kk: WHERE DID THE TOUR START, AND WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO BE THERE ON OPENING NIGHT?
MB: In July of 1984, Josh and I flew from New York City to Kansas City, in time for the first press conference, and the first show. From there we went on to Dallas and Jacksonville. One of my favorite souvenirs from the tour is a tee shirt I still have that has a caricature or Michael with the words, “I Got Michael-ized in Jacksonville.” It seemed like everything that year was Michael Jackson oriented.
From Jacksonville we went on to New Jersey, New York City, and Knoxville, Detroit, Buffalo, Philadelphia, Denver, and Montreal, and Washington D.C. This was an amazing series of events for me. Since I was being heralded as the world’s expert on everything Michael Jackson, I also personally went to The Grammy Awards that year specifically to see Michael and Quincy Jones take home a sea of trophies for what has become the biggest-selling album of all times: Thriller.
kk: WAS THIS YOUR FIRST MICHAEL JACKSON / JACKSON FIVE CONCERT EXPERIENCE? WHAT WAS IT LIKE ON OPENING NIGHT?
MB: As far as an actual concert performance, opening night on The Victory Tour was my first time of seeing Michael and his brothers perform. I had seen Michael live at The Natural History Museum party with a team of dancers, and I had seen him at The Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles at The Grammy Awards, but opening night in Kansas City was my first time witnessing him live on a concert stage.
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MB: What I remember the most about the opening night in Kansas City, was the electricity that seemed to be running through the crowd. There was so much hype and anticipation as to what we would be witnessing. When the lights went up and the band began playing the music to the hit “Wanna Be Starting Something,” the crowd went wild. It was such a rush to be in the audience that night, knowing we were witnessing show business history being made.
The whole show was one Jackson oriented hit after another, from The Jackson Five catalog, Michael’s solo career, Jermaine’s solos, and the finely choreographed numbers featuring all six of the brothers. When it came time for Michael to present his mega-hit, “Billie Jean,” the crowd went insane. Then, when Michael began doing his “moonwalk” backward dance, they went absolutely nuts. I have never felt so much electricity at a concert before, or after. In was an unforgettable experience.
kk: WERE THE JACKSON BROTHERS UNDER STRICT INSTRUCTIONS TO BE ON THEIR BEST BEHAVIOR?
MB: There was no question that their manager, Joseph Jackson, was not only the father to the five boys on tour, he was also fully in charge. Apparently, he ruled his sons with an iron fist, so there was no room for any hint of a scandal or gossip. Furthermore, the shows and the tour were being underwritten by one of the most “family friendly” companies on the planet: Pepsi-Cola. Clearly, there was not to be one possible incident involving drugs, liquor, or any sort of controversy, or it could have derailed the entire tour.
At this point, it was public knowledge that Michael Jackson was not only the biggest musical star on planet Earth, but that he was also a practicing member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses religion. When it came to possible drug or liquor mishaps on the tour, it certainly would not have been on the part of Michael. Millions of children were begging their parents to get tickets for them to attend any of The Victory Tour shows, so there could not be even the slightest possibility of anything inappropriate occurring on the road.
kk: WHAT WERE YOUR IMPRESSIONS OF WHAT HAD TO BE THE DEMANDING ROLE OF “BEING” MICHAEL JACKSON?
MB: Since I was present at all of the press conferences and official events while I was on the tour, I was able to observe Michael a lot that summer. I had an interesting impression of him on that tour. Although he was a huge superstar, he often seemed to behave like a shy little boy who was reticent to show the kind of “rock star” excitement that one would have expected.
He was very soft spoken, and in my eyes he seemed to be a bit lost in the weighty magnitude of this gargantuan tour, and all of the excitement it had caused. Yes, he exuded lots of power and excitement on stage, but it seemed like when he was not choreographed and on stage, he was a bit awed by all of the excitement of it as well.
Throughout all of this, it was clear that it was Michael who was the star attraction, and the driving force behind The Jacksons, and the whole tour. Yes, the other brothers were gregarious and entertaining throughout the summer, but there was little doubt that everything pivoted around Michael.
kk: DID YOU EVER GET THE FEELING THAT MICHAEL WAS A LITTLE BIT RESENTFUL ABOUT HAVING TO TOUR WITH HIS BROTHERS, WHO WERE NOW CUTTING INTO HIS OWN SPOTLIGHT?
MB: From the very beginning of the success of The Jackson Five, and later The Jacksons, 80 per cent of the fascination with the group was the fact that it was fronted by someone who — at the start of their string of hits — had yet to reach his tenth birthday.
When they were still at Motown Records as The Jackson Five, the company was wise enough to pull out young Michael to have his own solo albums, and Jermaine Jackson had his own solo recording career as well, right alongside the Jackson Five record releases. Michael was marketed as a child phenomenon, and Jermaine was marketed as a “teen idol.” Once Michael’s solo albums Off The Wall and Thriller had taken him from ’70s soul and pop star, to being an ’80s rock star, it was clear that he was being pulled in several different directions. It was like everything was riding on his young shoulders.
If there was any resentment on Michael’s part, to be supportive of his brothers, it was not evident at the time. He was generous with his time on stage, and each of his male siblings got a chance to shine in the act as well.
kk: HOW MUCH ONE-ON-ONE INTERACTION DID YOU HAVE WITH MICHAEL ALONG THE WAY?
MB: As I mentioned, I was in no way authorized by The Jacksons, Pepsi-Cola, nor the concert promoters, to be on this tour. I — through Pinnacle Books’ travel agent — was simply showing up with Josh Touster to all of these concerts, completely “under the radar.” I did not publicly mention that I was going to write another Michael Jackson book from my experiences. I was traveling under the legitimate guise of being “Mark Bego rock journalist” and the Editor-In-Chief of Modern Screen magazine.
I never officially mentioned the new book to anyone of note, as I did not want to tip anyone off to what I was up to, for fear that another book publisher could “scoop” me, and get a tour book out on the marketplace before I did. I viewed this as a contest, and I was determined to win it. The book I was writing became my “top secret” mission.
Did I personally know Michael Jackson in any capacity when this all started? Actually, “yes.” However, I did not know him well. I had already been personally introduced to him at Studio 54.
Circa 1978, Michael was in New York City, shooting the movie version of The Wiz, and there was a big party for him at the super famous discotheque Studio 54, to which I was invited. At the time, I had a very good friend, who has since passed away, by the name of Barbra Nagel. She was very well connected in the music business. I met her through jazz percussionist Ralph McDonald, and she and I became very close friends. Barbra introduced me to a bright and friendly young man named Steve Manning, and Steve just so happened to have been friends with Michael since they were children. It was Steve who introduced Barbara and me to Michael Jackson.
Concert promoter Cash Landy, Ola Ray--Michael Jackson's co-star in the "Thriller" video, and Mark Bego, at the Los Angeles party for the success of the book Michael! (Photo: William R. Meade)
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Mark Bego and famed artist Peter Max at a party for Mark's first issue of Modern Screen Magazine as Editor-In-Chief (Photo by Roger Glazer) /
Pia Zadora and Mark Bego at the 1984 Los Angeles party for Mark's hugely successful book on Jackson: entitled Michael! (Photo: Josh Touster)
And, since Barbara and I both knew Steve Manning very well, we were not only “on the ‘A’ list” to be admitted into the famed disco, but we were also heralded into Michael’s V.I.P. realm, delineated by velvet ropes. As we checked in with the person who held “the list” of who was to be admitted to the V.I.P. area, we were ushered forward, and there stood Steve, with Michael Jackson.
We found Michael to be outwardly polite and friendly, yet at the same time, he was clearly very shy. I am the type of person who can walk up to anyone and start a conversation, especially in a cocktail party setting. With Michael, it was a bit of a challenge to get friendly with him. He seemed to have an air of “reserve” to his manner.
Steve Manning said to Michael, “I want you to meet two very good friends of mine, Barbra Nagel and Mark Bego. Mark is the Nightlife Editor for CUE magazine, and I have known Barbra for ages.”
“Hello,” Michael shyly said to us. I reached out to shake Michael’s hand, and as I shook it, I could tell that he was ultra-shy, like a young kid who is uncomfortable in adult social settings.
“It’s so nice to meet you,” I said, trying to jump right into a friendly conversation with him. “I have been a fan of yours ever since The Supremes introduced The Jackson Five on The Hollywood Palace. In fact, Mary Wilson of The Supremes is one of my dearest friends.”
“Oh, that is nice,” Michael said. “I like her a lot.”
I expected us to launch into some sort of conversation about Motown, Mary Wilson, his music, his life, the movie The Wiz, or some sort of topic. However, my attempts at engaging him, fell a bit flat.
Moments later Michael said to Steve, “Can we go out and see the dance floor?”
“O.K.,” Steve said, and off they went. That was my first, friendly, but very brief meeting with Michael Jackson in 1978.
Now, flash forward to 1984, and The Victory Tour. Here I was in Kansas City, and there was a big press conference for Michael and his brothers, and I was invited to it, as one of the V.I.P. press members. As I mentioned, at this point in the tour, I was traveling as “Mark Bego, the Editor-In-Chief of Modern Screen magazine.” The fact that I was also writing a book for Pinnacle Books was strictly “top secret.”
Since this was truly the year of Michael Jackson, and the year of the big reunion with his brothers as The Jacksons, it seemed that every member of the Jackson family had a project of their own to promote. Jermaine Jackson had a solo album of his own on Arista Records at the time, older sister Rebbie Jackson had her own album on CBS Records, Janet Jackson was signed to A&M Records, and LaToya Jackson had her own recording career on Polygram. In addition, LaToya had also recently launched her own leather fashion line.
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Mark Bego and La Toya Jackson showing off her fashion line (photo by Roger Glazer) /
Mark Bego and LaToya Jackson in her suite at The Helmsely Palace Hotel, the afternoon in 1984 that Michael Jackson showed up for a suprised visit with Mark (Photo by Roger Glazer)
Although I never got to know Michael all that well, I met LaToya several times, And on a couple of occasions, I gave her a big “write up” on the pages of Modern Screen. In fact, when I interviewed LaToya about her fashion line, that was when I met and got to know the family’s charming and soft-spoken mother, Katherine Jackson as well. When The Jacksons and their Victory mega tour rolled into New York City to play Madison Square Garden, LaToya was also in Manhattan, traveling with her brothers.
That week, the group and their family and their entourage were all staying at The Helmsley Palace Hotel in New York City, and — of course — I was back in Manhattan as well, spending a week in my Greenwich Village apartment. I knew that LaToya was going to be in town, so I made arrangements to come to The Helmsley Palace Hotel to meet her, interview her, and do a feature for an “all Jacksons / all the time” issue of Modern Screen.
LaToya was as outgoing and lovely as usual, and we had a nice hour together. We chatted, and she autographed several items for a “giveaway” contest that I was going to run in Modern Screen. I went up to LaToya’s hotel suite with my Modern Screen staff photographer, Roger Glazer. I got along so well with Roger, and during this era we worked together very successfully.
Roger and I would go to a star-studded celebrity event together, and I would — in my own gregariously open style — walk over to a celebrity and start a conversation. Without missing beat, Roger would grab our attention, and say, “Look this way!” I would flash a big smile, and he would snap some great candid shots with me and Andy Warhol, or me and Linda Gray, or me and Lionel Richie, or whichever rock or TV star I was chatting with at the time. We made a great team.
Needless to say, Roger got some wonderful photos of LaToya and I together, and after an hour it was time to leave The Helmsley Palace Hotel and go back to the office. I thanked LaToya for her time, and for the autographed items I would be giving away in the planned Modern Screen reader’s contest.
We stood up and moved towards the door, and LaToya proceeded to lead us to the actual door of her suite, and then — with a big flourish — she swung the door open, and in a grand “Voila!” moment, there stood her superstar brother, Michael Jackson himself! It was just Roger and me, and LaToya and Michael.
For this surprise encounter, Michael was wearing one of his trademark sequin-covered military jackets with braids and epaulettes on it, a sequined glove, and his trademark dark glasses. He was in full “Michael Jackson superstar” attire.
“Michael!” I exclaimed. “How great to see you! I am Mark Bego.”
“Oh, I know who you are” he said, smiling a wry looking grin. Apparently, he and Latoya had staged this surprise appearance for my benefit — to see if I was shocked. And, I was genuinely stunned.
Not missing a beat, Roger said, “Michael, can I get a photo of you and Mark?”
“No, not now,” Michael said, waving his gloved hand.
“It’s so great to see you,” I continued, again wanting to start up a conversation with him. I was so impressed that I been treated to this special private “audience” with the biggest superstar of the day, I wanted to at least get a memorable exclusive quote from him.
Just then LaToya announced, “Well, we have plans to play some video games and things.” Just then Michael stood out of the way of the door, as a hint that my surprise visit with him was about to come to an end.
I turned to his sister and said, “LaToya, it was great to see you, and thank you so much for the interview.” Then turning back to Michael I continued, “And it was great to see you too. Keep up the brilliant work, and I will see you on stage.”
“Thank you,” he politely said to me with a smile.
Roger and I proceeded to exit the suite, and we walked out into the hallway. After LaToya’s door closed, we looked each other in the eye, and both mouthed the words, “Oh my God, Michael Jackson!”
And that was the only exclusive in-person moment that I had with the legendary Michael during The Victory Tour. But for me — dare I say — it was brief, but it was truly a thriller of a moment!
During this era, newspapers, and even Publisher’s Weekly magazine, started referring to me as “The Prince of Pop Music Bios.” So, I guess you could say it was a brief but royal meeting between “The Prince of Pop Music Bios” and “The King of Pop Music.”
kk: DID MICHAEL EXHIBIT ANY HINT OF THE BEHAVIOR HE BECAME KNOWN FOR ALONG THE WAY … ECCENTRICITIES … STRANGE FASCINATION WITH YOUNGER FANS … WHAT WERE HIS HOT BUTTONS ON THE ROAD?
MB: As I have said many times throughout the years, one of the biggest successes of both of my books about Michael Jackson was that they were written and published before things got odd or controversial in his life. However, along this line I did have an interesting conversation that summer with Ken Ross of Pepsi-Cola. He was along for the entire Victory Tour as well, since Pepsi was underwriting it.
At a certain point, my tour photographer, Josh Touster left the tour. It was decided that after the first 15 or so Jackson shows that we attended together, the photos of the show were getting repetitive. Michael and his brothers wore the same stage costumes night-after-night, so the book company felt that they had more than enough performance photos to properly fill the book I was writing.
After Josh left the tour, I continued solo on to Quebec, Detroit, and Buffalo. There were a couple of free days before the Buffalo shows started, so Ken Ross and I decided to take my rental car and go have lunch while viewing Niagara Falls. We had lots of time to talk that afternoon, and at one point I said to him, “I know that Michael claims that he loves children, which is great. And, at every press conference there would be five or six children around him. However, has anyone noticed that when Michael steps up to the microphone, the children he has picked up and is carrying around with him, it is always a little boy, and never a little girl?”
Ken hesitated for a moment, and then replied, “Oh yes, that has been noted. And, we are not pointing out that fact in any way.”
I didn’t press the issue any further, and just let the subject go. I knew that any such allegations of odd behavior on Michael’s part — from anyone — could cause a negative stir, so I never brought it up again.
The nice thing that happened to me, was that the massive success that I had with my books Michael! and On The Road With Michael! … both books became million-sellers, years before some of Michael’s most scandalous headline grabbing behaviors occurred. I was able to herald his talent and his music, and his brilliant success, without having to go into the odd plastic surgery, the decidedly white make-up he later wore, and the lawsuits and other allegations were to come to light, years later.
Even if I did have a touch of suspicion about what might or might not be going on behind the scenes, I certainly was not going to “upset the apple cart.” I was concurrently the most successful Michael Jackson biographer on the planet, and I was not going allow anything to jeopardize my position.
kk: WERE YOU ABLE TO IN ANY WAY STAY IN TOUCH WITH JACKSON AFTER THE BOOKS CAME OUT? ANY POST-MANIA MEETINGS?
MB: After The Victory Tour came to a conclusion in late 1984, that was my last actual personal involvement with Michael and The Jacksons. When my Jackson book about the tour came out, I launched into promoting it. In January of 1985 I went to England and did dozens of radio and TV appearances to support the British edition of On The Road With Michael!
The excitement and frenzy that Michael
Jackson and his brothers caused on The Victory Tour was nothing short of
phenomenal. Mark Bego was there for 30 consecutive shows in 1984.
(From the pages of On The Road With Michael! Original photo:
Ebet Roberts)
The year 1984 was truly "the year of Michael Jackson." By 1985 everyone was looking for "the next big thing," and that included Pinnacle Books. At an editorial meeting at Pinnacle I was asked who I thought was going to be the successor to the excitement that Michael Jackson had created. I said to the editors and executives at Pinnacle, "There is this girl from my hometown of Pontiac, Michigan. She wears all these kooky rubber bracelets, and calls herself 'Madonna.' I truly think she is going to be huge." Well, that was it. Pinnacle banked on my prediction, and my next book was called Madonna! It came out in 1985 while her Like a Virgin album was the biggest thing on the charts, and it became another million-seller for me.
After The Victory Tour wrapped up, Michael went on to record the huge all-star hit "We Are The World" in January of 1985, and then disappeared for a couple of years, so that he could record his Bad album, which was released in 1987.
Following my hit book on Madonna, I went on to write books about the "next big thing" performers Sade, Julian Lennon, and Whitney Houston. My two books on Michael Jackson put me in a really unique position, and off I went into different directions. I have to say "thank you" to Michael Jackson for truly putting me "on the map" in the book world.
kk: WITH THE MASSIVE SUCCESS OF THE NEW “MICHAEL” BIOPIC … AND SO MANY OF MICHAEL JACKSON’S RECORDS RETURNING TO THE CHARTS AFTER SO MANY YEARS … ARE THERE ANY PLANS TO RE-RELEASE YOUR MICHAEL JACKSON BOOKS?
MB: That is a great question. I would love it if that were to happen, but at this time no publisher has approached either me or my agent Scott Mendel, my manager Dave Marken, nor my publicist David Salidor with an offer to do that. When Michael died in 2009 I was a guest commentator on ABC-TV during the funeral. And at that time, a Japan-based publisher re-printed the Japanese language edition of my book Michael! I would love to have that happen again. But nothing has materialized as of yet.
Who knows what will happen next. If the success of the Michael movie grows any greater, anything is possible. With all of the books I have written, am I concerned that I am still known as the world’s foremost Michael Jackson expert? Not all, I am proud of both of my books on the man they called “Jacko,” and if I had 1984 to live all over again, I would do everything exactly the same way.
kk: Mark, thanks again for sharing these VERY special memories with our readers.
I truly do appreciate it … and hopefully enough people will see this to prompt a publisher to reissue updated versions of both your books. It’s been great talking to you. (kk)
PHOTO CREDITS (recap):
Mark Bego and La Toya Jackson showing off her fashion line (photo by Roger Glazer)
Mark Bego at a party in his honor in 1984, for his nine million seller, Michael! (Photo: Roger Glazer)
Mary Wilson and Mark Bego celebrating his first issue of Modern Screen Magazine in 1983 at Panache in New York City (photo by Roger Glazer)
Concert promoter Cash Landy, Ola Ray--Michael Jackson's co-star in the "Thriller" video, and Mark Bego, at the Los Angeles party for the success of the book Michael! (Photo: William R. Meade)
Mark Bego and LaToya Jackson in her suite at The Helmsely Palace Hotel, the afternoon in 1984 that Michael Jackson showed up for a suprised visit with Mark (Photo by Roger Glazer)
Mark Bego and Alan Thicke on the set of Thicke of the Night TV show where Mark talking about Michael Jackson was part of a 4-episode special (Photo by Josh Touster)
Mark Bego and famed artist Peter Max at a party for Mark's first issue of Modern Screen Magazine as Editor-In-Chief (Photo by Roger Glazer)
Pia Zadora and Mark Bego at the 1984 Los Angeles party for Mark's hugely successful book on Jackson: entitled Michael! (Photo: Josh Touster)
PERFORMANCE SHOTS:
I have scanned the performance photos I have right from the book. The best ones were taken by the photo agencies. Those photographs were licensed and paid for by Pinnacle Books, so what I will do is scan them right from the book, and identify them as being from the book, so that they fall into the "photo rights" category as being "product shots" from my book, and then we won't have any licensing problems from the supply houses. (MB)
Performance Photo 1: Michael Jackson and The Victory Tour was the most exciting live show of 1984. (From the pages of On The Road With Michael! Original photo: Ebet Roberts)
Performance Photo 2: Michael Jackson on stage during The Victory Tour, complete with his iconic sequined glove and amazing choreography. (From the pages of On The Road With Michael! Original photo: Ebet Roberts)
Performance Photo 3: The excitement and frenzy that Michael Jackson and his brothers caused on The Victory Tour was nothing short of phenomenal. Mark Bego was there for 30 consecutive shows in 1984. (From the pages of On The Road With Michael! Original photo: Ebet Roberts)
And finally, here is Mark Bego’s INCREDIBLE resume of books …
When they call him the “Biographer Of The Music Stars,” this list certainly documents his street cred …
Simply amazing! (how many of these have YOU read???)
Books by Mark Bego:
1. “The Captain & Tennille” (1977, Grosset & Dunlap Publishers)
2. “Barry Manilow” (1977, Grosset & Dunlap Publishers)
3. “The Doobie Brothers” (1980, Popular Library)
4. “Michael!” [Jackson] (1984, Pinnacle Books) *** + “New York Times” Best Seller
5. “On The Road With Michael!” [Jackson] (1984, Pinnacle Books) ** +
6. “Madonna!" (1985, Pinnacle Books) ** +
7. “Rock Hudson: Public & Private” (1986, New American Library) *
8. “Sade!” (1986, PaperJacks Books) +
9. “Julian Lennon!” (1986, St. Martin's Press)
10. "The Best of 'Modern Screen'" (1986, St. Martin's Press)
11. “Whitney!” [Houston] (1986, PaperJacks Books)
12. “Cher!” (1986, Pocket Books)
13. “Bette Midler: Outrageously Divine” (1987, New American Library)
14. “The Linda Gray Story” (1988, St. Martin's Press)
15. “TV Rock” [The History of Rock & Roll on Television] (1988, PaperJacks Books)
16. “Aretha Franklin: Queen of Soul” (1989, St. Martin's Press) +
17. “Between The Lines” [with Debbie Gibson] (1990, Eakin Press)
18. “Linda Ronstadt: It’s So Easy” (1990, Eakin Press)
19. “Ice Ice Ice: The Extraordinary Vanilla Ice Story” (1991, Dell Books) *
20. “One Is The Loneliest Number” [with Jimmy Greenspoon of Three Dog Night] (1991, Pharos Books)
21. “Madonna: Blonde Ambition” (1992, Harmony Books / Random House) + ^
22. “I'm A Believer: My Life of Music, Monkees and Madness” [with Micky Dolenz of The Monkees] (1993, Hyperion Books)
23. “Country Hunks” (1994, Contemporary Books)
24. “Country Gals” (1994, Zebra Books)
25. “Dancing In The Street: Confessions of a Motown Diva” [with Martha Reeves of Martha & The Vandellas] (1994, Hyperion Books) [“Top 10 “Chicago Tribune” Best-Seller”]
26. “I Fall To Pieces: The Music & The Life of Patsy Cline” (1995, Adams Media)
27. “Bonnie Raitt: Just In The Nick of Time” (1995, Birch Lane / 2003, Cooper Square) ^
28. “Rock & Roll Almanac” (1996, MacMillan Books)
29. “Alan Jackson: Gone Country” (1996, Taylor Publishing)
30. “Raised On Rock: The Autobiography of Elvis Presley's Step Brother” [with David Stanley] (1996 Mainstream Publishing) +
31. “George Strait: The Story of Country's Living Legend” (1997, Kensington Oublishing)
32. “Leonardo DiCaprio: Romantic Hero” (1998, Andrews McMeel) + “New York Times” Best-Seller
33. “LeAnn Rimes” (1998, St. Martin's Press) +
34. “Jewel” (1998, Music Sales Press)
35. “Matt Damon: Chasing A Dream” (1998, Andrews McMeel)
36. “Will Smith: The Freshest Prince” (1998, Andrews McMeel)
37. “Vince Gill” (2000, Renaissance)
38. “Madonna: Blonde Ambition” [Updated Edition] (2000, Cooper Square)
39. “Aretha Franklin: Queen of Soul” [First Updated Edition] (2001, DaCapo Books)
40. “The Marx Brothers” (2001, Oldcastle Books)
41. “Cher: If You Believe” (2001, Cooper Square)
42. “Bonnie Raitt: STILL In The Nick of Time” (2002, Cooper Square)
43. “Bette Midler: Still Divine” (2002, Cooper Square)
44. “Julia Roberts: America’s Sweetheart” (2003, AMI)
45. “Tina Turner: Break Every Rule” (2003, Cooper Square) +
46. “I’m a Believer: My Life of Music, Monkees and Madness” [with Micky Dolenz of The Monkees] (2004 Updated Version – Taylor Publishing)
47. “Jackson Browne” (2005, Kennsington) +
48. “Joni Mitchell” (2005, Taylor Publishing)
49. “Yolanda: Just One More Question” (2006, Putnam)
50. “Billy Joel: The Biography” (2007, Thunder's Mouth Press) + (JR Booksin England and Australia, 2008)
51. “Macho Man: The Disco Era and Gay America’s Coming Out” [with Randy Jones of The Village People] (2008, Greenwood)
52. “Elton John” Five different versions including:
“Elton John: Die Biography” (in German language: June, 2009, Hannibal Book)
“Elton John: The Bitch is Back” (in America: October, 2009, Phoenix Books) +
“The Elton John Story” (in England and Australia: October, 2009, JR Books)
53. “One Minute Before Midnight” [with Ruth Mueller] (2009, Publish America)
54. “Tina Turner: Die Biographie” [German only original] (2009, Hannibal Books) +
55. “Whitney Houston: Die Biographie” [German only original] (2009, Hannibal Books) +
56. “Paperback Writer,” a Memoir (2010, Publish America)
57. “Where The Action Is” [with Freddy Cannon] (2011, Publish America)
58. “Whitney Houston! The Spectacular Rise and Dramatic Fall of The Woman Whose Voice Inspired a Generation” (2012, Skyhorse Publishers)
59. “Aretha Franklin: The Queen of Soul” [Second Updated Edition] (2012, Skyhorse Publishers)
60. “Murder at Motor City Records,” a Murder Mystery (2012, Publish America)
71. “Glen Campbell: Life With My Father” [with Debby Campbell] (2014, Omnibus Press)
62. “Eat Like a Rock Star” [a Cookbook with Mary Wilson and dozens more] (2017, Skyhorse Publishers)
63. “Aretha Franklin: Queen of Soul” [Fourth Updated / Tribute Editon] (2018 Skyhorse Publishers) [Number One Amazon Best-Seller]
64. “Living The Luxe Life” [with Efram Harkham] (2019, Skyhorse Publishers) [Number One Amazon Business Books Best-Seller]
65. “Supreme Glamour” [with Mary Wilson] (2019, Thames & Hudson Publishers) [Number One Amazon Best-Seller] +
66. “Elton John: Rocket Man” (2020, Pegasus) [Top Ten Amazon Best-Seller]
67. “Band of Gold” [written with Freda Payne with Introduction by Mary Wilson] (2021, Yorkshire Publishing)
68. “Joe Cocker: With a LOT of Help From My Friends” (2022, Yorkshire Publishing)
69. “Campaigning For President” [written with Jordan Wright, and Austin C. Wright] (2024, Yorkshire Publishing)
70. “I’m A Believer: My Life of Monkees, Music & Madness” [written with Micky Dolenz of The Monkees] (2026, Lyon’s Press) [Second Updated Version for the 60th Anniversary of TV show The Monkees]
_______________________________
+ Foreign editions
^ 500,000 copies sold
^^ 1 million copies sold
^^^ 9 million copies sold
