Artist	Song
James Brown	I Got the Feeling
from JB40 (40th Anniversary Collection) (1996)
Diana Ross	Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)
from Diana Ross: All the Great Hits (2000)
Jackie Wilson	Baby Workout
from Jackie Wilson: 20 Greatest Hits (2002)
Sly & the Family Stone	Stand!
from Greatest Hits (2007)
The Temptations	My Girl
from Anthology Series: The Best of the Temptations (1995)
The Miracles	Who's Lovin' You
from The Ultimate Collection: Smokey Robinson and the Miracles (1998)
The Four Tops	Reach Out (I'll Be There)
from The Ultimate Collection: Four Tops (1997)
Stevie Wonder	Superstition
from At the Close of a Century (1999)
Wings	Girlfriend
from Wingspan: Hits and History (2010)
John Lennon	Imagine
from Imagine (Remastered) (2010)
Marvin Gaye	Pride and Joy
from Number 1's: Marvin Gaye (2007)
Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers	Why Do Fools Fall In Love
from The Best of Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers (2005)
Sammy Davis, Jr.	Mr. Bojangles
from 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Sammy Davis, Jr. (2002)
Cliff Edwards & Disney Studio Chorus	When You Wish Upon a Star (From "Pinocchio")
from Julie Andrews Selects Her Favorite Disney Songs (2006)
Fred Astaire & Oscar Peterson	Steppin Out with My Baby
from The Astaire Story (Vol. 1 & 2) (1988)

Comment:

From his early years in Indiana, Michael dreamed of being a [i]total[/i] performer, so his influences ranged far beyond your by-the-numbers Top 40 playlist. In the presence of the Godfather of Soul, Jackson testified, "No man has influenced me more than [i]this man right here[/i]." Even at age 9, Michael mimicked James Brown's funk-soul freight train "I Got the Feeling" . . . right down to the [i]yow[/i]! In many ways, singer/dancer/actor/former child star Sammy Davis, Jr. was pop culture's Jackie Robinson, breaking through the wall that Jackson would ultimately tear down; on "Mr. Bojangles," Sammy takes you from the cell to the stage in a tour de force story-song. And check out Paul McCartney's Jackson-esque falsetto on "Girlfriend," which Michael covered on [i]Off the Wall[/i]. In addition to being McCartney's occasional collaborator, Jackson worshiped the Fab Four's pop powers (hey, he even bought their publishing). And there's more: Michael's roots extended from divas like Diana Ross to dancers like Fred Astaire — and we have 'em all.

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