My earliest sense of American pop culture is from the mid-1970's. Horrible orange and green colors, ugly bell bottom pants and unappealing geometric patterns. And excitement about the Motown group The Jackson 5, including the youngest boy Michael - an incredibly talented singer and dancer. I was also aware of the Osmonds, but in Philadelphia they weren't such a big deal (except maybe for the Donny & Marie TV show).
From my point of view, The Jackson 5 are the original, classic boy band. They had their own special magic, and kids in Philadelphia were fascinated with them - I think, in part, because they were successful black performers. Michael Jackson went on to be an amazing musician and riveting dancer, but had a troubled adult life and passed away almost 15 years ago. Earlier this year his older brother Tito died. Following Tito's death, I enjoyed watching You Tube videos of many performances. Here's one of the best ones, from 1970 when Michael was about 12 years old:
From your childhood, I have fond memories of coming to pick you boys up at Cookie Corner where Mrs. Brenner or Miss Tossi (later Mrs. Tabone) played pop music during free play. Here's a great song from a 90's boy band, NSYNC. I love the theatrical opening, with guys dropping down to the stage on "puppet strings".
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