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News Tips

IU music scholar available to discuss life and legacy of Michael Jackson

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 26, 2009

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Millions of people worldwide are mourning Thursday's (June 25) death of pop star and musical icon Michael Jackson at the age of 50. Charles Sykes, an Indiana University expert on popular music, is available to discuss the Indiana native's life and musical legacy.

Few artists have had such a profound impact as Jackson

Charles Sykes, director of IU's African American Arts Institute and an adjunct professor of folklore and ethnomusicology, developed the first for-credit college course on the Motown Record Corp. He said, "Michael Jackson will go down in history as one of the world's greatest entertainers. His artistry, expressed in his singing, dancing, choreography and producing, and extending back to when he and his brothers made their Motown debut as the Jackson 5, has clearly and profoundly influenced other entertainers. Few entertainers have had worldwide impact equal to that of Michael Jackson."

Sykes is available at 812-855-0350 or 812-327-7293 or csykes@indiana.edu. More information about Sykes' Motown class is available online at http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/2148.html.

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