Can You Remember? -- A Look Back At Child Prodigy Michael Jackson -- Page 2
What is there to appreciate about the child prodigy Michael Jackson? His precise and soaring vocals bear strains of jazz greats like Ella Fitzgerald and Mel Torme. They emulate – not imitate – soul greats like James Brown whom Jackson clearly studied when he was a preteen (as seen in the above videos). His accuracy in hitting and holding notes must be heard to be fully comprehended. There was also Jackson’s vocal range. Music experts say even as a child he had a freakish three-octave range.
Here is the Jackson 5's introduction on The Ed Sullivan Show in December 1969. This video gets removed from Youtube from time to time, so apologies if this video is down [The LBT cannot vouch for copyright] You will be blown away:
No matter how big Michael became as a solo artist in the 1980s, the Jackson 5 were no small affair in the early-1970s. Their first four singles released starting in 1969 all hit number one on the Hot 100 chart. With the help of their Motown team, they continued cranking out both accessible and critically praised Top 5 hits through the 1973.
Strangely Jackon's voice as an 11-year-old child seems to have had more texture and power than as an adult. He did not sound feminine at all; he sounded strong, culturally black and proud of it. Sure, grown-up Michael was a huge talent, but there was always something unusual about the feminine pitch to his voice. It had a unique velvety quality but not the same depth. Usually, this is something a child lacks but develops up as an adult. For Jackson, it was the other way around. Also, as a grown-up Jackson’s crotch grabbing and gasps and other vocalizations started to distract from his singing.
Let's trace the young prodigy's devlopment from James Brown disciple to vocal virtuoso.
It took little time for Motown to hone small Jackson’s oversized talent. A little more maturity probably helped, too. A 12-year-old kid is much different than a 10-year-old one.
Soon after Motown signed the Jackson 5 they performed their first televised performance in September 1969 on the Miss Black America pageant. Jackson shows talent – but it was raw – and he shows some unsteadiness in his vocals and his dancing. The performance even starts to drag, so skip through it and continue on if you lose interest:
About one month later Motown released the group’s first single “I Want You Back” which hit Number 1 on the pop charts.
