MOONWALKING INTO THE GREAT BEYOND.
By Terry Artis President/Publisher
I think that not a single one of us could believe the report that Michael Jackson had past. Having just lost Ed McMahon on Tuesday and hearing of Farah Fawcett's passing on Thursday morning, I remember thinking, they say that these things come in threes.
I was in the air on the way to the National Newspaper Publishers Association's (NNPA - the Black Press of America) Summer Conference in Minneapolis, MN when the news had been announced. Upon landing and turning on cell phones many of the passengers noticed that there were an inordinate number of message indicators going off. Immediately the shock and awe began like a wave through the passengers. "How?" Was the first inquiry from everyone in earshot of me. "He was so careful with his health," an elderly lady said from the seat behind mine." It consumed us all.
The report of Michael Joseph Jackson's passing was on every television, radio, podcast, web network and media source that I saw and heard after landing. When I finally digested and came to grips with the reality of the passing, I thought of the incredible number of fans, artists and dignitaries that will want to pay their respects to the 'King of Pop' in his passing. Michael was a genius, the likes of which we may never see again.
The first record album that my brothers, sister and I owned was the Jackson 5 Third Album with "Going Back to Indiana", "I'll Be There", "Mama's Pearl" and other great songs that we played until the album was scratched. I was so inspired by Michael and wanted that same sort of inspiration for my youth at Show-Me Sound that I arranged a segment of "Billie Jean", "I'll Be There" and "I Want You Back" for our award winning Winter DRUMLINE show which played to a standing ovation in Temecula, California in March of this year. That celebration of Michael will be that much more meaningful now as the children perform the tunes at the Muny pre-show - Monday, June 29 from 6:30 - 8PM and Tuesday, June 30, 6:30 - 8PM. The DRUMLINE will also take the show to Fair St. Louis on Friday, July 3, 7:15 - 8PM and Saturday, July 4 at 6:30 PM and 7:30 PM. The kids will wrap up the summer performances of the production with Show-Me Sound's "World Percussion Theatre" presentation at the Sheldon Concert Hall on Tuesday, July 21 at 7PM. I believe that Michael would have loved seeing these young kids (who weren't even born when "Thriller" took the world by storm) playing his music and our dancer, Jordan Fountain, bringing his legacy to life with such enthusiasm and excellence.
More than anything else, I think that Michael Jackson would want to be celebrated and remembered in performance this way. I don't think that somber ceremonies fit the icon.
Below, the children of the Show-Me Sound Focus DRUMLINE perform their competitive maching show which contains: "Billie Jean", "I'll Be There" and I Want You Back."
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