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Michael Jackson Impact On Society

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There were many influential musicians in the 20th century, but we were able to narrow the list down to our top five most influential musicians. The Musicians we picked were Michael Jackson, The Beatles, Nirvana, Frank Sinatra, and Elvis Presley. We chose these musicians because they all left a lasting impact on America, not just on the music industry. All of these musicians are remembered for both their music and their impact on society.
Michael Jackson was born in 1958, part of the first generation of Americans who never knew a world without TV, Jackson didn't just grow up with TV. He grew up on it. He was the first great televisual entertainer (Atlantic). You could say that because of Michael Jackson, music videos mean more today. Michael …show more content…
Kurt Cobain was the singer and and face of Nirvana. He was born in Aberdeen, Washington on February 20, 1967 (Rolling Stone). One of the influences of Nirvana and Kurt Cobain was that Kurt’s parents divorced when he was eight years old, leaving him emotionally scarred. Some bands that influenced Nirvana were Kiss, Black Sabbath, The Sex Pistols, and The Beatles. Some setbacks Nirvana faced was that they had a very new and unique sound that most people in the music industry felt would be unmarketable. Another issue was that the band was using drugs, such as heroin. A break for the band when when their first album, Bleach, sold 35,000 copies, which was impressive for a small indie band. The major break was when they signed to a record label for $287,000 and knocked major artists such as Garth Brooks and U2 off the charts (Raz). One impact that Nirvana had on America was that they showed that non-commercial bands could be successful. They started the grunge movement and inspired a generation of teens (and practically every generation there after) to rebel. Sadly, Nirvana also brought drug culture to the forefront of America. The band had always used drugs, including heroin, but the issue was brought to light when Kurt Cobain’s wife, Courtney Love admitted to using heroin during her pregnancy. This caused the public to scrutinize their drug use, but it was still glamorized by the media. The band also inspired many bands such as Weezer, Cage the Elephant, Fall Out Boy, and numerous other artists (Linder). When Kurt Cobain commited suicide on April 8, 1993 the legacy of Nirvana was forever cemented as the symbol of teen rebellion and the grunge

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