Michael Jackson_ The Magic, the Madness, the Whole Story, 1958-2009 Part 4

'Well, I don't like it,' Joseph fumed. 'All the boys are equal. We're not singling Michael out from the rest. It'll just cause problems.'

'But, look, Joe, he's obviously the star.' Berry said, not taking his eyes off the performance. 'Come on! Look at him. You gotta be kidding me?'

'No, they're all all stars,' Joseph countered. stars,' Joseph countered.

'Well, it's too late now,' Berry said, shrugging his shoulders, again. Then the two of them watched the rest of the performance, Berry with a big smile and Joseph with a sour frown.

When the brothers finished their next two songs 'Can You Remember?' and 'I Want You Back' the applause, led by Diana, was generous. They made a solid impression, there was no doubt about it.

After the show, there was pandemonium backstage, with the boys whooping and hollering, slapping one another on the back, jumping up and down and hugging each other. Joseph was in the middle of it all, enjoying a sweet moment of victory with his sons.

Diana walked into the backstage area and went right to Michael. 'I am so proud of you,' she enthused. 'You are the best! Just the greatest. You're gonna be a big, big big star.' She took such pride in Michael's achievement; one might have thought she was his actual mother, not just a figure-head in his life. Then, she turned from her 'son'. star.' She took such pride in Michael's achievement; one might have thought she was his actual mother, not just a figure-head in his life. Then, she turned from her 'son'.

'Will someone please get me a towel?' Diana asked no one in particular. She raised her voice. 'There should have been a towel back here waiting for me. I want a towel. I want a towel. Now, where is it? Now, where is it? Somebody? Somebody?'

'I'll get you one, Miss Ross' Michael offered. He disappeared for a moment and came back with a fluffy white towel.

Diana smiled and took it. 'Thanks, Michael,' she said, patting him on the head.

He beamed and ran off.

Berry walked over to Diana and, as Jack Lewis listened, he asked, 'What was with that introduction, "Michael Jackson and The Jackson 5"?'

Towelling off her bare shoulders, Diana looked at Berry with a proud expression. 'Oh, I threw that in myself,' she said. 'Pretty good, huh?'

'I figured. But the father was really p.i.s.sed off about it,' Berry said.

Diana looked at Berry as if he were daft for caring what 'the father' thought... 'So what?' she asked. 'Here, take this,' she said, handing him the towel as if he was her a.s.sistant instead of the president of her record company. 'Michael! Oh, Michael,' she called out as she walked away. 'Now, where is that boy?'

Not since Sammy Davis, Jr., had the world seen a child performer with as innate a command of himself on stage as Michael Jackson. Both as a singer and dancer, young Michael exuded a presence that was simply uncanny. After this youngster was heard recording Smokey Robinson's plaintive, bluesy 'Who's Loving You?' the question among Motown's staffers was 'Where did he learn that kind of emotion?' The answer is that he didn't have to learn it, it just seemed to be there for him.

Producers were always astonished at how Michael would, in between recording sessions, play games that pre-teen children enjoy such as cards and hide-and-seek, and then step behind a microphone and belt out a song with the emotional agility and presence of an old soul who's seen his share of heartache. Equally amazing was the fact that, aside from listening to demonstration tapes of the songs sung by a session singer to give him direction on the lead melody and Deke Richards' constant prodding to clean up his diction, Michael was pretty much left to his own devices in the studio. When he was told to sound like a rejected suitor, no one in the studio actually expected him to do it, to understand the emotion involved in heartbreak. How could they? After all, he was eleven.

'I'll tell you the honest-to-G.o.d truth. I never knew what I was doing in the early days,' Michael confessed to me once. 'I just did it. I never knew how to sing, really. I didn't control it. It just formed itself. I don't know where it came from... it just came. Half the time, I didn't even know what I was singing about, but I still felt the emotion behind it.'

Producer Deke Richards used to have to sit Michael on top of a trash can in order for him to sing into the boom mike above him. Jermaine and Jackie would stand on either side of Michael Marlon and t.i.to rarely recorded backing vocals in the early days since neither had a knack for harmony and sheet music would be positioned in front of Michael's face on a music stand. From the control booth, all Richards could see in the studio were Jermaine and Jackie standing on either side of two sneakers dangling at the sides of a trash can.

When Michael and his brothers became professional performers, there were probably a million youngsters with as much raw dancing talent. What set Michael apart from the schoolyard hoofers was his execution, undoubtedly gleaned from years of observing headliners in the rhythm-and-blues revues in which he and his brothers used to appear. The kid had an eye for what worked.

From legendary soul singer Jackie Wilson, Michael mastered the importance of onstage drama. He learned early on that dropping dramatically to one knee, an old Wilson tactic, usually made an audience whoop and holler. However, for the most part, watching young Michael at work was like observing an honour student of 'James Brown 101'. Michael appropriated everything he could from the self-proclaimed 'hardest-working man in show business'. Not only did he employ Brown's splits and the one-foot slides, he worked a microphone bold-soul style just like Brown pa.s.sionately jerking the stand around like a drunk might handle his girlfriend at the corner pool hall on a Sat.u.r.day night.

Michael also pilfered James Brown's famous spin. However, back then, the spin didn't go over nearly as well with a crowd as Michael's version of another dance of the day that Brown popularized, the Camel Walk. When Michael strode across the floor of American Bandstand American Bandstand during The Jackson 5's first appearance on that programme, even the audience of pretty white teenagers got caught up in the frenzy of excitement. during The Jackson 5's first appearance on that programme, even the audience of pretty white teenagers got caught up in the frenzy of excitement.

From Diana Ross, Michael got not only a sense of style, but an appreciation of power. Diana had a quiet quiet authority, the power of presence. He'd observed how people reacted to her when she walked into a room. She was revered. She was given deferential treatment. She had a special power. He liked that. authority, the power of presence. He'd observed how people reacted to her when she walked into a room. She was revered. She was given deferential treatment. She had a special power. He liked that.

There was one other thing Michael got from Diana: his early ooohs. ooohs. Michael's early vocal ad-libs were almost always punctuated with an Michael's early vocal ad-libs were almost always punctuated with an oooh oooh here or there; not a long-drawn-out here or there; not a long-drawn-out oooh, oooh, but rather a stab, an exclamation mark. Diana used this effect on many of The Supremes' recordings. Michael delighted in it and put it in his grab bag of influences. Indeed, for little Michael Jackson, every little but rather a stab, an exclamation mark. Diana used this effect on many of The Supremes' recordings. Michael delighted in it and put it in his grab bag of influences. Indeed, for little Michael Jackson, every little oooh oooh helped. helped.

At the beginning of November 1969, Berry Gordy leased a house for the Jackson family at 1601 Queens Road in Los Angeles. Michael moved out of Diana Ross's home and in with his father and brothers. A month later, Katherine, LaToya, Janet and Randy joined the rest of the family. Motown paid for their flights, their first plane ride.

As they arrived at the house, the boys were waiting on the front lawn. Michael was the first to throw himself into his mother's arms. 'But you got so big,' she exclaimed. Tears streamed down her face as she hugged each of her boys in turn. Jackie, ever the tease, lifted Marlon up and tossed him in the air. 'Me next, me next,' three-year-old Janet squealed.

Katherine would recall that, once inside the house, she took a long look around the living room. It was so large twice the size of the entire house in Gary that she was dumbstruck. 'It ain't Gary, that's for sure,' Joseph told her with a proud smile. Then Joseph had Katherine close her eyes. He led his wife out to the backyard patio. 'Okay, you can open them now,' he told her.

A panorama of dusk-time Los Angeles lay stretched below the hillside home, thousands of lights twinkling like earthbound stars. A dark-blue sky above, clear and cloudless, was full of stars. 'This must be what heaven looks like,' Katherine said, when she could speak. 'I've never seen anything so beautiful.'

'Well, it's here for you every night,' Joseph told her. He was happy to see her, his wife and partner. Sometimes, Katherine's sadness was so acute, it bordered on depression. Joseph knew he was responsible; he tried not to think about what he was doing to her, focusing instead on what he was doing for for her such as being able to present her with such a new and exciting lifestyle. Though Joseph had his dalliances, he had always insisted that Katherine Jackson was the only woman he had ever truly loved and the rest were... diversions. Joseph could be cruel and unconscionable, at times. He could be selfish. Over the years, he would watch as Katherine's love for him foundered on the rocks of his blatant infidelity and dogged ambition. However, when he was alone with her, what they shared in those quiet moments was real and powerful, and it lasts to this day. They have been married for fifty-three years. her such as being able to present her with such a new and exciting lifestyle. Though Joseph had his dalliances, he had always insisted that Katherine Jackson was the only woman he had ever truly loved and the rest were... diversions. Joseph could be cruel and unconscionable, at times. He could be selfish. Over the years, he would watch as Katherine's love for him foundered on the rocks of his blatant infidelity and dogged ambition. However, when he was alone with her, what they shared in those quiet moments was real and powerful, and it lasts to this day. They have been married for fifty-three years.

Katherine recalled that she asked to be left alone for a moment in the outdoors of her new home. There she stood, among the orange trees and flower beds, all illuminated in a spectacular way. Joseph had turned on the outdoor sound-system so that romantic music could be heard playing softly in the background. The air smelled of jasmine. It was magical.

'Lovely, isn't it?'

Katherine whirled around at the sound of the woman's unfamiliar voice, but before either of them could say anything, Michael was at Katherine's side. 'Momma, this is her. her. This is Diana Ross,' he said, excited. #8216;Isn't she beautiful? Isn't she just beautiful?' This is Diana Ross,' he said, excited. #8216;Isn't she beautiful? Isn't she just beautiful?'

Later, telling a friend about the incident, Katherine would remember that Diana was as slim, young and attractive as she appeared on the television screen. Katherine, who was short and rounded, became painfully aware of how plain she herself may have looked to the glamorous singer. She walked towards her with a limp. Diana glided, as if on air. She was warm and friendly. Her large, dark eyes dancing, she took Katherine's hand. 'Mrs Jackson, I am so happy to meet you,' she said. 'Your kids have talked about you so much. They are just the best.'

As pleased as she was to hear her children praised, Katherine could not help wondering why Diana was at the house, and when she had arrived. Diana must have sensed her unspoken questions. 'Oh, I was just visiting,' she said by way of explanation. She hugged Katherine warmly and kissed her on the cheek.

Katherine told Diana that she was grateful for all she had done for her boys, especially Michael, and that she was happy to be able now to raise him herself. 'He needs his mother,' she said, firmly. 'I have been gone too long,' she added pointedly. At that, Diana seemed to become uncomfortable; her att.i.tude changed. 'I'm happy for you,' she said, softly. She seemed crestfallen by the subtle reminder that she might no longer be as influential in young Michael's life. She loved being his 'mother', even for just such a short time. She would miss it. Her life had been lonely, one devoted to career pursuits since she was about fifteen. However, it wouldn't be long before she would have children of her own three girls and then later two boys and devote as much of herself to them as she would to her career. 'I'd love to chat,' she told Katherine, 'but I can't because I'm very busy.'

'Can't you at least stay for a cup of coffee?' Katherine offered.

'No, not really. I must run now. I'm sure you understand.'

'Oh... sure,' Katherine said.

Without another word, Diana turned and walked into the night.

'Bye,' Michael called out after her, but Diana didn't answer.

Katherine hugged Michael. Then, without a backward glance at the breathtaking view, mother and son walked hand in hand into the house to begin their new life.

PART TWO.

'ABC' and 'The Love You Save'

By the end of 1969, Michael Jackson, now eleven years old and reunited with his mother, was a bubbly, energetic and happy youngster. 'All I want now is to see how far we can go as a family,' he told Soul Soul magazine reporter Judy Spiegelman. 'I like show business, Hollywood, and all that stuff, the things people like Berry Gordy do to make you look good. I'm real excited about things.' magazine reporter Judy Spiegelman. 'I like show business, Hollywood, and all that stuff, the things people like Berry Gordy do to make you look good. I'm real excited about things.'

In December, Motown Records released the brothers' first alb.u.m, Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5. Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5. It would go on to sell 629,363 copies, an amazing number for a debut alb.u.m. In Britain, it peaked at number sixteen and remained in the Top 100 for four weeks. 'Honesty has always been a very special word for me a special idea,' Diana Ross wrote in the liner notes. 'But when I think of my own personal idea of honesty, I think of something being straight out, all there, on the table the way it is... That's how I feel about The Jackson 5 five brothers by the name of Jackson whom I discovered in Gary, Indiana. They've got great talent,' Diana Ross concluded. 'And above all, they're honest.' It would go on to sell 629,363 copies, an amazing number for a debut alb.u.m. In Britain, it peaked at number sixteen and remained in the Top 100 for four weeks. 'Honesty has always been a very special word for me a special idea,' Diana Ross wrote in the liner notes. 'But when I think of my own personal idea of honesty, I think of something being straight out, all there, on the table the way it is... That's how I feel about The Jackson 5 five brothers by the name of Jackson whom I discovered in Gary, Indiana. They've got great talent,' Diana Ross concluded. 'And above all, they're honest.'

Michael read an advance proof of the alb.u.m jacket in one of the Motown offices as his brothers and a promotion man looked on.

'Wouldn't even let us play our own instruments on the alb.u.m,' t.i.to grumbled. 'But here we are in the picture holdin' 'em like we played 'em. Don't seem right to me.' In truth, t.i.to and Jermaine were not permitted to play their ba.s.s and guitar in the Motown sessions because Berry didn't think they were ready for studio work. All of the instrumental music was recorded by Motown's top team of musicians before the Jacksons even got to the studio. The boys would then have to learn to duplicate the sound as best they could for live performances.

'I think we should be playin' on this record alb.u.m, here,' t.i.to decided.

Michael rolled his eyes. 'So?' he asked.

'So, it's not true,' t.i.to said. 'It's not honest, like Miss Ross said on the jacket.'

'And what about this part?' Jermaine asked, still looking over Michael's shoulder. He pointed to Diana's line about discovering the group. 'That ain't honest, either. Bobby Taylor was the one.'

Michael shrugged his shoulders. 'It's called public relations public relations,' he said, matter-of-factly. 'C'mon, guys. Get with it.'

'He was really into this image thing at a pretty early age,' said Stan Sherman, the independent promotion man who witnessed the exchange. 'The other boys were sort of befuddled about all the lies, but not Michael. Once you explained it to him, he not only agreed with it but, I think, he even started to believe it. To me, that was frightening. He seemed willing and even eager to adjust to the fantasy of it all.'

Later in the month, on 14 December 1969, The Jackson 5 appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show. The Ed Sullivan Show. Although they had already made one national television appearance on Although they had already made one national television appearance on The Hollywood Palace, The Hollywood Palace, in October, being asked to perform on in October, being asked to perform on The Ed Sullivan Show The Ed Sullivan Show was an important milestone in their career. was an important milestone in their career.

The programme couldn't credit its success to its host. Stiff and usually unsmiling, Sullivan, a columnist for the New York Daily News, New York Daily News, did little more than introduce his guests, whose names he routinely misp.r.o.nounced or forgot. Once, when Smokey Robinson and the Miracles appeared, he introduced them as 'Smokey and his little Smokeys'. The lure of the show was its roster of guests, though. Newcomers knew they had the bra.s.s ring in their reach when they were asked to perform; those already established were a.s.sured they were still on top. Ed Sullivan never bothered with has-beens or wanna-be's. did little more than introduce his guests, whose names he routinely misp.r.o.nounced or forgot. Once, when Smokey Robinson and the Miracles appeared, he introduced them as 'Smokey and his little Smokeys'. The lure of the show was its roster of guests, though. Newcomers knew they had the bra.s.s ring in their reach when they were asked to perform; those already established were a.s.sured they were still on top. Ed Sullivan never bothered with has-beens or wanna-be's.

As soon as Sullivan introduced this 'sensational group', Marlon, Jackie and Michael, flanked by t.i.to and Jermaine on guitar, started their set with their rendition of the Sly Stone song 'Stand'. They were dressed in a variety of mod clothes purchased off the rack in Greenwich Village by Suzanne dePa.s.se.

Michael, again, was the star. When he sang, his eyes sparkled. He looked adorable in his magenta cowboy hat. Anyone who saw the performance would remember how impossibly cute this little kid was while on that stage. No diamond in the rough, he already seemed a polished, seasoned performer. When he sang 'Can You Remember?' his voice had a purity and range of tone that belied his years. By the time The Jackson 5 finished the set with a rousing 'I Want You Back', the audience had been completely won over. Just to appear with Ed Sullivan was an accomplishment, but to receive such rousing applause seemed a clear prophecy for success.

As was his tradition, Sullivan engaged in some minimal banter with his guests, but he soon turned his attention to a member of the audience: 'The person who discovered The Jackson 5, Diana Ross.' Diana, clad in what can only be described as a grown-up version of a little girl's pink organdy party dress, stood and modestly took a bow.

The difficult task at hand for Motown was to follow The Jackson 5's first number-one record with another chart-topper. Since it was his policy to allow the writers and producers of a hit song the opportunity to come up with another one just as successful, Berry Gordy gave the ch.o.r.e to Deke Richards and the Corporation. 'One night I was at Fonce's [Mizell] and Freddie's [Perren] apartment and we were fooling around on their electric piano,' recalled Deke Richards, 'and I started thinking about Holland, Dozier and Holland and how they often did the same types of records over and over again, using the same progressions. Theirs was a proven hit formula. So I took a section of "I Want You Back" the part where the group sings the chorus and decided to make those exact same chords the foundation of their next single.

'I was sitting at the piano, playing chords and I came up with the lyric, "A, B, C". Fonce and Freddie looked at me like I was crazy.

'"So, now what?" I asked myself. "I know, how about, one, two, three." By now the guys thought I was nuts. And then I came up with the next line, "Do, re, mi." And I finished with a big bang: "You and me."'

'That's it,' Deke told his partners, laughing. 'That's a hit.'

In a short time, the three men were in the studio recording the song 'ABC', with Michael and his brothers.

'I loved "ABC" from the first moment I heard it,' Michael said. 'I had more enthusiasm for that than I did for "I Want You Back". It was just such a hot song, such a great idea with a hot track. I couldn't wait to record it. I remember when Deke and the other guys were coming up with the middle of the song right there on the spot. "Siddown girl, I think I love you." Then it was "Shake it, shake it, baby", you know, like The Contours and old groups like that. I didn't know you could do that in the studio, just come up with parts like that at the last minute.' girl, I think I love you." Then it was "Shake it, shake it, baby", you know, like The Contours and old groups like that. I didn't know you could do that in the studio, just come up with parts like that at the last minute.'

In February 1970, Motown released 'ABC' as the second Jackson 5 single. It went straight to the top of the Billboard Billboard charts in just six weeks, supplanting 'Let It Be' by The Beatles. The song, which sold 2,214,790 copies even more copies than 'I Want You Back' seemed to poke fun at, and also make acceptable, a new and growing trend in popular music, the predominantly white 'bubble gum' style. In the UK, the song peaked at number eight and remained on the charts for almost three months. With 'ABC''s buzzing ba.s.s, sprightly keyboard and charming chorus, The Jackson 5 were on a roll. charts in just six weeks, supplanting 'Let It Be' by The Beatles. The song, which sold 2,214,790 copies even more copies than 'I Want You Back' seemed to poke fun at, and also make acceptable, a new and growing trend in popular music, the predominantly white 'bubble gum' style. In the UK, the song peaked at number eight and remained on the charts for almost three months. With 'ABC''s buzzing ba.s.s, sprightly keyboard and charming chorus, The Jackson 5 were on a roll.

Freddie Perren recalled, 'After those two hits, Berry kept asking, "What about the follow-up? What about the follow-up?" He really wanted to bring that third one home. We were cutting the track for that third song at the Sound Factory in Hollywood. Berry never came to tracking sessions, but he came to this one. He listened for about fifteen minutes and said, "I'm not worried. You guys got another hit." And he left. That's when we knew we had the third hit.'

The song was 'The Love You Save', which was released in May 1970, another terrific teenybopper song with a breathless lead by Michael. For 'The Love You Save', a cute verse and a pleading chorus was the bait, the infectious combination of guitars and percussion the hook. Just as Deke Richards predicted, the Corporation had developed a successful hit formula for The Jackson 5 in much the same way that Holland-Dozier-Holland had done for The Supremes. Diana and the girls' first three number one hits, 'Where Did Our Love Go?' 'Baby Love' and 'Come See about Me', were basically the same song with the chord structures cleverly changed in the right spots. Deke and company applied the same magical twist to 'I Want You Back', 'ABC' and 'The Love You Save' songs that sound so much alike, it's easy for the uninitiated to confuse them. Berry had wanted three number-one songs for The Jackson 5, and, as usual, he got what he wanted.

At 1,948,761 copies sold, 'The Love You Save' came up a bit short in comparison to the sales of the preceding two singles but was still considered a huge hit. In England, it reached number seven and was in the charts for almost two months. The song also gave The Jackson 5 the distinction of being the first group of the rock and roll era to have their first three songs go to the top of the charts. Again, they knocked The Beatles ('The Long and Winding Road') out of the number-one spot.

'It just kept gettin' better...'

The Jackson 5 made their first concert appearance as a Motown attraction at the Philadelphia Convention Center on Sat.u.r.day evening, 2 May 1970. Despite their terrific record sales, no one could have guessed how popular they had become in barely five months. More than thirty-five hundred screaming fans mobbed Philadelphia International Airport hoping to catch a glimpse of the young brothers. Only a huge force of Philadelphia's finest and airport security officers protected the Jacksons from being completely overwhelmed.

The scene was repeated the following evening at the concert, with one hundred police officers forcing the audience back from the stage time and time again. Three motorcycle-escorted limousines managed to get The Jackson 5 back to their hotel after the concert. Once Michael got into his room, he broke down and started crying.

'Michael [who was eleven years old] was scared to death,' Jermaine said. 'The rest of us were more amazed than scared, but Mike was genuinely frightened. "I don't know if I can do this forever," he said. "Maybe for a little while, but not forever."'

The pandemonium served as a warning to Motown that the next time the brothers made a concert appearance, the company should be better prepared.

That same month, The Jackson 5's second alb.u.m, ABC, ABC, was released. It would go on to be even more successful than the debut alb.u.m, selling 867,756 copies. After the second alb.u.m was s.h.i.+pped, Berry arranged for the family to move from the home on Queens Road to a bigger one on Bowmont Drive above Trousdale Estates. Liberace lived nearby, as did Davy Jones of The Monkees. 'They [the Jacksons] were kicked out of several houses,' Berry Gordy explained to Michael Goldberg in an interview in was released. It would go on to be even more successful than the debut alb.u.m, selling 867,756 copies. After the second alb.u.m was s.h.i.+pped, Berry arranged for the family to move from the home on Queens Road to a bigger one on Bowmont Drive above Trousdale Estates. Liberace lived nearby, as did Davy Jones of The Monkees. 'They [the Jacksons] were kicked out of several houses,' Berry Gordy explained to Michael Goldberg in an interview in Rolling Stone Rolling Stone. 'You see, they would make too much noise. They had their band, and we would put them in a house, and then they would get kicked out. We'd lease another place, and they would make too much noise, and they would get kicked out.'

In July 1970, The Jackson 5 broke attendance records at the Los Angeles Forum, raking up 18,675 paid admissions. The concert grossed $105,000.

'I was at that concert at the Forum with Berry and Diana,' said the group's producer Deke Richards. 'We almost got trampled to death. Before they started 'The Love You Save', Michael said something like, "Here it is, the tune that knocked The Beatles out of number one", and that caused sheer pandemonium. We were in the third row, and in the middle of the concert we heard this tumultuous sound and the rows were folding one at a time, people falling over themselves. Someone ran on to the stage and got the kids off. They didn't even finish the song. Berry, Diana and I got out of our row just in time before it was toppled over by kids trying to get to the stage.'

A month later, the company issued The Jackson 5's first ballad, 'I'll Be There'. Switching gears to a ballad seemed to Gordy to be the obvious next step, yet it would have to be the right song in order to be accepted by fans accustomed to an upbeat sound. 'I'll Be There' was a tender blend of soulful pleading and sweetly delivered inspiration. To the strains of harpsichords and keyboards, Michael's performance was flawless. The song is considered to be the one record that solidified The Jackson 5's success as versatile recording stars. It was number one for five weeks in America, selling more than two and half million copies worldwide (250,000 of these in the UK alone). Its top positioning in the UK was number four, and it remained on the British charts for more than four months!

'I'll Be There' pushed Neil Diamond's 'Cracklin' Rose' out of the number-one position on Billboard's Billboard's pop charts and became Motown's biggest-selling record; the company claimed that over four million copies were eventually sold, but actually the figure totalled some 800,000 copies less than that, at 3,178,523 copies. In the end, The Jackson 5 became the first act in pop music history whose first four singles each became number-one hits on the pop charts and became Motown's biggest-selling record; the company claimed that over four million copies were eventually sold, but actually the figure totalled some 800,000 copies less than that, at 3,178,523 copies. In the end, The Jackson 5 became the first act in pop music history whose first four singles each became number-one hits on the Billboard Billboard chart. Or, as Michael put it, 'It just kept gettin' better and better.' chart. Or, as Michael put it, 'It just kept gettin' better and better.'

In October 1970, the group took their act on the road again for additional dates on the East Coast. Three dates in Texas were placed in jeopardy, though, when the concerts were opposed by members of the Southern Christian Leaders.h.i.+p Council's Operation Breadbasket, an organization dedicated to improving economic conditions in the black community. d.i.c.k Clark was promoting the tour and Breadbasket representatives felt that someone black should have been hired by Motown. 'That's absolutely ridiculous,' Berry Gordy said. 'Black, white. What the h.e.l.l's the difference as long as we all make money?'

Still, the protestors had leaflets printed up and were preparing to picket at the concert sites. The press was waiting for a scandal. 'Just what we need,' Berry told a Motown promoter working with d.i.c.k Clark. 'Cancel. Tell Clark to cancel the whole G.o.dd.a.m.n state. They'll see The Jackson 5 when they get some sense.' The dates were cancelled.

'The Jackson 5 are bigger than any race issue,' Berry Gordy said later. 'No one can tell me how to run these boys' careers. Black or white, I make the decisions. This is my my group.' group.'

No doubt, Berry's declaration would have been news to Joseph.

By January 1971, twelve-year-old Michael Jackson understood that entertainment was a difficult business. He had witnessed as much for the last couple of years, but still managed to take in his stride the pressures of recording, touring and making television appearances. His success was still too new to be anything but a constant thrill. 'This is the best thing that ever happened to us,' Michael said of his family's accomplishments. 'Miss Ross has told me that people in show business can get hurt. I don't see how.'

At this time, Motown issued The Jackson 5's fifth single, 'Mama's Pearl'. On a stylistic par with their previous upbeat singles, this one featured Michael in the lead again, of course, surrounded by his brothers offering an occasional lead line through the verses. There were buzzing guitars on the choruses, and the Corporation's swirling production throughout.

From the beginning, there had been some hesitation about 'Mama's Pearl'. Deke Richards had decided to have Fonce Mizell and Freddie Perren work on it without him to see what they would create. Deke walked into the studio to find Michael singing the lyric, 'He said what's mine is his and his is all mine...' What they had come up with for Michael was a song called 'Guess Who's Making Whoopie (With Your Girlfriend)', which was about girl swapping, certainly not the right image for the youngster. Deke had Fonce and Freddie rework the lyrics not the track and, in a short time, they came up with 'Mama's Pearl'.

Even though the record 'only' went to the number two on Billboard's Billboard's chart, it was number one on chart, it was number one on Cash Box's, Cash Box's, so Berry was satisfied. In the UK though, it only peaked at number 25. so Berry was satisfied. In the UK though, it only peaked at number 25.

The year had been off to a sentimental start when, on 31 January, The Jackson 5 returned to Gary, Indiana, their hometown. At this time, Jackie was nineteen; t.i.to, seventeen; Jermaine, sixteen; Marlon, thirteen; and Michael, twelve. On behalf of Mayor Richard Gordon Hatcher's re-election campaign, the group was asked to perform two concerts at Westside High School. The distance between Gary and Los Angeles can be measured in miles, but the distance between Gary and stardom can only be measured in light years. Going home as stars, the Jackson brothers arrived in grand style, in a helicopter that landed in Westside High's parking lot where two thousand students had gathered in subzero weather to greet them.

Both concerts were sell-outs. Fifteen thousand lucky ticket holders came to pay homage to five homeboys. Two years ago, many of these same neighbourhood kids had thrown stones at the Jackson house to taunt the group as they rehea.r.s.ed; now they were sharing in their success, proud to know that they'd all come from the same streets. As the spotlights revealed the Jacksons in their rainbow-hued regalia, the group's fans could not be contained. The gym was packed to the rafters with what was probably the noisiest audience the boys had so far encountered. There were so many flashbulbs popping at once, it looked as though flocks of fireflies had come to swarm.

After the first concert, Mayor Hatcher escorted the Jackson family back to their former residence on Jackson Street, which had, for the day, been renamed Jackson 5 Boulevard in their honour. A sign was placed on the lawn in front of the old homestead at 2300 Jackson Street: WELCOME HOME JACKSON FIVE. KEEPERS OF THE DREAM. WELCOME HOME JACKSON FIVE. KEEPERS OF THE DREAM. Afterwards, as the limo pulled away, fans hurled themselves at its tightly closed windows. Inside, the boys smiled and waved, amazed at the frenzy. Their next stop was city hall, where the group was presented with individual keys to the city. The boys had returned home as heroes, symbols of hope. In his speech that day, Mayor Hatcher said he was honoured that 'The Jackson 5 has carried the name of Gary throughout the country and the world, and made it a name to be proud of.' Joseph could not have been more proud of his boys. He stood at the podium and said, 'One thing I have always told my boys is that you're either a winner in this life or a loser, and none of my kids were ever gonna be losers. I'm proud to say that they proved me right.' Afterwards, as the limo pulled away, fans hurled themselves at its tightly closed windows. Inside, the boys smiled and waved, amazed at the frenzy. Their next stop was city hall, where the group was presented with individual keys to the city. The boys had returned home as heroes, symbols of hope. In his speech that day, Mayor Hatcher said he was honoured that 'The Jackson 5 has carried the name of Gary throughout the country and the world, and made it a name to be proud of.' Joseph could not have been more proud of his boys. He stood at the podium and said, 'One thing I have always told my boys is that you're either a winner in this life or a loser, and none of my kids were ever gonna be losers. I'm proud to say that they proved me right.'

The Jackson 5's next single, 'Never Can Say Goodbye', would be released in March 1971, and peak at number two a month later, selling almost two million copies. It only managed a number thirty-three positioning in the UK though, so Gordy was becoming a little concerned about the group's international appeal. Still, it was a memorable record. The song's writer, actor Clifton Davis, recalled, 'This was an emotional song that meant a lot to me when I wrote it. I was worried that Michael might not understand the lyrics of pain and heartbreak. I recall him asking about one of the lines. "What's this word mean? Anguish Anguish" he asked me. I explained it. He shrugged his shoulders and just sang the line. "There's that anguish, there's that doubt," he sang. And I believed him.'

Joseph and Katherine Buy an Estate.

On 5 May 1971, after the boys returned from another national tour, the Jacksons moved into their large estate at 4641 Hayvenhurst in Encino, California, the one in which Joseph, Katherine and miscellaneous other Jacksons (who aren't Michael and Janet) still live today.

Joseph and Katherine purchased the property for $250,000; they moved in a day after Katherine's forty-first birthday. Katherine had asked Joseph not to sell the two-bedroom home in Gary, 'just in case the family fortunes took a turn for the worse and they all had to move back to Indiana.' Although Joseph didn't think that such a reversal of fortunes was likely, he decided to rent, rather than sell, the house, at 2300 Jackson Street. (Today, the property is worth roughly $100,000, and still owned by the family.) Joseph and Katherine had never made as large a purchase as the Encino estate and were naive as to how to go about it. Joseph wanted to pay cash for the estate ('At least, then we own it and no one can kick us out.'), but he didn't have that much capital. Anyway, Berry Gordy convinced him that the family needed as much of a tax writeoff on the property as possible, since their income was increasing monthly, and that the interest on a loan could be written off their taxes. Although Joseph decided to put down as little as possible on the Encino property, because his credit profile was not a good one he had to raise nearly 40 per cent in order to qualify for a mortgage. That was a lot of money for a down-payment: $100,000. Berry offered to lend Joseph and Katherine the funds, but Joseph declined. 'If we're going to live in that house, it's gotta be ours,' he told Berry. Motown already had too much control over his kids; Joseph didn't want Berry also to have a vested interest in the family home.