David watkins harp biography of michael jackson

Now calling themselves the Jacksons, the group signed a new recording deal with Epic Records. By the release of its third album for the label, Destinythe brothers had emerged as talented songwriters. Jackson began his solo career while simultaneously performing with the Jackson 5. He released his debut solo album at age 13 with Got to Be Theremaking the charts with the title track.

He had his first solo No. Jackson followed those albums with Music and Me and Forever, Michaelthe latter of which was his last album with Motown Records. Jackson achieved his solo career breakthrough with Off the Wallhis first album with Epic Records and his first produced by Quincy Joneswhom he met david watkins harp biography of michael jackson working on The Wiz.

Critics felt the album moved Jackson from the pop music of his youth into a more complex sound, and some have called it one of the best pop albums ever made. Jackson was still performing with his brothers at this time, and the overwhelmingly positive response to Off the Wall helped the Jacksons as a group. Their album Triumph sold more than 1 million copies, and the brothers went on an extensive tour to support the recording.

At the same time, Jackson continued exploring more ways to branch out on his own. InJackson embarked on his final tour with his brothers to support the album Victory Jackson achieved unparalleled success with the release of his six solo album Thrillerwhich as of August was still recognized by Guinness World Records as the best-selling album of all time, having sold 67 million copies worldwide and 34 million units in the United States alone.

The album stayed on the charts for 80 weeks after its release, holding the No. Pretty Young Thing. The album garnered 12 Grammy Award nominations and notched eight wins, both records at the time. Following its debut on MTV on December 2,it was hailed as one of the greatest music videos of all time and became the first music video to be selected for the National Film Registry in On a television special honoring Motown, Jackson performed his No.

The much-lauded dance performance further boosted sales for the already-successful Thriller album. Jackson had surgery to repair his injuries and is believed to have begun experimenting with plastic surgery around this time. His face, especially his nose, would become dramatically altered in the coming years. Five years after ThrillerJackson released his highly-anticipated follow-up album Bad Although unable to duplicate the phenomenal sales of ThrillerBad still reached the top of the charts and became the first album to feature five No.

Jackson spent more than a year on the road, playing concerts to promote the album. Named after the fantasy island from the Peter Pan story, it included a zoo, train, Ferris wheel, and seat movie theater. Around the late s, rumors began swirling that Jackson was lightening the color of his skin to appear more white and sleeping in a special oxygen chamber to increase his lifespan.

It had been dumped next to a pile of coal in the basement of the School Science Block. I already knew the instrument as it had been used in a cabaret given by the masters for the boys. A rather weedy biology master had strung the harp with rubber bands and flicked paper pellets into the audience. So, I rescued the harp, dusted it down and strung it with harpsichord wire, painting the F and C strings the appropriate colours.

And, as one master said "an inky fingered schoolboy, on a winters afternoon, sat down and learnt to play the harp. My father had a colleague whose wife played the harp- Mrs Alexander Frances Callow and she had studied in France with the great Henriette Reine. She showed me what real harp playing was like and gave me a good foundation. She left her beautiful Lyon and Healy Harp to me in her will and I have an everlasting gratitude for all the wonderful things she did for me.

It wasn't in very good condition and my father was worried that I had been "ripped off"- but once polished, strung and regulated it turned out to be a rather good instrument. I was 18, in my last year of school, when Ruth Rainlton came to audition Young musicians for the National Youth Orchestra. The Director of Music who never liked me pushed violinists, horn players and trombonists at her and was horrified when she chose me I had only been learning for one year and he paid me back during a rehearsal for Wagner's Mastersingers Overture.

I had to wheel the harp through town perched on a gardener's trolley to the jeers of the boys. He spent the whole rehearsal rehearsing all the passages without the harp. I overheard him saying to another music master "that will teach Watkins to think that the harp is the most important instrument in the orchestra. Now things were getting serious.

I overheard him, saying to my uncle on the phone-"My son wants to be a harpist- I thought harpists were ladies in long dresses," and to my headmaster he said "We must send him to a famous harpist who can get the silly idea out of his head". In a letter dated 3rd MayMarie Goossens wrote:- "David seems to me to be highly sensitive and was very nervous when he played.

He nevertheless produced a good tone on the harp and I think with good tuition he should play well. He is so terribly keen that it would be cruel not, to let him have a musical training. However I can't remember which harp piece I played. Gwendolen Mason was the harp teacher - she had studied with John Thomas and had played for Queen Victoria and she was a great lady and a fine musician but "Elbow up a little higher dear"- Why - and, in exasperation "we always do it that way" wasn't a good enough answer for an enquiring mind.

The sight singing classes were hell - I was so terrified singing in front of the class that I cut them and got a bad reputation. A highpoint was my friendship with William Mathias and his lovely wife Yvonne. Bill wrote his wonderful "Improvisations" for me at this time and there were harp pieces from the composer Vladimir Rodzianko. My father was still not quite convinced and contacted Sir Adrian Boult for advice.

His letter was dated 20th April. I do hope his scheme for some months in Paris will come off because there is no question about it that the teacher with whom he wishes to study, Mdme Renie, has something to give him from which he will greatly profit, and it will put him in a position which will enable him to hold his head up beside any harpist in the country.

David watkins harp biography of michael jackson

I was particularly impressed by the way he has buckled to in order to keep things going and has not hesitated to do other jobs in order to carry on with his main objective. He is almost unique among students of the present generation in realising the importance of technical proficiency. It is of tremendous importance, and terribly neglected nowadays.

Perhaps I may have special sympathy for your son, if I may say so, for you too because I too was an only son and when I was about 17 my father, who had hoped that I should carry on his business after him, decided to re-arrange his affairs in order that I might become a musician. I am glad to say he lived long enough to enable him not to regret that decision, and I much hope that you will be able to satisfy yourself on this score.

Dear Watkins, Many Thanks for your letter: I am indeed glad that you have got that scholarship. I hope you will have a happy and successful time there. How wonderful for a student to receive such a blessing and support from such a great man and superb conductor. The Escape from London was an exciting Adventure. My harp was loaded onto a palette and swung by a giant crane into the hold of the ferry.

Cars were treated in the same way-how things have changed and this was C. I was quite used to carrying the harp for quite long distances-it was a small Edwardian Gothic-and at least I did not have to listen to Paddington Station Porters saying "Took me harp to a party did we". I could have murdered Gracie Fields for that song. The first few weeks in Paris were quite wonderful with a feeling of having been let out of school for ever!!

To begin with I had a room in my teachers apartment, and took my meals "Chez Rosalie"- good simple food- sawdust on the floor and much frequented by Picasso in the past. I met Fracis Poulenc after a concert who told me that he found writing for the harp very difficult. Sadly I was not able to coax a harp piece out of him. Rene Huyghe became a great friend and inspiration.

He was the French equivalent of our Kenneth Clark who wrote the book "Civilisation". Rene wrote a famous book called "L'Art et L'Ame" Art and Inspiration and in it he wrote "To David Watkins, who knows how to play the harp with as much art as inspiration". When asked why he befriended me he said "I like his handwriting. Solange Renie wanted to keep me on scales and studies for at least a year.

When I arrived with flowers she knew I hadn't practised and, tossing the bunch onto the kitchen floor, "and now you will play me your study. Being mighty frustrated, I wrote my first major harp composition inspired especially by the river Seine which ran rather romantically at the bottom of the garden of her country house near Rouen.

Renie declared that the Petite Suite was far too difficult for me to play and so she recorded it and sent it to a competition in America where it won first prize. The cheque came in very handy for an impecunious student! Recently I had played in a performance of Zoltan Kodaly's Psalms Hungaricus and I was absolutely "sent" by the delectable harp part.

This orchestra was composed of principal musicians from the world's great orchestras. He regularly gives concerts and master classes in France, Germany and Italy as well as the UK and has recently formed a Duo with the distinguished violinist Michael Bochmann. Previous Page. Specialist Publishers of Harp Music. Sheet Music Publicity Material. Short Biography.