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The night Michael shared with Columbus (6.25.09)
LEONARD ROWE
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The Joe Louis Arena rocked with young people who knew nothing about the iconic boxer the building honored. Michael Jackson they knew and it was Michael Jackson who brought me to Detroit.
Images of the Motor City came to mind as word of Jackson’s death took over every news show Thursday. We met him when he was a prodigy and in 1978 he was on the verge of individual stardom, though no one knew how big he would be.
His brothers were along for the ride for even before “Thriller” transformed him into a superstar, this had become Michael’s show. Hard to imagine but circumstances forced the former child star to share billing with unlikely rockers that had Columbus Zip Codes.
Leonard Rowe, a former Delta luggage loader and Carver High graduate, promoted the sold-out tour with financing provided by CB&T. Bank officer Robert Anderson, attired in a floor-length fur coat, represented CB&T. Local businessman Gary Stern printed the souvenir T-shirts.
Business manager for the tour was John Shinkle, lured back into the music business by Rowe. Shinkle’s job was to handle money. He settled box office receipts with arena officials and dispensed wages to the roadies and crew.
Other black promoters, jealous of him owning rights to the tour, openly threatened Rowe. He had an outlandish security force and pretended he was 007. He stayed in hotels separate from the entourage and checked in under assumed names.
Shinkle also had a bodyguard, a large man armed with an arsenal of weapons hidden on parts of his body you wouldn’t believe. I was astonished when I saw my friend at a table in the door of a hotel room with a pistol next to tall stacks of cash.
Scruffy roadies lined up in the hall of the dignified hotel for Shinkle to pay them. The body guard stood behind him, arms folded. His eyes missed nothing.
At the arena, as showtime neared, the backstage was a show into itself — a fashion show that should have been booked for a runway. I felt under-dressed and very white. I knew I was in the Land of Show Business.
Jeffrey Osborne, a consummate singer of ballads, opened the show. He had the voice but also had the hapless job of warming up the crowd that came for the Jacksons.
When the Jacksons hit the stage it was electric and the energy never waned. The Brothers had the moves and harmonies but all eyes were on Michael. Even when he blended with Tito, Jermaine and the others, Michael was the centerpiece.
Time has been good to those Columbus guys. Rowe continues to promote and two years ago was close to putting together a Jacksons reunion tour. Anderson recently came out of retirement to accept the presidency of Citizens Trust in Columbus. Shinkle is the personable vice president of Stifel Nicolaus in Columbus.
When Thriller hit the shelves, I bought it, just like most of America did. It remains the best-selling album of all time. Even now, after Michael Jackson’s peculiar quirks overshadowed his music, the cuts on that album survive, individually and collectively. It’s a classic.
I saw the Beatles and I saw Elvis in concert. I saw the original Supremes, James Brown, Ray Charles and Little Richard. But I'll never forget that blustery night in Detroit — especially Robert Anderson’s fur coat.
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