The Commodores and The Jackson 5 have links going back to when the bands toured together in the early 70's. As fate would have it the Commodores performed at London’s Wembley Arena the night that Michael Jackson died. It was a truly somber experience for them to hear the news as they walked off the stage.
The following night the band played the NIA Arena in Birmingham and as J.D. Nicholas began to sing his verse from the seminal ‘Nightshift’ with the famous lines “Jackie was a friend of ours” he inadvertently sang “Michael was a friend of ours.” It brought the audience to its feet and proved to be the start of what has become the Commodores own homage to Michael Jackson.
The Grammy Award winning hit ‘Nightshift’ was released in late 1984. Now, twenty-five years later, the group, along with Dennis Lambert who is one of the original writers, have come together to rewrite the lyrics and re-record the song as a fitting tribute to the memory of this truly great performer.