MICHAEL JACKSON : Remembering the King of Pop by Valerie Mikell During an interview at the height of his career, Michael Jackson was asked, “What do you know for sure?” He replied, “I’m still learning…I can’t say I know anything for sure.” By that time, he’d been performing for more than three decades. He’d been crowned The King of Pop. He’d already released the world’s best selling album, which also earned a record-breaking eight Grammys during one show. If someone had asked him that same question little more than a decade later, what would he have replied? Reflecting on the dramatic twists and turns his life had taken, he may have reminded us that he knew he was talented. He knew he was flawed. And he realized that he was only human. Until his sudden passing at the young age of 50, Michael and the world may have forgotten that he was just a man. Much like Michael Jackson, the legends or icons we revere are not born into wealth or fed from birth with a silver spoon. They come from families filled with regular folk who work at ordinary jobs in the hopes of keeping food on the table. What is it that drives the artists and performers we idolize? Is it a need to stand out and showcase their individuality? Is it the obligation to make good of the gifts that have been bestowed upon them? Is it the desire to provide a better life for their families? Many of these things may have contributed to the success of Michael Jackson, who began his musical journey alongside his brothers and whose solo career catapulted himself to mega stardom. But there’s also something to be said for that “it factor,” and the path he carved out for himself to be become musical royalty…it was his destiny. Born to Joseph and Katherine Jackson, the path of Michael Jackson’s life seems as though it was pre-destined to be extraordinary. HUMBLE BEGINNINGS Joseph Walter Jackson was born in Fountain Hill, Arkansas on July 26, 1929 to Samuel Jackson, a schoolteacher, and Crystal Lee King, a housewife. He was twelve years old when his parents split and when his father moved to Oakland, California, Joseph went with him. When he turned eighteen, he moved East Chicago, Indiana, where his mother lived and began boxing in the Golden Gloves. Kattie B. Screws was born on May 4, 1930, in Barbour County, Alabama to Prince Albert Screws and Martha Mattie Upshaw. Kattie had polio as a child, and it left her with a slight limp that’s still slightly visible. At age four, her family packed up and ventured north to East Chicago, where they would legally change Kattie’s name to Katherine Esther Scruse. Joseph and Katherine first met in 1949. He was a smooth-talking, married 19-year-old. She was a reserved and impressionable 17-year-old. Their connection was strengthened by their mutual love of music. When Joseph realized that Katherine was supportive of his dreams of making it to Hollywood, he had his marriage annulled and they quickly tied the knot on November 5, 1949. They moved into a two-bedroom bungalow on the aptly named Jackson Street (a coincidence?) in nearby Gary, Indiana, with the hopes of eventually making it to California where Joseph could pursue his music. Of course, Hollywood was in the cards, but it would take them many years and lots of sacrifice to get there. In the meantime, Joseph took a job at the local steel mill as a crane operator and Katherine became a dutiful housewife. When the couple began having children, they kept coming and coming, over a span of sixteen years. The eldest, Maureen Reillette “Rebbie” was born on May 29, 1950. Then came Sigmund Esco “Jackie” on May 4, 1951; Toriano Adaryl “Tito” on October 15, 1953; Jermaine LaJuan on December 11, 1954; Latoya Yvone on May 29, 1956, Marlon David on March 12, 1957; Michael Joseph on August 29, 1958; Steven Randall “Randy” on Oct.29, 1961, and finally Janet Damita on May 16, 1966. In a house filled with rambunctious boys who yearned for the attention and respect of their outgoing father and girls who adored their soft-spoken mother, 2300 Jackson Street was a lively home. Joseph had put aside his aspirations of pursuing music full-time in order to support his growing family. But even after long days working at the steel mill, he carved out some time to play guitar with his brother in a group called The Falcons. They played local clubs, hoping to get discovered and get an offer for a record deal. But when Joseph finally realized that The Falcons would not be his ticket out of Indiana and onto the “big time,” he set his guitar down…and his son Tito picked it up. Joseph had “laid down the law” that no one in the family was to touch his guitar, but once he heard Tito play and the rest of the family perform, he knew raw talent when he saw it. He also saw in them his golden ticket into show business, an opportunity he thought had passed him by. He quit his job at the steel mill to focus full-time on managing a new group he formed, consisting of his three eldest sons: Tito, Jackie, and Jermaine and two local boys. They performed in local venues for about a year, until the two local boys and the Jacksons went their separate ways. And it wasn’t until the introduction of their replacement in 1963, none other than 5-year-old Michael, that the Jackson family’s entire world began to change. HOW LEGENDS ARE MADE—THE JACKSON 5 YEARS When Michael began singing with his brothers, he didn’t start of as the lead singer. But soon enough he captured the lead vocalist spot that belonged to his older brother, Jermaine, and performed more naturally than any five-year-old should. His voice and stage presence were influenced by the Motown sound he loved so much. He fashioned his high-energy dance moves after his idol, James Brown. When Michael began to perform in front of audiences, the young charmer with the high-pitched croon and fancy footwork immediately captured audiences. As shy and sweet as he was, Michael was lavished with attention, both on and off the stage—he simply commanded it. Marlon soon joined his brothers, and the Jackson Brothers became the Jackson 5 (a.k.a. The Jackson Five, The Jack5on Five or The Jackson 5ive.) Joseph began venturing outside of Gary and going on the road with his boys, leaving Katherine at home with the remaining children. On the road, the Jackson 5 sang cover songs of their favorite Motown artists. Their popularity grew as they performed locally in Indiana during the week, and on weekends they loaded up and travelled by van to play in the big cities—Chicago, Philadelphia, and New York. While they were touring, they also found time to record a single. “Big Boy”/“You’ve Changed,” which was released by Steeltown Records, a record company located in Gary. The A-side, “Big Boy,” achieved regional success, but never had enough steam to propel them to the national airwaves. Joseph and Katherine did their best to keep their children’s lives regimented. Katherine, by now a devout Jehovah’s Witness, made sure the boys had a comfortable home and would often sew the costumes for their performances. As a father and a manager, Joseph was a strict disciplinarian and relentless with rehearsal schedules to ensure their performances were flawless. Their restricted lifestyle and unforgiving schedule would perhaps take its toll on the boys later in life—especially Michael, being the youngest—but all their hard work eventually paid off. In 1967, they were invited to perform in the Amateur Night Competition at the world renowned Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York, a venue where many famous African-American musicians got their start after winning the competition. Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Jackie Wilson, and Gladys Knight & The Pips are just a few of the big- name performers who won over what has always been arguably the toughest crowd to please in the entire world. After Tito, Jackie, Jermaine, and Marlon took the stage, and little Michael belted out “Twist and Shout” by the Beatles, they had danced their way into the hearts of the Apollo audience. Needless to say they won the competition, and became another part of the Apollo legacy that paved the way for yet another unknown act on the road to stardom. This catapulted the Jackson 5 into the era of Motown. But the story of when and exactly whom brought them to the attention of Motown head, Berry Gordy, Jr., has been a hotly debated detail of the Jackson 5 legacy for decades. By some accounts, it was Diana Ross who told Berry Gordy about the Jackson 5 after she watched them perform at a mayoral benefit in their hometown. In other accounts, it was Gladys Knight who saw them perform at the Apollo when she supposedly told Gordy about this hot new group. But the most widely accepted account of how the Jackson 5 became a part of the Motown family is through Bobby Taylor. In 1968, the Jackson 5 opened for Bobby Taylor and The Vancouvers, a Motown-signed group, at Chicago’s Regal Theater. Bobby Taylor was so blown away by the performance that he contacted Suzanne DePasse, a Motown record executive, and they scheduled the Jackson 5 for an audition for Motown Records.