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Happy Halloween!
It pays to have friends and relatives in the music business--especially when your father doesn't think much of your plan to have a singing career.
And when your father is Berry Gordy, Jr., the founder of Motown, it's good to be best buds with Michael and Jermaine Jackson, and friendly with Motown producer/engineer Curtis Nolan.
See if you can follow along... :-)
Kennedy Gordy, who adopted the stage name "Rockwell, had an idea for a song about paranoia, and was sure it would be a hit.
He was actually related to Jermaine, who was married to his sister Hazel, and grew up with Michael, who in 1984 was at the height of his stardom.
Rockwell easily convinced the "Jackson 2" to back him up...and then had his ex-stepmother (and Motown producer) Raymona Singleton Berry
co-produce the track with Curtis.
When Berry heard "Somebody's Watching Me" and realized that Michael was singing the chorus, he decided to release the record and hopefully cash-in on the "King of Pop's" popularity--regardless of how he felt about Rockwell's career choice.
The song became a huge hit...and a Halloween classic...reaching the Top 15 in 18 countries--including #1 in Belgium, France and Spain. Here in the US, "Somebody's Watching Me" topped the Black Singles Chart, and reached #2 on the Hot 100 and Dance Charts.
After that, Rockwell had a couple of minor hits, then faded sort of faded away, but thanks to family and friends--even his father in the end--he came up with a Great and Creepy Song of 1984!
Tomorrow: Part Time Stevie
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