I basically was in charge of the Jackson 5 - all their creative, when it came down to the studio, and all their musical endeavors.
I get a lot of my inspiration from the Jackson 5 and Luther Vandross.
I honed in on a great time, the Motown era, the '60s and '70s. That type of music has always been a staple in my life.
Michael Jackson was extraordinary. When we worked together on 'Bad,' I was in awe of his absolute mastery of movement on the one hand, and of the music on the other. Every step he took was absolutely precise and fluid at the same time. It was like watching quicksilver in motion. He was wonderful to work with, an absolute professional at all times, and it really goes without saying... a true artist. It will be a while before I can get used to the idea that he's no longer with us.
I first met Michael in the early days of the Jackson 5 at the family home in Los Angeles, and the memory that stands out is that Michael, as cute and wide-eyed as an 11-year-old could be, was eager to get through the interview so he could watch cartoons before having to go to bed.
My real musical discovery started when I was 10 with Stevie Wonder and the Jackson 5, and acts that I connected with because they were young when they were doing it, like me. Then I kind of came into my own a couple of years later; I found new artists that shaped my musical landscape. For instance, Kings of Leon played a big part in that.
Michael Jackson was part of that tremendous wave in the ocean of human expression and it happened to be located first and foremost in Gary, Indiana, working class.
Even before coming into the industry, I was a big fan of Motown, the Jackson 5, Gladys Knight, the Temptations, Diana Ross and The Supremes.
I've been a Michael Jackson fan ever since I can remember listening to music. I love his music.
I don't ever balk at being considered a Motown person, because Motown is the greatest musical event that ever happened in the history of music.
We are all big Motown fans.
I've always been a fan of 'Beat It,' 'You Rock My World,' and 'Smooth Criminal.'
Mike Jack. Who's bad? Aint on my period, but I got a new pad.
Nothing surprises me about Berry Gordy.
I was living on the wrong side of the tracks in Evanston, Illinois, in a home for boys. We had these Jackson 5 records. I really related to their voices - they were about my age, but they were doing it.
If I had to go back to something, I would go back to the 'Victory Tour' of the Jacksons, because I love me some Michael Jackson. I'd get my one glove, and my high water pants on, and my sparkly socks and black loafers.
I was strictly after hits when it came down to the Jackson 5. That's all I was concerned with.
I basically was in charge of the Jackson 5 - all their creative, when it came down to the studio, and all their musical endeavors. I tried to create a Hitsville on the West Coast.
I was seven years old the first time I saw Michael Jackson. That changed everything.
I would love to have some sort of 'Back To The Future' Delorean time machine travel device so I could go back to 1981 to see that very first Jackson 5 concert I went to, back when I was a kid.
I grew up when the whole Motown thing was huge. The charts in those days were dominated by groups more than solo artists at one point.
My mom and I used to dance to the Jackson 5 in our living room.
If I wasn't doing candy, I'd want to create the best rescue animal-shelter organization. Otherwise, the Jackson 5 and Michael Jackson were so much a part of my childhood, and Janet and I have become friends. So my second dream job would be backup singer for Janet Jackson!
I had a Jackson 5 wig that I would wear around, and I would do, like, the dances from the Jackson 5, and, you know, my mother thought that was hysterical. So of course, that seed got planted very early, the physicality of comedy.
