Michael Jackson: The Life of an Icon Page #3

It was Jermaine was our lead singer

when we made it to the talent snow.

They came to me and asked me

if I would come over.

Robert Hite

NEIGHBOUR - GARY, INDIANA

and give them some pointers

on tightening up the group.

I actually decided that we were going

to present the song My Girl,

because it was a song

that I had become very fond of.

Each person would get a chance

to step forward in the song,

and showcase what they could do.

Milford actually sang My Girl along

with them.

Reynaud was singing My Girl.

And all of a sudden we said,

"Michael, sing My Girl."

(CHUCKLING) And he hit it, perfect pitch.

And that was it.

That was our secret weapon, quite honestly.

(UP-TEMPO SONG PLAYING)

When Michael came in,

the crowd just stood up.

(CHUCKLING)

They actually broke a couple of chairs

and seats in the auditorium.

It was such a surprise.

And that's when everybody recognised

the kind of talent that was there.

MILFORD:
We wanted to win and we won.

It was a really happy moment.

It was just... 'Cause that was the thing to win,

Roosevelt's talent show.

We win a Roosevelt's talent show,

it's like signing a contract with Motown.

(CHUCKLES)

ROBERT:
After the talent show ended,

Joe decided that Reynaud and Milford

weren't going to be rehearsing with them.

And that's what kind of split everything off.

TARABORRELLI:
Joseph was, in many ways,

a frustrated musician.

He had a band called the Falcons.

And I think to some extent

he wanted to live vicariously

through the success, the possible success,

of his children as musicians.

But Joseph is a very complicated person,

and it's not easy to paint Joseph

with a wide brushstroke.

Bobby Taylor

ARTIST, GORDY / MOTOWN RECORDS.

Joe was a tyrant to them.

He was mean to them. He was evil to them.

Michael was very afraid of Joe,

and a lot of times,

he would stay over at my house,

just to get away from Joe,

because he felt Joe had punished him

too much when he was younger.

He had taken a strap

and spanked him a lot of times.

And he felt it was too harsh.

He was a very strong, and often,

as they would tell it, violent disciplinarian.

Michael, Janet and Randy,

and a little bit of Marlon,

I think they got easy street,

'cause they were the babies.

The ones who really got the spankings

in my family, if I remember correctly,

and I'm pretty sure I do,

was myself Jermaine and Jackie,

the older guys.

I'm sort of like five years older than Michael.

So he was more of one of the little guys

that didn't get it the way the big guys did.

I think in later life,

he began to respect Joe more,

because he saw

that he wanted his kids to be somebody.

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