Gone Too Soon-The Untimely Death of A Timeless Legacy

 The anticipation was strong. The hiatus unbearable. The clock was ticking. July 13th would inaugurate the return of a super legend everyone could not help but watch. After 8 long years, Michael Jackson was coming to town!

 But as I was writing a [now defunct] blog post, my folks told me the horrid story. My initial thoughts were "Get out of here!" But then I stubbornly realized it was no joke.

The man who lit up the walkway tiles was no more. Gone was the chance to reclaim the throne. A man-child who once filled the streets with wannabes on every corner has now become another victim of an adverse drug reaction. First, it was a Cardiac Arrest that turned into a coma. Then, The King of Pop was pronounced dead.

That's when it hit me real hard. A child-like figure who opened wide the gates of Neverland for disadvantaged children was now a dead corpse at a city morgue.

"Like a comet blazing cross the evening sky, gone too soon."

I pray that his family, friends, and fans can get through this tragic loss. May God bless you all. Like The Beatles, Elvis Presley, and Frank Sinatra, his legacy will live on forever!

Did Big Pharma Kill Michael Jackson?

Now we have 4-6 weeks to wait for the absolute proof. Yet evidence is pointing to an adverse reaction to Demerol-A completely legal(according to the FDA) substance used to kill pain. Michael Jackson's personal doctor injected a shot into his arm because of a sprained ankle during last evenings(June 24th, 2009) rehearsals. Though layers have denied such claims, shot-marks have been found in his arm.

During Wednesday Night's warm-ups, there was no indication of any dumb-foundedness(a druggies high) nor pain of any kind. According to Kenny Ortega, Travis Paine> Frank Delio, and many others, Jackson couldn't have been in greater spirits! His singing and dancing(with Laryngitis as an exception) was up to par and did not miss a step! You can read the whole story that rehearsal night Here.

But then came lunchtime. Michael was found sprawled out on the floor with a weak pulse(this rules out cardiac arrest). His doctor called 911. The paramedics came and tried to resuscitate the legend to no avail. At the UCLA Hospital, family gathered around and was devastated by the words that fell from the physicians lips.

"Michael Jackson has been pronounced dead at 2:16 P.M. June 25th, 2009."

Although I do not have concrete proof, I strongly believe had he not been injected with any Demerol that night, it would have been business as usual preparing for the greatest comeback off all time!

Read this article for A possible link to Demerol.

Stay tuned for my own tribute post to Singer Michael Jackson!

Michael Jackson Breaths His Last

 At first it was a 911 phone call exclaiming "He's not breathing!" Headlines proclaimed Michael Jackson being rushed to the local hospital.Possibly due to heart trouble.

 No less then 2 hours later, another legend had perished within the river of death. At 226 P.M.(Pacific Standard Time) death had claimed no ordinary victim.

 Many from across the four corners were devastated as if losing one of their own. Clearly nothing like this has ever happened in the music scene since the death of John Lennon(1980) nor Princess Diana(1997). Many who have worked with the pop star have felt a piece of their hearts pass away that fateful night.

 Let me just close with these brief quotes...

 "I'm sorry and I can't believe he's gone. I somehow thought Michael would be with us for a long time to come. I was looking forward to more musical genius as well as original dancing moves that would once again raise the bar for generations to come."

Tony Merrithew-Speed Demon Animator

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 "It's so sad and shocking. I feel privileged to have hung out and worked with Michael. He was a massively talented boy man with a gentle soul. His music will be remembered forever and my memories of our time together will be happy ones".

 "I send my deepest sympathy to his mother and the whole family and to his countless fans all around the world."

Paul McCartney

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 “For Michael to be taken away from us so suddenly at such a young age, I just don’t have the words."

 "He was the consummate entertainer and his contributions and legacy will be felt upon the world forever. I’ve lost my little brother today, and part of my soul has gone with him.”

Quincy Jones

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"Michael was on stage performing the numbers, singing and dancing with the cast. It was a privilege to be able to watch the concert that no one will see now."

"By the time that Michael came in, all we had to do was just show [the plan] to him. He was such a quick learner. He would learn this stuff in seconds. And jump right into it! The choreography, all of it...He looked fantastic."

"He claimed that he felt he had a little bit of laryngitis. But he looked great and these pop-locking moves that he was doing on stage with the crew were just breathtaking...He didn't seem tired. He went from one move to the next. It was an unbelievable experience to be with him and to see it all come together."

"He was joking with the crew on stage, there was a cameraman on stage...that was a foot away from him that was kind of crouched down and Michael said some kind of funny gesture like...‘Oh you're very close, look how close you are.' And he reached down and touched the cameraman on the top of the head in a joking manner. You could see on the screen how big Michael's image was on these projection screens. He was playful and light-hearted."

"I just thought...'Wow, he still has it!' When he did 'Thriller,' I was just in awe. I stayed for a while, probably until about midnight. And then they started to rehearse the 'Thriller' number with a gigantic spider on stage and I thought...'Well, it's getting late...'Had I known, I would have stayed another half hour and watched more."

"Jackson finally retired after 1 A.M. I Was told.
At rehearsals the following day, none of the crew members knew anything was wrong until media reports began circulating the following afternoon."

"I wasn't sure what was happening. People were just looking at their phones and looking at websites and texts that they were getting. I think the news was now coming out. [Show producer Kenny] Ortega was on and off the phone probably five or six different times. And the news was slowly coming in, but it was not definitive. And Kenny finally looked at us and said, 'We need to call a group meeting.'"

"He said, 'Michael Jackson was taken to the hospital. We're not sure at this point what has happened, but Michael Jackson has passed away.’ And then there was just this gasp. It was the words we didn't want to hear."

"Almost in tears, Ortega had no choice but to call it a wrap."

Alonzo(This Is It Magician)

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stay tuned for more quotes of Michael Jackson's associates-Past, Present, and Future. And for my own feelings on this unexpected tragedy.

MJ's Modern Day Spin-Offs

 From Invincible to the present day!

 If this is your fist time here, I'd encourage you to go through the collaborations I've already covered: "The Jackson Five Years", "The Jacksons-Off The Wall Years", "The Thriller Years", "The Bad Years", and finally "The Dangerous and History Years".

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It's Not Worth It-While working with Michael on The Invincible sessions, Rodney Jenkins invited Mr. Jackson to contribute a few back-ups for Brandy Norwood's "Fullmoon" album track "It's Not Worth It". In return, Brandy got a chance to add her own background on Michael's song "Unbreakable". Rodney also inserted Michael's back-up vocals on his own compilation and named it "Ride With Me".

Hold My Hand-In 2008, Michael Jackson and Akon got together to record a track for "Freedom". However due to uncontrollable circumstances, it remains unreleased to this day.

&s;And that concludes our six-part series on Michael Jackson's collaborations. I hope you've learned something new about your favorite idol!

Michael Jackson-The Spin-Offs Part 5

&We will now transition into The Dangerous and History Eras. If your new here, I'd encourage you to read this collaboration series from cover to cover. Starting at: "The Jackson 5 Years", "Off The Wall Era", "The Thriller Years", and "The Bad Years".

Yeah-In addition to dueting with Eddie Murphy for his "Loves Alright" album track, Michael Jackson also joined in with many to sing along on an all-star choir "Yeah". Those who collaborated include: Stevie Wonder, Garth Brooks, Paul McCartney, Amy Grant, Emmanuel Lewis, Alton John, Heavy D, among many other well-knowns.

&The song doesn't really go anywhere but when you look at the whole of Eddie's Loveland album, the pieces starting fitting on the puzzle.

To Satisfy You-After not making the Dangerous sessions, Michael Freely gave this track to Bryan Loren for his 1992 album "Music From The New World". Yet Michael's background vocals were intentionally left in there as it suited this track quite nicely.

"Why" and "I Need You"-During his "History Years", Mr. Jackson thought it worthwhile to help out his three nephews for their 1995 album debut "Brotherhood". "Why" was a duet between the sons of Tito and their Uncle Michael. "I Need You" consisted of him singing in the background. To learn more, go visit my post on 3T Feat. Michael Jackson.

Happy Birthday Lisa-During the early 90's, Mr. Jackson did a few songs for The Simpson's. "Do The Bartman" was written and produced by Michael. And so was "Happy Birthday Lisa". Except the latter was also sang by him(well at least in a demo). For more on The King of Pop's work with The Simpson's, Go Here.

&And that is all for this good evening, thanks for dropping by and keep Michealing!

MJJ Spin Offs-The Forth Installment

Let us now venture forth into his collaborations during The Bad Era. Go ahead and catch-up on what I've already gone through. "The Jackson 5 Years", "The Off The Wall Years", and "The Thriller Years".

Don't Stand Another Chance-Written by Marlon Jackson and produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Janet wanted Michael, Jackie, and Tito to sing back-ups for her successful "Dream Street" single "Don't Stand Another Chance".

Eaten Alive-A Diana Ross duet with Michael Jackson. An MJ solo is believed to be floating around somewhere. Very likely within his retrieval system.

Get It-As a returning favor for featuring him on Just Good Friends, Stevie Wonder invited The King of Pop to duet on "Get It" for his then upcoming album "Characters". The result was another uptempo high energy fusion! The chemistry between these two is amazing-Especially during that time period.

Stay tuned for more tid bits on The King of Pops many collaborations.

[Note: Part 5 is now up and ready]

Michael Jackson Spin Offs-The Third Installment

If you haven't already, I'd encourage you to check out the previous two installments-The J5 Years and the Off The Wall Years. Now, I will be looking into The Thriller Years!

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The Dude-It would be one year before Michael Jackson's zenith was reached when Legendary producer Quincy Jones assigned Mr. Jackson a choral spot on the background of his 1981 titled album track The Dude. You can even tell where the sessions from the early demo of PYT originated.

Goin' Back To Alabama-Both Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson harmonized back-ups for this track on Kenny Rogers 1981 album "Share Your Love".

A few more years and MTV would abolish Jim Crow's social Darwinism. Thanks to The One In That sparkling Glove. Could it be. Just maybe, Jackson was tuning his anti-racial fork? Warming-up with that country ode "Goin' Back To Alabama"?

Just Friends-In 1981, a long time friend of Michael's asks to feature on her new album "Sometimes Late At Night". The result was a touching love song mingled with innocence.

Don't Let A Women Make A Fool Out Of Me-While working up the Thriller sessions in studio 55, Joe King asked Michael if he would like to help fill-in the back-ups for a recording. He was coincidentally working that same day in the same studio as Mr. Jackson. What resulted was a splendid tropical Reggie track included on the Synapse Gap album.

So Shy and Papa Was A Rolling Stone-Around this time, Michael Jackson filled in the gaps for Bill Wolfer on these two tracks for his 1982 album "Call Me". Bill Wolfer is also the programming synthesizer behind Billie Jean.

State of Independence-In 1983 Quincy Jones invited Michael Jackson, James Ingram, Stevie Wonder to join the chorus of Donna Summer's hit single "State of Independence". Later, this song would serve as an inspiration for "We Are The World" just two years down the road.

Muscles-Just before Thriller shock the world, Michael wrote and produced a song for Diana Ross's 1982 album "Silky Electric". Some questioned Jackson's sexuality. However, Michael originally penned it for his pet snake Muscles. But she wanted more of a sexual overtone. Yet MJ still pitched in as a back-up. As a matter of fact, I believe this is where he got inspiration for Streetwalker.

"Say Say Say" and "The Man"-Just after dueting with Michael on "The Girl Is Mine, Mecca invites this Gloved One to return the favor on two album tracks for his 1983 album "Pipes Of Peace". Find more interesting tidbits on my sister post "Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney".

Tell Me I'm Not Dreamin'-As Michael's elder brother Jermaine kindly asks if he could record a duet for his upcoming album "Dynamite". Mr. Jackson agreed and another hit is what came to fruition.

Somebody's Watching Me-Enjoying Thriller tremendously, Rockwell Gordy(Berry Gordy's son) invited Mr. Jackson to duet on a Thriller of his Own-The now famous "Somebodies Watching Me". Michael immediately identified himself with the lyrics.

He often feels like a fish in a bowl - always being watched by people wanting a piece of him.

Centipede-In 1985, Michael Jackson had written and composed a track for Rebbie Jackson's debut album also by that same name. As her younger brother, Michael supported her with background vocals.

Stay tuned for more!

[Note: Part 4 is now up]

The Michael Jackson Spin-Offs Continued

So far, we've covered collaborations from The Jackson 5 Era. Now let's take a look at what Michael Jackson was up to during The Jacksons Era and his very first adult sole album Off The Wall.

We all know Michael contributed "Ease On Down The Road" and "You Can't Win" for The Wiz Soundtrack. But what some of you don't know is he added his background vocals to such tracks as "Be A Lion" and "A Brand New Day"(a.k.a. Rejoice Everybody).
That's pretty much all he did during "The Jacksons Era".

Who's Right Who's Wrong-In 1979, Kenny Logins invited both Michael Jackson and Richard Page for back-ups on his upcoming album "Keep The Fire".

Save Me-A year later, Dave Mason thought it worthwhile to let Mr. Jackson duet on his 1980 album "Old Crest On The New Moon. Michael's vocals really show their true colors on this album track "Save Me".

I'm In Love Again-Out of respect for Minnie Riperton, Michael contributed his vocals to a song she recorded before her death. All part of her album "Love Lives Forever". As for her voice, here's what Mr. Jackson has to say. "Her vocals are amazing! I admire the way she does the impossible with her voice".

Night Time Lover-Written and produced by Michael Jackson. As a brother, Michael helped his sister Latoya with her solo album debut "Latoya Jackson". The rumor that Michael purposely changed the song to keep it from reaching #1 was started(and forced) by Latoya's husband around 1991.

All I Do-After contributing a song for "Off The Wall", Stevie Wonder calls on Michael to help in singing back-ups for his 1980 album "Hotter Then July".

This Had To Be-A song co-written by Michael Jackson for The Johnson Brothers. Mr. Jackson also contributed his background vocals. I don't know about you but I an sense a bit of Sunset Driver around the edges.

Stay tuned for more rare Michael Jackson collaborations for The Thriller era!

[Note: Part 3 is now available]

In the meantime, catch-up on what I've already covered during my previous review of Singer Michael Jackson's Collaborations.

The Michael Jackson Spin-Offs

Spanning over 43 years, Michael Jackson has collaborated with numerous artists. From the very Funky Sly And The Family Stone to the big shots of today(a.k.a. Akon, Temperton, etc)! Tonight, I hope to give you a short in depth analysis on each one. Let's begin our quest within the years prier to Off The Wall.

Michael Jackson Bubblegum Era

The Jackson Five covered two hits by "Sly And The Family Stone" in 1970 on a live album titled "Motown At The Hollywood Palace". "Sing A Simple Song" and "Can You Remember" both preceded "I Want You Back-One of four #1 hits by the emerging Jackson Brothers!

The following year saw them performing on Diana's self-titled T.V. show with two medleys that included "Walk On By" and "Feelin' Alright". The songs can be found on her soundtrack "Diana".

As Jermaine embarked upon a solo career, his debut album featured a track titled "That's How Love Goes" with The Jackson 5 singing along in the background. That same year Little Michael found a spot on "A Motown Christmas" compilation with the hit "Little Christmas Tree".

The very next year Stevie Wonder featured these growing boys on his album "Fulfillingness' First Finale". You Haven't Done Nothin' is during the time period when Michael's voice started to crack.

Look out for my post on the second installment of Michael's many forgotten collaborations. Stay tuned!

[Note: Part 2 is now available]