Yakima musician Chapman recalls his work with Jacksons

YAKIMA, Wash. -- Local R&B musician Wayman Chapman spent Tuesday morning watching the Michael Jackson memorial on TV and remembering the few times over the past 30 years that his life crossed paths with the Jackson family.

The first was in 1977, when Chapman was then living in Los Angeles and hired to do a recording session at the Jackson family home and studio on Hayvenhurst Avenue. While Michael wasn't there that day -- he was shooting "The Wiz," says Chapman -- the rest of the brothers were, as was a young Janet who wandered in an out of the studio.

"They were just down-to-earth and real nice," remembers Chapman, 57, a Yakima native whose music career has taken him all over the world.

Chapman played guitar with the Jackson brothers but isn't sure anything became of that day's recordings. He does remember being kidded about his unusual first name and being from the nowhere town of Yakima. (Chapman countered that Tito and Jermaine from Gary, Ind., had no room to talk.)

Years later, Chapman was invited by a friend to be an extra in Michael Jackson's "Dirty Diana" music video. All day Chapman and a couple hundred others practiced the shoot with a Jackson stand-in (especially that ending scene with everyone raising a lighter into the air), until at the very end, the real Jackson appeared.

When the video aired, Chapman couldn't help but think, "Wow, I'm in a Michael Jackson video -- I don't know where, but I'm in a Michael Jackson video," he says with a smile.

"As soft-spoken as he was," added Chapman, remembering the King of Pop, "when he hit the stage, he was the toughest dude ever, just fierce."