In one swooping, historic haul, Michael Jackson nabbed 8 Grammy Awards amongst his record-breaking nomination for 12 Grammys during the 26th Annual Grammy Awards.
On this day in '84, Jackson struck Grammy gold in the fields of Pop, R&B and Rock with his signature singles "Thriller," "Billie Jean" and and "Beat It." "Billie Jean" won Best New R&B song, while "Beat It" was named Record of the Year.
RELATED: Feb. 26, 1983: Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' Hits No. 1 on US Album Chart
"We knew Michael was going to win everything — I mean, how could he not?" says guitarist Steve Lukather, who played on multiple Thriller tracks. "I remember I brought my little sister to the show because she wanted to meet Michael. He was very nice to her. There was a lot of love backstage, a great buzz."
With his landmark 1982 album Thriller running its unending victory lap, the 25-year-old pop king nabbed the prestigious Album of the Year, alongside close collaborator Quincy Jones.
Jackson was awarded three Best Male Vocalist Awards and also was named Producer of the Year, a title shared with Jones. To top it all off, he took another Grammy for Best Children's Recording for his non-musical narration on 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.'
READ MORE: February 7, 1984: Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' Recognized as World's Best-Selling Album
Thriller engineer Bruce Swedien described the energy during the momentous night: "It was very exciting," he recalled. "There was a lot of professional envy that night."
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