Michael Jackson $125,000 Motown check 1988
The $125,000 check Michael Jackson handed to the Motown Historical Museum in 1988 is the part I keep coming back to. It was the net from the first of three sold out Palace of Auburn Hills shows, and the money went toward keeping the Hitsville house and the legacy that started him standing. But the setup matters too. Berry Gordy stood up at that Detroit stop on the BAD World Tour and introduced the kid he'd helped shape: there are stars, there are superstars, and then there is Michael Jackson, his pupil, his protege, his son, and most of all his friend. Michael walked up soft spoken and visibly moved. He called it a great honor to be there, said he was happy and proud to give back to the soil from which he came, and gave Gordy the credit as the man who made it all possible for him. Thank you, Berry, he said, and I love you. So here's the King of Pop, Rock and Soul deep in the BAD era, back where it all started, handing over instead of taking. No polish on it. Just gratitude.
