Sorry, Michael Jackson is indeed a legend but he wasn’t the first to bring black music to a white audience, as so many are saying today – at least not during the ’50s and ’60s when I was listening to Top 40.
Back then, we had just a couple of rock ‘n’ roll stations in town, KTKT being the king of that genre. As a result, we lucky listeners got everything, from Patsy Cline to Little Richard, Chuck Berry to the Everly Brothers, Aretha Franklin to Connie Francis.
Once in awhile we’d even get a little country thrown in. We had soul, we had Motown, we had funk, we had rockabilly. And believe me, the music by black performers was loved as much by white listeners as was the music churned out by white performers, not that we made the distinction. Far as we were concerned, it was all rock ‘n’ roll.
So when the Rev. Al Sharpton talks about how black music was “ghettoized” until Michael Jackson came along, don’t you believe it. Not here in Tucson.
It was radio stations and promoters who started segmenting music when they started up stations devoted to just one genre – Motown, funk, hard rock, whatever.
We never knew how good we had it.
By the way, if you listen to the soundtrack of “American Graffiti,” set in the late ’50s or early ’60s, you’ll hear black and white music of that time blaring out of the radios of those white kids’ cars as they cruise the boulevards.
I grew up in the heart of the segregationist south, Birmingham, Alabama. We had plenty of good R&R, WSGN, WYDE, and WVOK (during the daytime only). We had Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, the Temptations and all the black musicians of the day. Michael Jackson was a johnny-come-lately to all of those. Jackson was a great entertainer, but he stood on the shoulders of those who preceded him, he was not the original “Black Entertainer”.
I grew up shuffling between Tucson & Texas and even in Texas regular white folk were listening to Otis Redding, Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross, the Commodores, etc. Michael Jackson may have taken “black” music to the rich kids, but to regular folk he was just more up-tempo. Now when he did the Moonwalk on the TV that first time, I will admit, I was AMAZED.
Bonnie. I agree. There was GREAT, influential, music from the 50’s & 60’s. And I don’t think MJ would ever dispute that. It’s idiots like Al Sharpton who says ignorant things like that. NO ONEEVENLIKES AL SHARPTON!!!
But I will say that I don’t think anyone will ever touch what MJ did during his music career (my opinion of course).
Please don’t listen to Al Sharpton anymore…he’s is a virus and I wish someone would find a cure for him already.
I was always more impressed with Michael’s dancing and presentation than with his music. I don’t know that he would have been nearly so successful back in the pre-MTV 1950s and 60s. Being able to watch him perform adds so much more to his impact as an artist.
Bonnie I respectfully disagree with you. The person who actually brought the Black music to all of us not just to the white audience was an impostor. He is Al Jolson and let us not take anything away from him. Please! Let’s get our facts straight.
Michael Jackson may not have been the 1st musician of color, but he was the first African American to have videos on MTV and lets not forget that his THRILLER LP went platinum a whopping 28 times!! There will never ever be another MJ – R.I.P.
Michael Jackson did have the music videos but Al Jolson had a movie made based on his life. Frankie Lymon the one hit wonder “Why do fools fall in love” had a career that declined and died at the age of 25. Yes, his one hit song continues being heard. My earlier post was not stating that Bonnie Henry should get her facts straight but those of us who post comments.
Again I agree with her comments and I apologize for my disagreement.
Oh, and by the way, my generation was the Beach Boys and I still have all my skate boards and my two surf boards. That’s as far as I’m going with my age.
I grew up in the heart of the segregationist south, Birmingham, Alabama. We had plenty of good R&R, WSGN, WYDE, and WVOK (during the daytime only). We had Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, the Temptations and all the black musicians of the day. Michael Jackson was a johnny-come-lately to all of those. Jackson was a great entertainer, but he stood on the shoulders of those who preceded him, he was not the original “Black Entertainer”.
— John Praytor 07/01/2009 11:14 AM #
I grew up shuffling between Tucson & Texas and even in Texas regular white folk were listening to Otis Redding, Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross, the Commodores, etc. Michael Jackson may have taken “black” music to the rich kids, but to regular folk he was just more up-tempo. Now when he did the Moonwalk on the TV that first time, I will admit, I was AMAZED.
— Brad 07/01/2009 01:02 PM #
Bonnie. I agree. There was GREAT, influential, music from the 50’s & 60’s. And I don’t think MJ would ever dispute that. It’s idiots like Al Sharpton who says ignorant things like that. NO ONE EVEN LIKES AL SHARPTON!!!
But I will say that I don’t think anyone will ever touch what MJ did during his music career (my opinion of course).
Please don’t listen to Al Sharpton anymore…he’s is a virus and I wish someone would find a cure for him already.
— Richard M 07/01/2009 01:10 PM #
I was always more impressed with Michael’s dancing and presentation than with his music. I don’t know that he would have been nearly so successful back in the pre-MTV 1950s and 60s. Being able to watch him perform adds so much more to his impact as an artist.
— Scott McKinzie 07/01/2009 02:00 PM #
Bonnie I respectfully disagree with you. The person who actually brought the Black music to all of us not just to the white audience was an impostor. He is Al Jolson and let us not take anything away from him. Please! Let’s get our facts straight.
— The Ear 07/01/2009 02:10 PM #
Before there was MJ there was FL – Frankie Lymon – great success in the 50’s and lost to the 60’s.
— Paul Hart 07/01/2009 02:31 PM #
Michael Jackson may not have been the 1st musician of color, but he was the first African American to have videos on MTV and lets not forget that his THRILLER LP went platinum a whopping 28 times!! There will never ever be another MJ – R.I.P.
— Ceci 07/01/2009 04:03 PM #
Michael Jackson did have the music videos but Al Jolson had a movie made based on his life. Frankie Lymon the one hit wonder “Why do fools fall in love” had a career that declined and died at the age of 25. Yes, his one hit song continues being heard. My earlier post was not stating that Bonnie Henry should get her facts straight but those of us who post comments.
Again I agree with her comments and I apologize for my disagreement.
Oh, and by the way, my generation was the Beach Boys and I still have all my skate boards and my two surf boards. That’s as far as I’m going with my age.
— The Ear 07/01/2009 05:34 PM #
As John Lennon said if you want to give Rock&Roll another name you might as well call it “Chuck Berry”
— RICHARD R 07/02/2009 03:43 AM #