The Jackson 5 performing "Who's Loving You" at L.A. and Gary

[midnightman]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnvBBhyT0wA

SANG IT MIKE!!!

[midnightman]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QgVMj5ZV48

I see the soundtrack to the Jacksons: An American Dream embellished the music more than a little...lol

[lucky2012]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnvBBhyT0wA

SANG IT MIKE!!!
In the summer of 1969, at a Diana Ross & the Supremes concert at The Forum I saw three opening acts. Edwin Starr was soulin' away as I entered the Forum and then the Edwin Hawkins Singers performed Oh Happy Day. Then I was completely blown away by a new Motown family act, The Jackson 5. The whole Forum went wild. I was very young and I don't recall what songs they sang. I Want You Back hadn't been released yet but Who's Lovin' You may very well have been performed. The brothers were good but little Michael Jackson was absolutely the focal point of the whole arena.

[midnightman]

^ I reckon that's what everyone who attended a Jackson 5 show said too and he truly was THE focal point of the show. From day one, when Michael Jackson performed onstage, the focus was on him not just as a lead singer but as a performer too since he could dance as good/great as James Brown and was swift on his feet and such a daring performer even at that young stage. Many who saw MJ on the chitlin' circuit even described him as "superhuman" when he was only 8, 9, 10 years old. So that tells you of what kind of artist he was gonna be when he got older [[though admittedly no one knew it would be to the levels he took it as an adult).

[lucky2012]

… that tells you of what kind of artist he was gonna be when he got older [[though admittedly no one knew it would be to the levels he took it as an adult).
No one could even conceive of the levels Michael Jackson would attain! [[Unless you were a hard-core Elvis or Beatles fan).

[RanRan79]

Michael was a freak of nature. I'm convinced of it. Vocally he was great, but I imagine there were other children in the world who were just as "good". But the total package? So young? So captivating? Good grief.

[midnightman]

Here's proof he probably was: Katherine recalled when a song was playing on the radio one morning, she noticed 18-months-old Michael moving to the song...in rhythm. As she said, most babies moved uncoordinated, he didn't. Then a few years later, after Jackie, Tito and Jermaine formed their singing group, they were rehearsing and Michael was singing along with Jermaine. He probably was four going on five. That's when Katherine told Joseph when he got home that "you got a new lead singer in the group" or something and it was Michael. But since he was only four, Joseph didn't think nothing of it. Later, their brothers put MJ and Marlon in their group and performed on the talent show at Roosevelt High in Gary and MJ sang "My Girl" and they won the talent contest and that's when Joseph began to rehearse him. The brothers were all good but "something about that Michael". It was evident from then and everyone saw it before they even got the Motown contract.

If you ever see MJ dancing, he never danced flat on his feet, he remained in a tippy form with his feet. Many times when people would spin once and go back, he spun into a pirouette like he had seen James Brown do and then would do splits, come back and just do whatever. One time, a band mate saw him jump on top of some big a$$ cord and do a split. MJ was probably seven or eight when this band mate saw this. And he said MJ pushed himself at such a young age that he tried to stop Michael from doing so much.

Also the man DANCED in the studio!!! Dude was motivated by his art in a way that was almost scary. Talk about truly gifted!