Flint native chronicles Michael Jackson's life story
By
William E. Ketchum III | [EMAIL="wketchum@mlive.com"]wketchum@mlive.com[/EMAIL] The Flint Journal
on November 17, 2012 at 4:00 PM, updated November 17, 2012 at 7:10 PM
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FLINT, MI -- A wealth of information about Michael Jackson is available with a quick Google search of the entertainment icon's name, but that doesn't mean that all of it is true.
With her new book, a Genesee County native hopes to tell the singer's life story to anyone willing to listen.
Flint native Lisa Campbell's adoration for Michael Jackson began in 1979, with the release of the singer's breakthrough record "Off The Wall." Ever since, she has read, watched, researched and collected just about everything related to the King of Pop.
Her home in Phoenix, Ariz., where she moved with her husband six years ago due to a job opportunity for him, has an entire room dedicated to the singer. Some would call it a shrine, but Campbell affectionately calls it a "museum:" a large video library, a Bic lighter with Jackson's likeness, postage stamps, promotional posters, the original animation film from the Jackson 5 cartoon series, and much more.
So when Campbell saw false information regularly published about Jackson, she felt like she could be a more reliable source.
For example: many believe that Jackson won eight Grammys for the classic album "Thriller" in 1984, but Campbell says that wasn't the case. Only seven were for "Thriller," while the eighth was for his work on a children's recording of a storybook for Steven Spielberg's film "E.T."
Also, the story about Dianna Ross discovering the Jackson 5, she says, is untrue; it was only a rumor that Motown spread to help the group get more attention. The group was actually discovered, she claims, by Bobby Taylor, of the group Bobby Taylor and The Vancouvers.
"I was continuing to research about him, and I'd see things that were more and more incorrect," Campbell said. "I thought, I could write a better book than this. So I actually did it."
The Flint Central High School and University of Michigan-Flint graduate penned "Michael Jackson: The King of Pop" in 1989, when Jackson was touring for his album "Bad."
She sent two copies of the books to Jackson's office in Los Angeles: one for him to keep, and one for him to sign and keep back. She got back more than she expected.
"Michael's manager called my house, and said that Michael flipped over my books. He loved them," she said. "He had his publicist call me and work with me in promoting the book."
Campbell appeared on CNN and talk shows by Vicki Lawrence, Patrice Berry, and later, E! Entertainment Television. She also said that she received three dozen red roses on her birthday from Jackson's camp.
She was scheduled to be flown out to Los Angeles to attend an award ceremony that Jackson would be honored at, but he was slammed with the child abuse allegations, and he asked to be withdrawn from the event.
Later, Jackson gave her perhaps the biggest acknowledgement of all by listing her name in the "Thank Yous" section of his album HIStory, on the same page as legends such as Quincy Jones and Paul McCartney.
"I had no idea (that I would be listed), I just bought my copy on the first day of release. I read the 'Thank Yous' because I like to know who all those people are," she said. "It was beyond any of my highest expectations. I hoped I'd somehow know that Michael was aware of my work, but he was so gracious with me and so nice in everything that he did for me."
Amidst the criminal charges Jackson faced, Campbell wrote "Michael Jackson: The King of Pop's Darkest Hour."
Both of her first books are largely out of print, but after mourning the singer's death, she decided to edit, rewrite and combine her first two books to compile "Michael Jackson: The Complete Story of the King of Pop," which hit digital retailers such as Amazon on Friday, Nov. 9.
The book chronicles Jackson's entertainment career, philanthropic endeavors, his child molestation accusations, the global response of his death, and the continuation of his legacy through trustees of his estate.
She considers it the definitive account of his life and career.
"I thought if I could change someone's perspective who thinks of him as a freak show," she said, "that it was a worthwhile project."
http://www.mlive.com/entertainment/flint/index.ssf/2012/11/michael_jackson_life_story_chr.html
