"Rocking Back" - bigsis 'Neen

Flashback Friday:

It started with Shelly, intensified with Neville and became a full-scale disappointment “melt down” by the time Lenny, “another boy,” was born. I did, of course, love all of my brothers, but more than anything, I WANTED A LITTLE SISTER!

The desire for one had by the eve of Robin’s birth become irrationally intense.
My ever loving and much loved father understood this very well. He witnessed my years of patience as he doled out the unwanted gender news on the Reid additions. He was sympathetic to my longing.

The second girl, the of course never to be loved as much as me, but nevertheless, beloved, LITTLE SISTER finally arrived in our family. Daddy kindly gave me the honor of naming her. I was well prepared.

Those were, if you dare to recall, the “hey days” of the “Jackson Five” and even though we Reids could rarely ever listen to the radio, unless it was “God-related’ or being conducted by Leonard Bernstein, I still managed to fall in love with those few moments of stolen airtime being filled by the “J5!” They made us proud and they could sure dance and “sang.” In addition to the joy they gave me, Michael and his brothers remain, to this day, the best performers of one of my favorite songs.

Since the mixture of salty tears and mascara are a dangerous combo for driving, quite unexpectedly, I wound up having to pull my car off the road one night during the week following the death of Michael Jackson. On my car radio he was singing my favorite song and the inspiration for my first and only LITTLE Sister’s name, “Rockin’ Robin!”

I realized then that Michael Jackson was more than a just dead “pop star” to me. Fond memories were built during my formative years on his amazing talents. Robin’s name came from the song “Rockin’ Robin and when I told Daddy he confessed that it was also one of his favorite songs too.

Michael, regardless of his faults and oddities was with his enormous gifts, a part of the fabric of our lives. His music was probably the last music pop music that reached and touched so many people, because it was “pre-Russell Simmons” clean music. Most importantly, it touched my sister before she could say, Michael Jackson. Think about it, it’s probably the reason my long awaited LITTLE SISTER, really Rocks!



---CJM



And a little add on of the origins of the MOONWALK courtesy of SHR