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A Cautionary Tale from Michael Jackson's Father

Do you preach for the feet or the heart?

Bryan Loritts

Michael Jackson's rise to fame is the stuff of legend. He began in the small town of Gary, Indiana. His father, Joseph Jackson, saw the giftedness in Michael and his brothers at an early age and was obsessed with turning them into the greatest singing and dancing group of all time.

His obsession with their success teetered on abuse. Joseph Jackson would rush home from the steel mills, push the furniture to the outskirts of the living room, and demand that Michael and his brothers relentlessly rehearse the routine. They would do so under the watchful eye of Joseph Jackson, belt in hand, daring his children to miss a step. If they had the audacity to turn right when they should have turned left, if they had the nerve to move forward when they should have moved backwards, they could expect to experience the wrath of Joseph.

What did Joseph's obsession produce? From a performance perspective, we could deem Joseph to be a success. His relentless, abusive technique gave the world the greatest ...