ARTS & CULTURE
Kimberly Marsh
Photo, Jamarice “J” Daughtry, singer, actor, philanthropist, entrepreneur, will portray Berry Gordy in MJ the Musical – Tulsa, a Celebrity Attractions performance scheduled for October 15-20, 2024. Photo, JDaughtry.com
J. Daughtry has a way of being in the right place at the right time. His musical career began with an unexpected turn in his earlier career in teaching. That led to a role playing the music legend Berry Gordy. He went on to play Gordy in another production. Next week Daughtry will bring his portrayal of the Motown icon – who played a vital role in Michael Jackson’s career — to Tulsa in yet another show -the touring jukebox musical production of MJ The Musical.
When the curtain rises at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center on Oct. 15 for a run through Oct. 20, it will not only focus on the legendary King of Pop but also a behind-the-scenes look at Michael Jackson’s (MJ) creative process, the Jackson family dynamics, and the psychological forces that shaped him.
MJ The Musical tickets are available through Tulsa musical promoter Celebrity Attractions online at celebrityattractions.com or from the Tulsa PAC ticket office at 101 E. 3rd St. or by calling (918) 596-7111.
“This isn’t just a jukebox musical,” Daughtry said in an interview with the Oklahoma Eagle. “We dive into Michael’s relationships, especially with his father, Joe Jackson, and how those experiences influenced his music and drive for perfection.”
The Journey to Berry Gordy
Daughtry’s journey to playing Berry Gordy has been serendipitous.
“I was living in Japan, working at Universal Studios, and they offered an opportunity for me to… go back to America and still be paid for a month,” he told The Oklahoma Eagle. “So I came back to America, and I went to an acting class. The next day, I get a phone call from another casting director who said, ‘I need to see you for this show called ‘Motown’, and I kid you not, it was like I had walked into the Motown Hall of Fame. There was Berry Gordy. There was Smokey Robinson and Stevie Wonder.”
Daughtry performed as Gordy in the touring musicals “Motown” and “Ain’t Too Proud,” so the role feels like coming home.
“Well, you know, Berry Gordy is a musical icon. He actually has been many things. Music was something he fell into. He was a boxer and a musician. He worked at a car factory, which is how he learned how to run a company,” he said.
While Gordy was more involved in earlier productions, Daughtry notes that his participation in “MJ The Musical” is more hands-off due to his advanced age. “In “Motown,” he was very hands-on with the role. He would call me and make corrections or change things right before the show,” Daughtry said. “In this show, he’s not as hands-on, but he did come to LA to see the show and to hang out for a second.
“It’s truly an honor to be able to play Mr. Gordy. He’s very much like one of my uncles or a deacon at my church, which is what makes it easy for me to portray him.”
Exploring Michael Jackson’s life
One of the key themes explored in the show is MJ’s complex relationship with his father, Joe Jackson. “We see his relationship with his father. We see his relationship with his mother, with the people that are around him, his business manager… It’s a really interesting story.”
The show uses a series of flashbacks as a storytelling technique to demonstrate the impact Joe had on MJ’s life, appearing in scenes with managers and Gordy. It innovatively touches on more sensitive topics, including MJ’s struggles with addiction and the psychological toll of his upbringing.
“A lot of people come to the show, and you expect the music… But once you actually hear the story and see how well they put it together, a lot of people end up leaving in tears, saying, ‘I did not expect to cry at the Michael Jackson musical.’ But it’s very real and very intricate, and it shows how the effects of mental abuse and physical abuse echo throughout a person’s life.”
Daughtry emphasized that the focus remains on the artist’s creative genius and lasting impact on pop culture, noting that his music spans generations. Appealing to youth and grandparents, it is truly a show for the whole family.
“This show is actually one of the biggest shows I’ve done visually. The music is pumping throughout. It’s a very exciting show. And, of course, it’s telling the story of Michael Jackson,” Daughtry shares. “We start in his later years preparing for the Dangerous Tour in 1992, and throughout the story, we get to see Michael Jackson in the rehearsal process and how he operated creatively. But then we also get to see him as a human and what made him the way that he was.”
Get your tickets now, Daughtry advised. The show has been selling out in cities across the country. “It’s a powerful experience you won’t want to miss.”
Small Details that Tell a Story
Daughtry illustrates a scene involving Joe Jackson that shows in a subtle way, using actions, not words, that he did not always understand all the details of agreements he entered on behalf of the Jackson Five. It shows a determination to make money and be successful, but it also reflects on a life of being neglected.
“You know, Michael’s dad (Joe) was also a musician at one point. He got married early, and that didn’t work, and then he met Katherine, Michael Jackson’s mother, and had these kids, trying to make ends meet. The Jackson Five was the first thing that worked for him. He tried to be a musician. He tried to be a taxi cab owner. He tried a few things and none of those worked. But the Jackson Five was a product that was working, which is why his grip was so tight on it. It was the only thing that he ever got to actually be successful in. And these kids, although they were his children, were also his product, and it was what kept the family afloat, and it was what was making him successful and, you know, rich…There’s a point where, you know, he didn’t graduate high school, and he couldn’t really read, and there’s a point where Berry Gordy and Joe Jackson are signing a contract, and the direction for us was to, for my role, the Barry Gordy role, to just flip through the pages and have Joe Jackson just quickly sign and not read anything. It’s a small thing, but I was talking to Devin Bowles, who plays Joe Jackson, and I was telling him the reason why we’re doing this like this is because Joe Jackson could not read, so he’s just signing his life away, and he doesn’t know what he’s signing. He just knows that there’s money involved.”
Daughtry explained that Joe Jackson was neglected as a child, being shuffled around between a mother who didn’t want him and a dad who married a women who didn’t want him. It shaped how he was, the lack of affection shown for his children, his dismissive of his wife, and his drive to create a legacy, and his behaviors impacted most of what MJ did as a businessman and a performer. MJ also was driven by perfection and had big, sometimes unreasonable, expectations of his dancers and crew.
J. Daughtry’s Roots
Daughtry was raised in Florida and attended Bethune Cookman University in Daytona Beach, majoring in Business Administration with a concentration in marketing. He moved to DC to work with Black Entertainment Television (BET) where he worked as an unpaid intern. In order to make a paycheck, he switched to banking until the market crash of 2008.
“I ended up teaching fifth grade at a private Christian school in the DC area. The music teacher died at the school, and they were preparing for their spring concert, and they wanted to make sure the kids got to do the spring concert.
The principal approached Daughtry, who also is a gospel singer, to help finish preparing for the concert, which was such a success that the principal told Daughtry he should be working the musicals as a career.
“She said ‘I’m going to give you three days a week to go audition, but you’ve got to promise me that you’re going to audition. She literally gave me three days a week to go from DC to New York, audition and then come back. I did that for three months, and booked my first gig with a Cirque tour. It just hasn’t stopped since then. But if it wasn’t for her, I probably would still be teaching right now.”
