God Bless Michael
Posted 7/7/2009 by SherylCrow.com
Hi everyone.
I've been thinking about my time with Michael Jackson a lot lately. It is hard for me to put into words how important that time was. How life-changing. How very defining a time it was for me and what a turning point it would become. I will never be able to look back on the career I have had and not be grateful to Michael Jackson for giving me my first shot.
From the BAD Tour came my most important relationship in my career and certainly the best friend I could ever have. Scooter, my manager for nearly 2 decades, worked as the liaison between Michael and the sponsor, Pepsi. He was the one person who expressed his belief in my talent and invested in me from that time forward.
But, the most major impact working with Michael, or Mike, as we all called him, was Michael himself. I cannot begin to express the magnitude of the talent embodied in this individual. When Mike would come into the room, the molecules would change. He was seemingly not of this world and in one of the few conversations I had with him, I believe he felt he was not of this world. Or, if he was of this world, he could not quite figure out how to fit into it without having the impact that he had.
My fondest memories are not of the faux passion we shared during the duet, "I just Can't Stop Loving You" or the flirting during "The Way You Make Me Feel," but the moments I stole watching him perform "Human Nature" from offstage, doubling him on the high notes. His delivery of that song, his gravity-defying moves, were beyond regular. His talent were truly art. And, surreal, in the truest sense of the word. I can call up the amazement as if it was yesterday.
Other moments, like singing harmonies of "Rock With You," "You Are My Lovely One," "Startin' Something," almost gave him the appearance of being normal. But, he was anything but normal. And, while I got to stand close enough to get a glimpse into what was not so normal about this singing/dancing/iconic sensation, nothing any of us ever think we knew about this person should ever overshadow what made him special and what drew us all in from the moment he came on the scene as a small boy.
I will not be at the memorial today for a number of reasons. I am in the middle of doing some tour dates that have me in the Midwest but more than that, the spectacle of it all has nothing to do with the gratitude that I feel this magnificently, unique talent graced this world for a moment in time. The hoopla cannot begin to compete with the memories I got to experience on an intimate level. Although Mike might love what is going on today in his honor, I, like so many other people who loved him, will continue to quietly rejoice in the knowingness that his soul is at peace.
God Bless Michael.
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