Michael's Favorite Musicians

Mahalia Jackson





“Trapped” by Dave Marsh

At the opening show of the Victory tour in Kansas City last June, a number of writers were struck by a couple of bits of gospel phrasing that you used. They’d never shown up before, and there was no real reason they should turn up now: You weren’t raised in Pentecostal church and Motown was shaped by gospel only in its rhythmic accents, not in its singing styles. After asking around, it turned out that you’d come across a videotape of Mahalia Jackson from the mid fifties.

“Michael apparently sits up all night and watches that tape over and over,” a friend told me. “Just sits there and watches it and cries.”

Paul Robeson





MJ, Blues and Soul, May 6, 1980
http://www.the-michael-jackson-archives.com/buildingfoundation.html


Michael, we know you don’t like doing interviews and that you have a valid reason for feeling that way. For the benefit of your fans, would you like to tell us about it?

MJ: This is the honest to God truth. What a person says means so much to me. It can change a person’s whole opinion of another person. I’ve seen that happen so many times – Charlie Chaplin, Paul Robeson, Jane Fonda. All of whom are people who spoke out and the world opinion started to change on them. My biggest fear is of being misquoted. One word can be cut into a statement and change the complete meaning and coloring of what was meant.

A lot of geniuses in different endeavors have been hurt this way. Like Charlie Chaplin being called a Communist. Or the way that Paul Robeson was treated. So, if I can’t be quoted properly then I’d rather not be quoted at all.


Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Robeson


Paul Leroy Robeson was an American concert singer (bass-baritone), recording artist, athlete and actor who became noted for his political radicalism and activism in the civil rights movement. Robeson was the first major concert star to popularize the performance of Negro spirituals. He was the first black actor to portray Shakespeare’s Othello in a production with an otherwise all-white cast, in 1930.[4] Ira Aldridge had also played Othello, but his production had an all-black cast, as African-Americans and whites were not allowed to appear together onstage in the nineteenth century.

The Beatles


George Harrison













Paul Mccartney





Say Say Say
























The Girl Is Mine






























The Man





Paul Mccartney wrote Girlfriend for Michael for the Thriller album
























In 1985 Michael Jackson purchased some of the Beatles catolog for $47.5 million. McCartney, who had told Jackson about the importance of owning publishing, admitted he felt somewhat undercut by the acquisition although he did not enter bidding when it came up for sale in 1984.

Previously, in 1981 McCartney had also let an offer to buy the ATV catalog for £20 million fall through.

McCartney reportedly said about Jackson's acquisition, “I think it’s dodgy to do things like that, to be someone’s friend and then buy the rug they’re standing on.” But after the acquisition, McCartney and Jackson appeared together in a photograph to show that there was no bad blood between them and in July 2009, McCartney stated that "though Michael and I drifted apart over the years, we never really fell out, and I have fond memories of our time together."


Paul Mccartney On Michael Jackson Acquiring Beatles Catalogue






After purchasing the Beatles catolog Michael performed the Beatles song Come Together which appeared in his movie Moonwalker and later appeared on his HIStory album.


Moonwalker version of Come Together





Michael performing Come Together live on the HIStory tour





Paul Mccartney Talks About Michael

The Doors





David Gest, Observer, December 2009
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/dec/13/michael-jackson-david-gest-obituary


One day she was sick and Michael asked me if I could take him to a memorabilia show in Glendale. I said, “What’s memorabilia?” and he said, “You’ve got to get into it, David, you’ll love it.” So I drove him to a show where they were selling lots of old rock and soul posters, gold records, Beatles items and signed items by Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison and the Doors. Michael loved the Doors and their music.

U2


MJ, 1988 list of his favorite things:


“I spend hours listening to classical composers. Tchaikovsky is the greatest. I also love songs from the great musicals like “Climb Every Mountain” and “Happy Talk”, as well as modern pop groups like U2, ZZ Top and Van Halen. Here is my all time top ten.”