Move to Epic and 

Off the Wall (1975–1981)

The Jackson siblings in 1977, without Jermaine. From left, back row: Jackie, Michael, Tito, Marlon. Middle
row: Randy, La Toya, Rebbie. Front row: Janet (1977).

The Jackson 5 left Motown in 1975, signing with Epic Records and renaming themselves the
Jacksons.[50] Their younger brother Randy joined the band around this time; Jermaine stayed with
Motown and pursued a solo career.[51] The Jacksons continued to tour internationally, and released
six more albums between 1976 and 1984. Michael, the group's main songwriter during this time,
wrote songs such as "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" (1978), "This Place Hotel" (1980),
and "Can You Feel It" (1980).[52]
In 1977, Jackson moved to New York City to star as the Scarecrow in The Wiz, a musical film
directed by Sidney Lumet, alongside Diana Ross, Nipsey Russell, and Ted Ross.[53] The film was a
box-office failure.[54] Its score was arranged by Quincy Jones,[55] who later produced three of
Jackson's solo albums.[56] During his time in New York, Jackson frequented the Studio 54 nightclub,
where he heard early hip hop; this influenced his beatboxing on future tracks such as "Working Day
and Night".[57] In 1978, Jackson broke his nose during a dance routine. A rhinoplasty led to breathing
difficulties that later affected his career. He was referred to Steven Hoefflin, who performed
Jackson's operations.[58]
Jackson's fifth solo album, Off the Wall (1979), established him as a solo performer and helped him
move from the bubblegum pop of his youth to more complex sounds.[44] It produced four top 10
entries in the US: "Off the Wall", "She's Out of My Life", and the chart-topping singles "Don't Stop 'Til
You Get Enough" and "Rock with You".[59] The album reached number three on the
US Billboard 200 and sold over 20 million copies worldwide.[60] In 1980, Jackson won three American
Music Awards for his solo work: Favorite Soul/R&B Album, Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist, and
Favorite Soul/R&B Single for "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough". [61][62] He also won a Grammy Award
for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for 1979 with "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough". [63] In 1981,
Jackson was the American Music Awards winner for Favorite Soul/R&B Album and Favorite
Soul/R&B Male Artist.[64] Jackson felt Off the Wall should have made a bigger impact, and was
determined to exceed expectations with his next release. [65] In 1980, he secured the
highest royalty rate in the music industry: 37 percent of wholesale album profit. [66]