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Old 06-26-2009, 11:59 AM
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Ken Smith Ken Smith is offline
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Arrow RIP Michael Jackson (1958-2009)

I just heard yesterday about his sudden passing. He was a one of a kind person and the Artist of the Century.

Two of his past Bass players were Smith Bass users, Don Boyette and Freddy Washington.

I remember seeing him on TV as a young boy doing ABC, the Jackson 5. In the 1980's when I heard he was coming back out as a solo Artist, I didn't believe it would come to much. At my first Calif. Namm show in 1980 I met Jermaine Jackson who came to try out my Bass. The one I had on display was made for Stanley Clarke who picked it up after the show with me included as I was his house guest for the rest of the coming week.

Meeting Jermaine was the closest I had come to meeting Michael with the exception of the time Don Boyette came over to the NY office/shop to pick out a new bass and brought most of the band with him, less MJ.

Well, the rest is history so RIP MJ, you will be missed...
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Old 06-26-2009, 12:59 PM
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Tim Bishop Tim Bishop is offline
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Default Yes.

Wow, what a talent he was.

It's a shame he had to endure not only the very large expectations that were put on him at such an early age, but the wrath of the sleezy paparazzi/media throughout his life. The allegations that he was hit with, I believe, were nothing more than low-life opportunist looking to make a buck, which they did. I never believed those allegations then and I don't believe them now. It's no surprise to me he felt the need to escape from it as he did.

I would hope that there are those people left in the world that see beyond the paparazzi/media BS/sleeziness that surrounded Michaels life and see Michael for the person and talent he was.
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Old 06-26-2009, 01:42 PM
Arnold Schnitzer Arnold Schnitzer is offline
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A radio personality said today "he spent his adulthood trying to create the childhood he never had". True words. A great talent, no matter what you think of him.
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Old 06-26-2009, 02:59 PM
Eric Hochberg Eric Hochberg is offline
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"I'll Be There", one of my very favorite songs. The closest I came to the Jacksons:

A) His band showed up at an album session I was on in the mid '80s as they were doing some recording at that studio the next day.

B) A drummer who I was doing some gigs with was from Gary, IN. I figured he might have known some of the Jacksons as he was in the ballpark age wise. When I asked him, he replied, "Well, my mother was Mr. Jackson's first wife. He used to bring the boys over to our house and made them perform their routines for us". Needless to say, my jaw dropped when he told me this.
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