Remembering Rhythm & Blues: June 2009

Remembering Michael Jackson 1958 - 2009

This. isn't. happening. Please tell me that this is all a dream and Michael is somewhere in his hyperbaric oxygen chamber giggling with Bubbles. Someone please slap the hell outta my back and remove this annoying lump in my throat. A lump that comes then goes then reappears at this very thought - Michael is dead. *shivering* Naw, this just can't be. Not Michael Jackson, born August 29, 1958 in Gary, Indiana? This thought just doesn't compute. Sadly, no matter how much my brain wants to throw this thought away like yesterday's used Kleenex - Michael Joseph Jackson, the seventh child of the Jackson family and THE undisputed KING OF POP is DEAD! :sigh: Michael's music has been a constant throughout my entire life and never ever EVER in my wildest dreams did I believe I would see a moment like this. so. damn. soon.

I was born in 1979. Six months after my birth and one day before my dad's birthday, Michael Jackson released his fifth studio album, Off the Wall. My family, like most families around the globe, has had a special connection to his music. Not many artists could transcend generations, but Michael was special. With his brothers, Michael gave my parents songs to groove to like "I Want You Back", "ABC", "The Love You Save", "Mama's Pearl", "Never Can Say Goodbye" and "Dancing Machine" ~~watch me get down, watch me get down~~. My parents would share stories about the times they would gather around the television to watch The Jackson 5 and ironically when my siblings and I became older, we did the exact same thing each time one of Michael's videos would premiere on network television.

The first Michael Jackson song I fell in love with was "Rock With You", which is directly attributed to my father playing that song over and over. This song turned my young world inside out and it was from here that I grew to have such an appreciation for the creativity and innovation Michael brought to music. Moving through the years, my ears have had the pleasure of falling in love with a multitude of songs from Michael, all of them as uniquely different than the last. From "Ben" to "Butterflies", my iPod is chock-full of musical memories that take me away to another place in time. Far away from the pundits making their rounds on TV with their talks of Michael's 'dark side'. Far away from the pained faces and countless tributes. Oh no, the tragic news of Michael's death doesn't live within the hallowed walls of my iPod. See, in here, Michael Jackson is alive, singing, and still doing all his famous dance moves. Yessir, Michael Jackson will definitely live on - forever.

"If you enter this world knowing you are loved and leave this world knowing the same, then everything that happens in between can be dealt with."
-Michael J. Jackson

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Michael Jackson

posted by Soulfull @ 6/26/2009 , , , links to this post

Remembering R&B Joins Twitter

Hello readers! It's mid-month and if you don't know by now.... June is Black Music Month! In honor of this beautiful month, Remembering Rhythm & Blues has established a presence on Twitter and we're tweeting some great R&B music from the past to the present, along with some interesting features. Here are SOME of the features we have lined up:

'Follow the Sample' - Each day during the month of June, we will feature one original song and all the known artists that have sampled the original song -#musicsamples
'Today In R&B History' - Ever wonder what happened way back when on today's date? Well, we scour the 'net for those buried treasures so you don't have to!
Not Quite A #1 Hit - You might know all of the hits, but what about that gem of a song that only peaked at #86?
Topping The Charts Thursday - Each Thursday, we're counting down the top #1 hits of a particular year using the the following hashtag - #topthurs
SexySaturday - It's time to unwind and relax to some classic and current slow jams... can you handle it? #sexysaturday
Did They SANG It? (Fiyah or Failure?™): Everyone with a video camera thinks they can sing, but can they really 'sang'? Look for us to tweet videos of these questionable singers and YOU get to be the judge!