Michael Jackson has ruled the world of pop music for the longest time — when he was alive and following his tragic death as well. Whether it was his classic dance moves or his catchy tunes, he knew what struck the chord with the fans. With tracks like Smooth Criminal, Man in the Mirror and Thriller, MJ made his mark not only in the US but across the globe. And years after his death, his former music producer Fred Jerkins III now plans to release the King of Pop’s previously unheard songs.
Fred, who works with his brother Rodney under the name Darkchild, claims to be working on a project incorporating music and video footage featuring the Beat It singer, who died of acute Propofol intoxication in June 2009, reports contactmusic.com. Fred worked with MJ on his 2001 album Invincible; he said the time they spent together was the highlight of his career as Jackson was so “relaxed and fun” to work with.
“We have a number of unreleased songs and all sorts of video footage. There’s a project in the making right now that will include all those songs,” he said during a master class at specialist college Access to Music in West Midlands, England, according to Mid Day.
“I worked with him for two years exclusively — it was the biggest highlight of my career. He came to our studios in Pleasantville, New Jersey, and we built a really strong relationship and became really good friends,” added Fred.
“I remember him, just for fun, riding on a three-wheel bike in the parking lot that belonged to someone with disabilities. He was really relaxed,” he continued about his memories with the King of Pop. “It’s things like these that you wouldn’t expect from Michael Jackson. We were comfortable with him as a family and my son had his fifth birthday at Neverland [Michael Jackson’s home from 1988 to 2005].”
Published in The Express Tribune, August 15th, 2013.
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