Years before Thriller, the Moonwalk or his solo superstardom, Michael Jackson was already standing at the front of one of America’s hottest groups.
He was only 11 years old when the Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on January 31, 1970. Michael sang lead, handling a demanding vocal that Motown producer Freddie Perren initially wondered whether a child could even reach. Michael reportedly hit the difficult high note on his first attempt.
11-Year-Old Michael Jackson Performs “I Want You Back”
The performance comes from The Ed Sullivan Show on December 14, 1969, just weeks before the song reached No. 1. Watching it now, the remarkable part is how little Michael looks like a nervous child. He sings, dances and controls the stage while his older brothers perform behind him.
And the success did not stop there.
“I Want You Back” was followed by “ABC,” “The Love You Save” and “I’ll Be There.” All four reached No. 1, making the Jackson 5 the first group to top the Billboard chart with their first four charting singles.
Video 2 Link: The Jackson 5 Perform Their Next No. 1, “ABC”
By the time the group performed “ABC” on The Ed Sullivan Show in May 1970, Michael was still only 11. Yet he was already the unmistakable lead voice of a group producing one No. 1 record after another.
One small clarification: Billboard does not maintain a formal “youngest vocalist ever” category. Guinness specifically notes that Michael was 11 years and 155 days old when the Jackson 5 reached No. 1, while Stevie Wonder holds the separate record for youngest solo artist to top the Hot 100.
Michael Jackson would eventually become one of the biggest solo stars in music history.
But the chart history started much earlier.
Before he was even a teenager, Michael’s voice was already sitting at No. 1 in America.