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Article: AMONG THE FAITHFUL; The criminal trial against Michael Jackson has just begun, but for the troubled King of Pop's most passionate fans, Jackson's innocence is more than a foregone conclusion - it's a fact of life.
- Article from:
- The Stranger
- Article date:
- February 17, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright The Stranger Feb 17-Feb 23, 2005. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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I'm old enough to remember when Michael Jackson was an artist.
In the early 1980s, after a string of hits as the lead singer for the Jackson 5, the adult Jackson accomplished the unprecedented: transforming himself from child star into an international superstar of historic proportions - the most successful solo artist in music history.
But to focus on Jackson's extraordinary success is to ignore what made so many of us take him seriously in the first place: his musical genius. Like Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson was the rare artistic innovator who managed to reap the full rewards of his innovation. Blending the showmanship of his superstar idols (Jackie Wilson, James Brown, Smokey ...