1975
January 16, 1975
 Michael’s fourth solo album, Forever, Michael, was released on January 16, 1975. The album’s sales were so disappointing that it became the final straw in the deteriorating relationship between the Jackson family and Motown records. The brothers, and Michael in particular, had been disappointed in the label’s recent lack of support, and their refusal to let band members contribute song material. Joseph Jackson, convinced that his sons’ careers were being held back by Motown, began to look around for a better deal. On January 25, 1975, the Jacksons could be seen demonstrating parts of their family revue act on their second appearance on the Carol Burnett Show. Fans tuning in were treated to a funky lip-synch to Life of the Party from the recent Dancing Machine album, but also got a taste to what their parents and grandparents were getting in places like Las Vegas, with a tribute to vocal groups of the past. Transiting Jupiter was conjunct Michael’s natal Moon in Pisces. With Gemini rising, this transit is in the 10th house, square the natal Ascendant. With Pisces rising, it is in the 1st house. Transiting Uranus was conjunct Michael’s natal Neptune in Scorpio. This transit is in the 6th house using the Gemini Ascendant, and in the 9th house using the Pisces Ascendant. Transiting Mercury and Venus in Aquarius were opposite Michael’s natal Uranus in Leo. With Gemini rising, this transit spans the 9th and 3rd houses. With Pisces rising, it spans the 12th and 6th houses.
May 14, 1975
 On May 14, 1975, one day before the last Jackson 5 Motown album, Moving Violation, was released (not counting two outtakes albums the label would release after the group left), Michael had a private one-to-one meeting with Berry Gordy at his Bel Air home, where the two discussed their business relationship and how it might possibly be resolved. Michael wanted to be able to record his own material, and have more overall control over recordings and releases. Gordy assured Michael that things could be worked out, just as they had been when both Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye had had similar grievances. However, Joseph Jackson was already determined to leave Motown, creating a division within the Jackson camp. Jermaine, married to Berry Gordy’s daughter Hazel, did not want to leave Motown. Nor did Michael, who took Gordy at his word that a solution could be worked out. However, they were outvoted by the other brothers and Joseph. Two weeks later, on May 28, a contract was signed with Epic, a division of CBS records, due to go in effect when the Motown contract ended on March 11, 1976. The new contract raised the group’s royalty rate from the 2.7 percent they received from Motown to 27 percent, which jumped to 30 percent after a given product reached $500,000 in sales. Michael went along and signed with the others, but Jermaine refused. Transiting Mercury was making its retrograde station in Gemini, square Michael’s natal Moon in Pisces. With Gemini rising, this transit is conjunct the Ascendant, square the Moon in the 10th house. With Pisces rising, this transit is in the 4th house, square the Moon in the 1st. Transiting Uranus retrograde was conjunct Michael’s natal Jupiter in Libra. This transit is in the 5th house using the Gemini Ascendant, and in the 8th house using the Pisces Ascendant. The transiting Sun was conjunct Michael’s natal Mars in Taurus, square his natal Mercury retrograde in Leo. With Gemini rising, this transit connects the 12th and 3rd houses. With Pisces rising, it connects the 3rd and 6th houses.
June 30, 1975
 The Jackson family, minus Jermaine, held a press conference at the Rockefeller Center’s Rainbow Room on June 30, 1975, to announce their new contract with Epic. Jermaine’s position in the group was still in question, though they were hoping he would ultimately side with them. Earlier that week, Motown’s lawyers informed them that they held the copyright to the name “Jackson 5″, and threatened to sue if that name was used at all. The group soon decided to use the name “The Jacksons”. With nine months left to go in their Motown contract, Joseph refused to let the group record more material for the label, prompting Motown to file a lawsuit against them. The Jacksons countersued the label for the right to leave the label. A week after the press conference, at the group’s next live date (at Westbury Music Fair in Long Island, July 6th), Jermaine performed with the group in the first of two performances However, during the break, he received a phone call from Berry Gordy, who told him to leave the group there and then, which he did. The group went on without him, but the family was deeply hurt by Jermaine’s decision, especially Joseph, who had always resented Gordy’s patriarchal relationship with his sons. Jermaine remained at Motown as a solo artist he was released from his contract upon request in August 1983, in time for him to rejoin his brothers for their Victory album and tour. Little brother Randy, performing as a non-official member since 1972, stepped in to become the fifth official Jackson, while Marlon took over Jermaine’s existing lead vocal spots in their older songs. Transiting Uranus was making its direct station conjunct Michael’s natal Jupiter in Libra, opposite transiting Mars in Aries. With Gemini rising, this transit spans the 5th and 11th houses. With Pisces rising, it spans the 8th and 2nd houses. Transiting Mercury post-retrograde in Gemini was opposite Michael’s natal Saturn in Sagittarius, square his natal Moon in Pisces. This transit is also conjunct the Ascendant using the Gemini rising chart, connecting the 1st, 7th and 10th houses. It connects the 4th and 10th houses the Pisces rising chart. Transiting Venus was slowing down to a retrograde conjunct Michael’s natal Mercury retrograde in Leo, square his natal Mars in Taurus. With Gemini rising, this transit connects the 3rd and 12th houses. With Pisces rising, it connects the 6th and 3rd houses. Using the Pisces rising chart, transiting Neptune retrograde in Sagittarius in the 10th house is square the Ascendant.
October 21, 1975
 With Motown suing to prevent the Jackson 5 from leaving the label, the remaining members of the group, including Michael and Joseph, counter-sued the label. They were seeking legal approval of their CBS/Epic contract, set to come into effect on March 11, 1976, and to prevent against a requirement that they record more material for Motown before their existing contract expired. It was the beginning of a new chapter in Michael’s education. Despite the contentious nature of the lawsuits between Motown and the group, he was impressed by Gordy’s acumen in registering the name “Jackson 5″ under trademark, and was beginning to learn about business and law in a serious way, knowledge he would someday wield with great capability. The transiting South Node was square Michael’s natal Mars in Taurus, square his natal Mercury retrograde in Leo. With Gemini rising, this transit is also square the Midheaven in Aquarius, connecting the 12th, 3rd and 9th houses. With Pisces rising, it connects the 3rd and 6th houses. Transiting Mars was slowing down to its retrograde station in early Cancer. This transit is in the 2nd house using the Gemini Ascendant, and in the 5th house using the Pisces Ascendant. Transiting Uranus was conjunct Michael’s natal Neptune in Scorpio, squared by transiting Saturn in Leo. With Gemini rising, this transit connects the 6th and 3rd houses. With Pisces rising, it connects the 9th and 6th houses. Using the Pisces rising chart, transiting Venus post-retrograde in Virgo is in the 7th house, opposite the natal Ascendant and Moon, and transiting Neptune in Sagittarius in the 10th house is square the natal Ascendant
1976
January 15, 1976
 On January 15, 1976, Michael and his brothers all gave sworn depositions in the Jackson 5’s counter-suit against Motown records. Recounting his private meeting with Berry Gordy nine months earlier, he described it as one of the most difficult things he had ever done in his life A week after Michael gave his deposition, the versatility in the appeal of the Jackson 5 was evidenced by two separate television appearances that happened to be broadcast on the same day, Saturday, January 24, 1976. In the afternoon, they could be seen as the featured guests in their fourth appearance on Soul Train. That night, they made their third appearance on the Carol Burnett Show. The group was still performing under the name “Jackson 5″ for the time being, while they waited for their contract to expire in March. Their last performances under the old name would be in the Philippines on February 19, 1976, just before coming home to give testimony in the case against Motown. The counter-suit was settled in the Jacksons’ favor on May 20, 1976, more than two months after their Epic contract was set to begin. However, Motown’s lawsuit against them was also settled in favor of the plaintiff, resulting in the Jacksons having to pay about two million dollars to leave the label, in addition to surrendering royalties on recordings released before 1976. As good as their new contract was, leaving behind their Motown legacy was a huge gamble, considering what they were required to give up. Michael took it all as a learning experience. Transiting Mars retrograde in Gemini was opposite transiting Neptune and Venus, and natal Saturn in Sagittarius, square the natal Moon in Pisces. With Gemini rising, this transit spans the 1st, 7th and 10th houses. With Pisces rising, it spans the 4th, 10th and 1st houses, with transiting Venus conjunct the Midheaven in Sagittarius. Transiting Saturn retrograde in Cancer was square Michael’s natal Jupiter in Libra. This transit connects the 2nd and 5th houses using the Gemini Ascendant, and connects the 5th and 8th houses using the Pisces Ascendant
June 16, 1976
 As the Jacksons’ legal issues were being resolved, they also began taping their new television variety show, aptly titled, The Jacksons. Created in the genre of popular 70s fare like Sonny & Cher and Donny & Marie (to whom the Jacksons were consistently compared to throughout the decade), the show, which featured eight of the nine Jackson kids (minus Jermaine) was chosen as a mid-season replacement for CBS on Wednesday evenings at 8:30 p.m.. The first of four summer episodes was broadcast on June 16, 1976, and featured Sonny Bono as the week’s guest star. The musical sequences were exhilarating, the comedy skits were corny, yet the show was popular in its time slot. Michael, against the idea but outvoted by his family, would later say that doing the show was a huge mistake and that he had been miserable doing it. Little Janet Jackson, now a ten-year-old two-year veteran of the Vegas revue performances, naturally stole the show as the family’s latest pre-teen phenomenon, leading the way to her television roles on the sit-coms Good Times and Diff’rent Strokes during the late 70s and early 80s. Transiting Jupiter was conjunct Michael’s natal Mars in Taurus, square transiting Mars and Michael’s natal Venus in Leo. With Gemini rising, this transit connects the 12th and 3rd houses. With Pisces rising, it connects the 3rd and 6th houses. Transiting Uranus retrograde was conjunct Michael’s natal Neptune in Scorpio, both square by transiting Saturn in Leo. This transit connects the 6th and 3rd houses using the Gemini Ascendant, and connects the 9th and 6th houses using the Pisces Ascendant.
November 6, 1976
 The Jacksons’ debut LP on Epic, called The Jacksons, was the first of two albums produced by the successful Gamble & Huff team, pioneers of the popular Philly sound. Featuring the hit singles Enjoy Yourself and Show You The Way To Go, the album also included the first recorded song written by Michael, called Blues Away. Although the TV show was picked up for another eight episodes, they wouldn’t broadcast until the following year, and their fall 1976 appearances were limited to guest spots on the new Sonny & Cher Show (the post-divorce one that followed their separate attempts at solo shows) on October 10th and Dinah Shore’s show, Dinah!, on November 19th. Transiting Saturn was conjunct Michael’s natal Venus in Leo, while transiting Venus was conjunct Michael’s natal Saturn in Sagittarius. with Gemini rising, this transit connects the 3rd and 7th houses. With Pisces rising, it connects the 6th and 10th houses, with transiting Venus also conjunct the Midheaven in Sagittarius. Transiting Mercury and the Sun in Scorpio were square Michael’s natal Uranus in Leo. This transit connects the 6th and 3rd houses using the Gemini Ascendant, and connects the 9th and 6th houses using the Pisces Ascendant. The transiting North Node was conjunct Michael’s natal Neptune in Scorpio. With Gemini rising, this transit is in the 6th house. With Pisces rising, it is in the 9th house. Transiting Mars in Scorpio was opposite Michael’s natal Mars in Taurus. This transit spans the 6th and 12th houses using the Gemini Ascendant, and spans the 9th and 3rd houses using the Pisces Ascendant. Transiting Jupiter retrograde in Taurus was square Michael’s natal Mercury retrograde in Leo. With Gemini rising, this transit connects the 12th and 3rd houses. With Pisces rising, it connects the 3rd and 6th houses.
1977
January 19, 1977  Eight more episodes of The Jacksons CBS-TV variety show were taped and broadcast in early 1977, but unfortunately by then the genre had burned itself out, and the show was canceled alongside its counterparts. The first of the new episodes, co-starring Redd Foxx, was broadcast on January 19, 1977. Transiting Venus was conjunct Michael’s natal Moon in Pisces, squared by transiting Neptune in Sagittarius. With Gemini rising, this transit is also square the Ascendant, spanning the 10th, 7th and 1st houses. With Pisces rising, it spans the 1st and 10th houses. The transiting North Node was conjunct Michael’s natal Jupiter in Libra, square the transiting Sun in Capricorn. This transit connects the 5th and 8th houses using the Gemini Ascendant, and connects the 8th and 11th houses using the Pisces rising. Transiting Jupiter was conjunct Michael’s natal Mars in Taurus. With Gemini rising, this transit is in the 12th house and also square the Midheaven in Aquarius. With Pisces rising, it is in the 3rd house. Transiting Saturn retrograde was conjunct Michael’s natal Uranus in Leo. This transit is in the 3rd house using the Gemini Ascendant, and in the 6th house using the Pisces Ascendant.
Mid-June 1977
 Michael got the chance to pursue his dream of making movies in 1977, when he was chosen to co-star with Diana Ross in the film version of The Wiz, a hip and funky musical adaptation of The Wizard of Oz. Ross had snatched the role of Dorothy from the clutches of twenty-year old Stephanie Mills, who had spent the past two years playing the role on Broadway. Rehearsals began in New York City in July 1977, while cameras rolled from October 3rd until December. Michael, just shy of his nineteenth birthday, rented a temporary home on Sutton Place South, where he lived with his sister LaToya until filming wrapped. It might be said that this was the most carefree life Michael ever got to enjoy: separated from his parents and brothers, socializing with the likes of Andy Warhol and Liza Minnelli at the newly-opened Studio 54. Contemporary newspaper reports indicate he was already in New York by early June, and that he went to see Mills perform at a club called the Grande Finale sometime in the week around Saturday, June 11th. In a 2007 radio interview, Mills revealed that she and Michael were dating during his New York period. Until then, it was thought that he had never had a black girlfriend. More importantly, it would have been sometime around June-July 1977 that Michael met up with arranger and musical director Quincy Jones, who was overseeing the music for the film. Jones says they had first met when Michael was a young star, at the home of Sammy Davis Jr., although Michael didn’t remember that when they were reintroduced. Jones would eventually become Michael’s producer for his next three, and most successful solo albums. Transiting Jupiter in Gemini was opposite transiting Neptune retrograde in Sagittarius. With Gemini rising, this transit is conjunct the natal Ascendant and connects the 1st and 7th houses. With Pisces rising, this transit square the natal Moon, and connects the 4th, 10th and 1st houses. Transiting Saturn was conjunct Michael’s natal Uranus in Leo. This transit is in the 3rd house using the Gemini Ascendant, and in the 6th house using the Pisces Ascendant.
September 22, 1977 
Now a young adult, Michael’s private life was open to speculation in the press. It wasn’t long before strange rumors began to surface about him, an unavoidable consequence of fame that would become a constant burden for the rest of his life. In the September 22, 1977 issue of Jet magazine, Michael gave an interview to deny a slew of rumors that by then had become urban legends: that he had gone skinny dipping with thirteen-year-old Tatum O’Neal, that he was gay, that he had taken hormones to keep his voice or had a sex change operation. Still a year and a half away from his first nose job, insecure because of his post-adolescent complexion, Michael’s delicate psyche was already having to defend itself against the suspicious scrutiny of strangers. Transiting Saturn was conjunct Michael’s natal Mercury retrograde in Leo. With Gemini rising, this transit is in the 3rd house. With Pisces rising, it is in the 6th house. Using the Gemini Ascendant, transiting Neptune in Sagittarius is conjunct the Descendant. Using the Pisces Ascendant, transiting Mercury post-retrograde in Virgo is conjunct the Descendant
1978
October 24, 1978  The Wiz had its premiere in New York City on October 24, 1978, over a year after filming began. It was received with poor reviews and lukewarm box office returns, failing to recoup its expensive budget. Michael took the film’s failure personally, especially in light of the fact that his father and brothers had tried to discourage him from making it. Transiting Mars in Scorpio was square Michael’s natal Mercury retrograde in Leo. With Gemini rising, this transit connects the 6th and 3rd houses. With Pisces rising, it connects the 9th and 6th houses. Transiting Venus retrograde in Scorpio was opposite Michael’s natal Mars in Taurus. This transit spans the 6th and 12th houses using the Gemini Ascendant, and spans the 9th and 3rd houses using the Pisces Ascendant. Transiting Uranus and Mercury in Scorpio were square Michael’s natal Uranus and Venus in Leo. With Gemini rising, this transit connects the 6th and 3rd houses. With Pisces rising, it connects the 9th and 6th houses. Using the Gemini rising chart, transiting Neptune in Sagittarius is opposite the natal Ascendant. Using the Pisces rising chart, transiting Saturn in Virgo is opposite the natal Ascendant.
December 17, 1978
The Jacksons released their third album on the Epic label, Destiny, on December 17, 1978. Having parted ways with the Gamble & Huff production team (1977’s Goin’ Places was a poor seller), Michael and his brothers had more creative control than ever. The album’s biggest hit, Shake Your Body (To The Ground), co-written by Michael and Randy, became a signature tune of the disco age. Transiting Neptune was conjunct Michael’s natal Saturn in Sagittarius. With Gemini rising, this transit is also opposite the Ascendant and square the Moon in Pisces, spanning the 7th, 1st and 10th houses. With Pisces rising, it is also conjunct the Midheaven in Sagittarius. Transiting Venus and Uranus in Scorpio were making a recurrence of Michaels natal Uranus and Venus conjunction in Leo. This transit connects the 6th and 3rd houses using the Gemini Ascendant, and connects the 9th and 6th houses using the Pisces Ascendant. Using the Pisces rising chart, transiting Saturn in Virgo is opposite Michael’s natal Moon in Pisces, connecting the 7th and 1st houses
1979
April 14, 1979  The Jacksons began touring to promote Destiny in Europe in January 1979. A visit to South Africa’s Sun City resort was canceled in March, after various black and human rights interest groups pressured the group not to play the segregated venue, despite Joe’s assertion and conviction that they would not be playing to segregated audiences. Sometime in the spring of 1979, Michael had his first nose job, necessitated from an injury he suffered after falling during a dance routine. It was a subtle change, barely noticeable to unsuspecting fans. The Jacksons began the first American leg of their Destiny tour at Cleveland, Ohio’s Palace Theater. Michael was probably sporting his new nose job, or else he was soon about need it, as the exact date of his injury and surgery are unknown. Transiting Saturn retrograde was conjunct Michael’s natal Sun in Virgo. With Gemini rising, this transit is in the 4th house. With Pisces rising, it is in the 7th house. The transiting South Node was conjunct Michael’s natal Moon in Pisces. This transit is in the 10th house using the Gemini Ascendant, and in the 1st house using the Pisces Ascendant. Transiting Jupiter in Cancer was square Michael’s natal Jupiter in Libra. With Gemini rising, this transit connects the 2nd and 5th houses. With Pisces rising, it connects the 5th and 8th houses. Transiting Neptune retrograde was conjunct Michael’s natal Saturn in Sagittarius, square transiting Venus in Pisces. This transit connects the 7th and 10th houses using the Gemini Ascendant, and connects the 10th and 1st houses, also conjunct the natal Midheaven in Sagittarius, using the Pisces Ascendant. Transiting Uranus retrograde in Scorpio was opposite Michael’s natal Mars in Taurus. With Gemini rising, this transit is also square the Midheaven in Aquarius, connecting the 6th, 12th and 9th houses. With Pisces rising, it connects the 9th and 3rd houses.
August 10, 1979
Michael released Off The Wall, his first solo album on Epic and first co-produced with Quincy Jones, on August 10, 1979. With hit singles like Don’t Stop (Til You Get Enough) and Rock With You, it became an instant smash on the pop and disco charts. A flawless album of exuberant celebration, orchestrated with unforgettable summer sounds, Michael proved that he was more than just a mere performer or group leader, but a complete recording artist, with the skills to make the hottest music out of nothing but his own imagination. It was the album he had been trying to make all along. Transiting Venus, the Sun and Jupiter were conjunct Michael’s natal Uranus and Venus in Leo, square transiting Uranus station direct in Scorpio. With Gemini rising, this transit connects the 3rd and 6th houses. With Pisces rising, it connects the 6th and 9th houses. Transiting Mercury was making its direct station in Leo, square Michael’s natal Neptune in Scorpio. Again, this transit connects the 3rd and 6th houses using the Gemini Ascendant, and connects the 6th and 9th houses using the Pisces Ascendant. Transiting Neptune in Sagittarius was conjunct Michael’s natal Saturn, square his natal Moon in Pisces and transiting Saturn in Virgo. With Gemini rising, this transit is conjunct the Descendant and square the 10th and 4th houses. With Pisces rising, it is conjunct natal Saturn and the Midheaven in Sagittarius. Using the Pisces rising chart, the transiting South Node is conjunct the Ascendant and natal Moon in Pisces, opposite transiting Saturn in Virgo in the 7th house.
December 18, 1979
The second leg of the Jacksons’ Destiny tour began in New Orleans on October 2nd, while Off The Wall was climbing up the charts, and songs from the new album were added to the set list to keep the show up to date. When the tour ended with a series of shows at The Forum in Los Angeles, the last one being on December 18, 1979, Michael wanted to stop touring altogether. Besides the nose injury, he had suffered voice trouble that forced some shows to be canceled. With Off The Wall now a certified hit, his career was truly beginning to eclipse that of the group’s, which only served to deepen the already growing divisions between him and his brothers. Transiting Uranus in Scorpio was opposite Michael’s natal Mars in Taurus, square his natal Mercury retrograde in Leo. With Gemini rising, this transit is also square the Midheaven in Aquarius, and spans the 6th, 12th, 3rd and 9th houses. With Pisces rising, it spans the 9th 3rd and 6th houses. Transiting Neptune was conjunct Michael’s natal Saturn in Sagittarius. This transit is in the 7th house using the Gemini Ascendant, and is also conjunct the Midheaven in the 10th house using the Pisces Ascendant.
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