Clive Davis: Michael Jackson plotted to destroy Jermaine’s career

Roger Friedman, on his website Soundtrack of My Life, has supported the new book by music producer Clive Davis. He has also taken a look at a section of the book that deals with the relationship between the two brothers, Michael and Jermaine Jackson. Let’s read:

“In his incredible book, Clive Davis confirms the rumor that has always been said: In the mid-1980s, Michael Jackson tried to destroy his brother Jermaine’s career. At that time, Davis had signed Jermaine to a contract, and the result of that was these two hit songs: Do What You Do and Tell Me I’m Not Dreaming. Michael wasn’t happy with what was happening.

When, in the late 1980s, Davis put Babyface Edmonds and L.A. Reid in charge of producing Jermaine Jackson’s fourth solo album, Michael went to Babyface and hired him. Davis writes: ‘Jermaine couldn’t accept that his brother had stolen his producer.’ Davis also wrote that this had made Jermaine cry. Jermaine was so angry that he wrote the song Word to the Badd, in which he called Michael selfish. After that, Michael called Davis and asked him to remove this song from Jermaine’s album.’”

Friedman also wrote that this same story had been mentioned earlier in a book written by Michael’s former employee, Bob Jones. In his book, Bob Jones wrote that Michael tried to destroy the careers of his siblings—Rebbie, Jermaine, and Latoya—but that he was slow in carrying out the destruction of Jannet.

The views written below Friedman’s post are more interesting than the news itself. One of them refers to Davis’s annual parties before the Grammy Awards, and that Davis would invite Michael Jackson to this celebration every year, but Michael wouldn’t comply. Last year, Whitney Houston said goodbye in the room of the same hotel, that Davis would be there for the party and the dancing, but still, after hearing the news of Whitney’s death, Davis didn’t break up the party. This year, he invited Whitney’s mother to the same celebration, and the grieving mother—unhappy with this behavior—asked Davis to show some respect for the deceased and their mourning families.

We should also mention Bob Jones’s testimony in court in 2005, when—due to questions from Michael’s lawyer, Thomas Mesereau—he denied his own writings and blamed the publisher who had asked him to make the book controversial in order to sell more copies. At that time, Bob Jones had been dismissed by Michael, and Jones, wounded by that event, was seeking revenge. Jones also admitted that part of the book had been written by Stacy Brown, a journalist known for lying.

But in any case, contrary to the claim that Michael tried to destroy his own family, it’s interesting to know that he only wrote and produced the successful song for his sister Rebbie, and even her latest album was released by Michael’s company. Michael provided vocals on Jermaine’s song titled Tell Me I’m Not Dreaming, and that is what brought the song into the spotlight and made it successful. Latoya never had a successful career. To escape her father’s control, she married a man who became the cause of all her problems and frustrations, and completely cut off her relationship with her family—though before that, Michael had produced Latoya’s first album. After Michael, Janet Jackson was the most successful member of this family. In 1995, Michael asked Janet to appear alongside him in the Scream video, and this innovative and acclaimed video won many awards. Michael also supported his nephews, Tito’s children, and sang along with them on two of their songs to boost album sales. For us, it’s unclear how Michael’s help—according to some people—could have led to the destruction of Rebbie, Jermaine, and Latoya’s careers.

In the mid-1980s, Michael had just released Thriller. Which producer could resist the temptation of working with the best-selling artist that history had ever seen? The fault is that producers chose Jermaine over Michael—so why blame Michael? Babyface chose to work for Michael, and Jermaine got revenge on him.

Besides that, Davis’s statements don’t bring anything new. Michael’s fans have known for 20 years that in the 1980s, Jermaine’s producers left to work for Michael. This is what Margaret Maldonado, Jermaine’s lover in the mid-1990s after their breakup, said in a book titled “Jackson Family Values.” Margaret also wrote about Jermaine’s constant and intense jealousy toward his brother Michael.

After Jermaine left the Jackson 5 group and Motown in 1975, he quit the group to marry Brea Gordi, Motown’s manager. Jermaine was unhappy about leaving the group, but at first he blamed Michael for why he had wanted independence. Michael wasn’t satisfied with the songs Motown was producing for him and intended to write his own songs. Jermaine, who didn’t have a very successful career, couldn’t manage the expenses of his many children, and Michael supported his nephews financially for years.

Davis’s claims go back to the peak period of Michael Jackson’s career. Michael was the first artist of the 1980s. Unfortunately, Davis didn’t specify what threat came from Jermaine that this music giant—who needed to destroy his own brother—felt compelled to do so!

Source: eMJey.com / Showbiz411