Michael Jackson was 10 years old when he and his brothers auditioned for me in Motown in Detroit that July day in 1968, and blew us all away. The jackson 5 were just amazing, and little Michael’s performance was way beyond his years. This little kid had an incredible knowingness about him. He sang with such feeling and inspiration. Michael had a quality that I couldn’t completely understand but we all knew he was special. Aside from singing and dancing like James Brown and Jackie Wilson, he sung a Smokey Robinson song called Who’s Lovin’ You. He sang it with such sadness and passion of a man who’d been living the blues and heartbreak his whole life. And as great as Smokey sang it, I thought Michael was better. I went to Smokey and said: “Hey man I think he got you on that one”. Smokey said: “Me too”. - Berry Gordy
