Guest Author - Allan Harris
I’ve heard it said that if you had the amount of lights and effects, stage props, equipment and teams of people as Michael Jackson, you could go out on the stage yourself and become a hit artist. Perhaps. But I don’t think so.
There are always people behind the scenes that give us encouragement, that inspire us, that show us the way to success. In Jackson’s case, there are at least two prominent figures that led him to stardom.
In an interview with Martin Bashir, British journalist, Jackson gave us a bit of insight into one of the forces at play – his father. But his father’s methods were quite harsh. Said Michael: “If you missed a step, he would tear you up… My father was tough. He would beat me. Sometimes with iron cords; whatever was around.
“I remember hearing my mother scream: ‘Joe, you’re gonna kill ‘em. You’re gonna kill ‘em. Stop it, you’re gonna kill ‘em!’ I was fast, so he couldn’t catch me half the time, but when he did… it was bad. Real bad.”
His father was, as malignant as he was, definitely one factor in Michael’s success, and probably a factor in some of his odd behavior. But there was another influence that I believe was key to his success. And that influence was more benevolent– in the person of Quincy Jones.
Jones is a conductor, arranger, record producer, film composer and trumpet player. He has garnered 79 Grammy Award nominations and 27 Grammys. He’s the one who produced Michael Jackson’s album “Thriller,” which sold over 110 million copies.
In the 60’s, Jones did a lot of arranging for Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee and Dinah Washington.
To me, Quincy Jones is the quintessential producer. He was always current on what music trends were around the corner and his arrangements were always “right in the pocket,” no matter what style he produced.
I personally believe it was due to his thoroughness that led to the success of the “Thriller” album.
Quincy’s coaching and production fused with Jackson’s fanatic practicing. Said Jones: “He'd work for hours, perfecting every kick, gesture and movement so that they came together precisely the way they were intended to. Together we shared the '80s, achieving heights that I can humbly say may never be reached again and reshaped the music business forever.”
It was that kind of attention to detail that was shared by both Jackson and Jones that sent Jackson soaring.
Jones tells us he tried all kinds of tricks learned over the years to help Jackson grow as an artist, like dropping keys a minor third to give Michael more flexibility and a more mature range. He also steered Michael to songs with more depth, because he knew Jackson wasn’t going to make it with just ballads. Between Jones and a vocal coach by the name of Seth Riggs, they gave him tough warm-up exercises to expand his top and bottom range.
Jones says that because of attention to detail, they approached “Off the Wall,” which eventually sold 10 million copies, as if they were going into battle.
The man who went into battle with Michael says there will be a lot written about Michael's life, but for him it’s just noise. Because in 50, 75, 100 years, what will be remembered is the music.
All the best,
Allan,
BellaOnline’s Musician Editor
