On the Sunday after Michael Jackson passed away, I was able to visit my niece and nephews for the first time in a while. As a self-proclaimed pop music historian, I felt like it would be my duty to school them on Jackson’s legacy.
My youngest nephew opened the door, and even before we exchanged hellos he said, “Can you buy me a Michael Jackson doll and a red jacket for my birthday?”
He’ll turn seven next month.
“What you know about Michael Jackson?” I asked.
He immediately started in on a verse: “Billie Jean is not my lover…” He then proceeded into the “Thriller” dance, shrugging his shoulders and doing that famous zombie four-point turn.
His actions may not sound impressive, considering that Michael Jackson video tribute blocks were playing all weekend long on VH1, MTV and BET, but they don’t have cable.
“Girl, he’s been on Michael Jackson since that 25th anniversary of Thriller stuff,” my sister said when I asked where he learned to perform Michael Jackson on demand.
I talk to them pretty regularly, but the topic of Michael Jackson never really came up before. It was warranted because Jackson’s last studio album – the warmly received Invincible in 2001 – was released the year before my nephew was born.
As I watched my nephew continue his “routine,” I realized – in one of those “a ha!” epiphany moments – that when I was seven years old (more than 25 years earlier) I was doing the exact same thing – wearing penny loafers (with no socks) and some ridiculous short set … I’m sure of it.
The only difference being that I was a first-hand witness of Michael Jackson’s influence and pioneering efforts in entertainment at the height of his fame and success.
I felt like I had lived a piece of history as I sadly reflected on the descent of Jackson from icon to media/tabloid spectacle and his untimely passing a few days before.
‘Beyond a star’
But local radio legend Bernie Hayes trumped my little memory in a way that only he could.
Hayes met Michael Jackson when Michael was seven, long before the “Thriller” video established MTV as a network, or legions of fans from Japan to Australia would worship him.
He brought the boys from the next state over – their home town of Gary, Indiana – to East St. Louis, introducing the Jackson Five to the St. Louis metro area for the first time.
“I first played their record in 1966, and I brought them to the London House East in 1967.” Hayes said. “They ran out of gas,” he said laughing. “So I had to buy them some gas.”
Even though they were struggling to make ends meet and pay for fuel from one gig to the next, Hayes knew that it would be just a matter of time before The Jackson 5 – child prodigy Michael in particular – would become music sensations.
“It was the first time that many would see this rising galaxy – he was beyond a star,” Hayes said. “Knowing his talent and seeing his talent at his young age, I am not surprised at all by what he did. I would have been surprised had he not done it.”
Shortly after their visit, The Jackson 5 would sign with Motown and the rest would be history indeed.
Even with the enormous commercial success of the Jackson 5, their creative milestones could not match what Michael Jackson would achieve in his solo career.
His debut Off The Wall was extremely successful among R&B fans, but nothing could have prepared the music industry for what was to come.
Since its 1982 release, Jackson’s sophomore release Thriller is said to have sold between 50- 100 million copies worldwide and is credited by many as the biggest selling album of all-time. Not bad for a poor black boy from an obscure Midwest town.
“He was a supreme entertainer – way beyond an icon,” Hayes said. “He was the mold. He was the standard, and it’s never been reached before or since.”
‘Bad’ days
The person working hardest to duplicate Thriller’s level of success would be Jackson himself. As his career progressed, his eccentricities fueled media speculation regarding his personal life that would overshadow any of his efforts as a performer and musician.
Bad – the highly anticipated follow-up to Thriller released in 1987 – sold more than 10 million units and made history. Jackson became the first artist to have seven No. 1 singles on a single album.
But by the time Invincible was released, the album only went double-platinum – a commercial success to say the least by any other artist’s standards.
After a multi-year hiatus, Jackson was in the process of training for a 50-engagement UK concert block scheduled to start in July, which sold out in a matter of hours.
Jackson was said to be under immense stress and pressure. He accused the tour promoters of booking additional dates without his consent.
“I went to bed thinking that I would be doing 10 shows, but woke up to find out that I was doing 50,” Jackson was quoted as saying in several media outlets.
His frail health had been the latest of many tabloid headlines to feature Jackson, but he was determined take advantage of the comeback opportunity.
It was one that he would never live to see. He died of cardiac arrest on Thursday, June 25, 2009. He was just 50 years old, but his career had spanned four decades.
Speculation surrounds the circumstances of Jackson’s death – including rumors of prescription drug addiction.
“Regardless of what comes out, they cannot change what Michael has done for the industry,” Hayes said. “He is now at peace. He found a peace that escaped him in life.”
Posthumous love
The comeback he was denied in life is currently moving full speed ahead. According to SoundScan, Jackson currently has the top-three selling albums on the charts and a record nine albums in the top 50.
Thriller is once again No. 1, followed by The Essential Michael Jackson Collection and Number Ones (2003). In the few days since his passing, Jackson has sold 744,000 additional albums. His songs also have leapt to the top of ringtones lists.
And fans from seven to 70 are speaking out about their undying love for Jackson as an entertainer.
“Whatever it was, nobody was better at their job or doing what they did than Michael Jackson,” said Larry Blue, a 30-something sales executive. “Michael Jordan, Mike Tyson, LeBron James – nobody.”
Former state Rep. Betty Thompson is among Jackson’s more seasoned fan base.
“He was just awesome. Words can’t even describe the talent that young man had,” Thompson said. “I don’t care what people are saying to try to bash him, he was one of the greatest that has ever been produced in this country.”
But it was the youngster of the bunch who had the most heartfelt and compelling statements as he reflected on Jackson’s life and art. UCME/Notify Records rapper and 80’s baby Uvee was full of emotion as he looked straight into Bill Beene’s video camera.
“Michael Joseph Jackson. He was a legend, and you will never see anything like him,” Uvee said. “People …do not forget this man!”
Like many, a defining childhood memory was not the Michael Jackson show that they saw, but the one he didn’t see. The second performance of Jackson’s St. Louis leg of the Bad tour was canceled.
“I was mad at him for a while, because when I was a little kid and my mama was going to take me to see the concert,” Uvee said. “But he had laryngitis and he canceled the second show in ’89.”
But Uvee will remember the showman.
“Not only was he the best singer with the best genuine voice, he was the best dancer of all time,” Uvee said. “If he don’t inspire you, then you shouldn’t be doing it.”
Bill Beene provided additional reporting for this feature.
