Michael Jackson Lashes Out

Michael Jackson accused the recording industry of treating black artists unfairly during a press conference with the Rev. Al Sharpton, at Sharpton's National Action Network headquarters on Saturday.

Jackson criticized his label, Sony, for failing to promote his most recent album, last year's Invincible, as well as for not releasing a September 11th charity song he had recorded. Jackson singled out Sony Music Entertainment head Tommy Mottola, calling him a "racist" and "devilish," accentuating his point by brandishing a poster of Mottola with horns superimposed on his head, a tail on his posterior and a pitchfork in hand. The poster accompanied Jackson on a tour bus through the city which circled the Sony building.

Jackson's criticism of Mottola triggered a defense of the Sony bigwig from Sharpton, who told the New York Post that Mottola was a friend and had "always been supportive of the black music industry." Sharpton, Jackson and attorney Johnny Cochran formed a coalition in May that planned to protect the rights of black artists within the industry.

Sony issued a statement calling Jackson's comments about Mottola "ludicrous, spiteful and hurtful."

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Song Stories

“All Along the Watchtower”

The Jimi Hendrix Experience | 1968

Jimi Hendrix got hold of Bob Dylan's early John Wesley Harding tapes and in late 1967 recorded a version of "All Along the Watchtower" with the Experience in London. Dissatisfied with that first development, Hendrix brought those tapes with him to New York in early 1968 when he began work on Electric Ladyland. Eddie Kramer, Hendrix's engineer at the time, told Rolling Stone that Hendrix "was still looked upon by his basically white audience as the mammoth black guitar hero. There was a constant fight within him to expand himself." Hendrix's successful take on Dylan's work has long been recognized by the songwriter. "I liked Jimi Hendrix's record of this and ever since he died I've been doing it that way," Dylan wrote in the liner notes to his Biograph box set. "Strange how when I sing it, I always feel it's a tribute to him in some kind of way."

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