Michael Jackson's 'Off the Wall' will be reissued with Spike Lee documentary
BY MELISSA RUGGIERI
Spike Lee will give Michael Jackson fans a look at a rarely examined period of the singer’s career – his evolution from the Jackson 5 to a solo artist – in “Michael Jackson’s Journey from Motown to Off the Wall.”
The documentary will premiere on Showtime at 9 p.m. Feb. 5.
The film tracks the creation of Jackson’s 1979 album, which bore the hits “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough,” “Rock with You” and more, and launched his path to becoming the King of Pop. As of 2014, the album has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide.
Lee mined Jackson’s personal archives for footage, including interviews with the singer, and also included interviews with prominent entertainment and sports stars including Pharrell Williams, Misty Copeland, Mark Ronson, Questlove, L.A. Reid, The Weeknd and Lee Daniels. Jackson’s parents, Katherine and Joe, as well as brothers Marlon and Jackie also participated in the project.
On Feb. 26, Jackson's estate and Sony Music will re-release the album with a DVD of Lee's documentary.
About the Author
Melissa Ruggieri has covered music and entertainment for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution since 2010 and created the Atlanta Music Scene blog. She's kept vampire hours for more than two decades and remembers when MTV was awesome.
