a year or two under age) but when Thriller hit there was no stopping him.

And then..........

Entertainment and music began to decline in stages in 1987

But the decline was so ominous, it was difficult to trace why