CHAPTER V: VH1 Behind the Music
“Is your homework done?” Amanda asked her daughter Millie even though she knew the answer.
“I am just getting to it,” Millie replied rolling off the futon.
“I bet,” her mother said and picked up the remote. “Let’s get rid of the distractions, shall we?” she aimed it at the television but stopped before turning it off.
“Whatever happened to Jimmy B.?” the unseen announcer in the television show asked. “This is VH1 and you are watching Behind the Music, stay tuned.”
Amanda sat down on the futon.
“Mom?” Millie asked. “What are you doing?”
“I loved Jimmy B.!” she said. “You know, he was my very first concert.” She looked at her daughter. “I was probably about your age.”
“Wow,” her daughter drawled. “Cool. Who is Jimmy B.?”
Amanda looked back at the tv as the program returned from commercial break. “Only one of the biggest acts of the 80’s. Now shush.”
Millie started to protest but could see it was no use. “I will go in the other room to do my homework.”
Her mom nodded without taking her eyes off the screen. “Good idea.”
Millie rolled her eyes and left her mom to watch the documentary.
“He was a rising star in the 80’s performing in sold out shows across the nation. Nothing could stop Jimmy B. until he disappeared from the spotlight…” the announcer said while a montage of Jimmy pictures at all ages flashed onscreen. So, what happened to Jimmy B.?” the announcer asked.
“Yeah,” Amanda replied. “What did happen?”
“Born James Bernard Peternelli,” the announcer continued. “He was the only child to James Sr and Lucy Peternelli.”
Billy Lowery showed on-screen sitting in a chair. His name and the date 1927-1995 displayed. The announcer said: “Shortly before his death, Jimmy’s first manager gave an interview with a Canadian news affiliate about his former client.”
He was much older than when Jimmy had worked for him and looked like he was on oxygen. “I asked Jimmy once about his dad. He was never one to divulge too much information but sometimes he would mention one or two things,” Billy said. “One time I got lucky and he told me his dad wasn’t in the picture much. From what I understood, it kind of sounded like his dad was ashamed of Jimmy or something. On account of Jimmy not talking until he was 12. Anyway, whatever the case, his dad wasn’t in the picture much.”
More pictures of Jimmy showed on-screen. They were pictures of his younger years. He seldom smiled in any of them. Except for one. It looked like he was about 18 years old and he was smiling while it appeared to be him singing.
“An absentee father who died before Jimmy’s career took off. He never got to see his mute boy become one of the top selling artists of the 80’s by using his voice.” The voice-over announcer said. “But,” a picture of Jimmy and his mom showed onscreen and the camera zoomed slowly into Lucy’s face. “His mother was there. Every step of the way.”
“Lucy Peternelli?” Principal Jones asked sitting in a chair. He seemed a bit nervous being interviewed and it looked like he was in a retirement home. “She was a determined mother. Of course, as principal, it was my job to ensure the needs of all students were met. That included Jimmy. I always did my best to ensure he received a proper and fair education. There was a time when some of the staff thought it might be better for Jimmy to receive more personalized care. The boy had just turned 12 and had never spoken a word to anyone! As principal, I needed to ensure that was the best possible outcome for the boy so I met with his mother. She was determined to have her boy in school. Of course, I readily agreed with her once it was proven he could handle being in school.”
It cut to Doris Pacheco, the former school secretary. “Principal Jones didn’t really want a dumb mute in his school,” she said then quickly added, “that’s what they used to call Jimmy. But I could tell he had something going on inside that mind of his.”
“How could you tell?” the off-screen interviewer asked.
“Well, I remember it clearly. I offered him some candy and he didn’t respond. So, I left a piece by the chair next to him and it was gone by the time I returned to the desk.”
“That’s how you knew?” the interviewer asked.
“Well, that and the fact he seemed to be dancing to the radio. Even though I knew it would make Principal Jones mad, I turned it up a little just for Jimmy. Good thing I did, too! That’s when he discovered his voice.” She looked at the camera. “I guess you could say, I was responsible for Jimmy B’s shot at stardom. If it wasn’t for me, Principal Jones would have had Jimmy’s mom ship him to some institution.”
More pictures of Jimmy were shown on-screen as the announcer continued. “It was at that moment that Jimmy found not only his voice but his singing voice. It all started with Stevie Wonder’s Superstition.”
Billy Lowery was back on-screen. “Between little snippets between Jimmy and his mom this is what I found about him finding his voice. They were in the principal’s office and Jimmy was about to be kicked out of school. The school was trying to tell Lucy to send Jimmy to an institution and forget about him.” He laughed and it seemed to hurt. “Can you imagine? Anyway, Lucy went toe-to-toe with the principal and insisted her boy stay in school. I wasn’t there but I can picture it. Lucy was only assertive about one thing and that was her boy’s well-being. I can imagine she gave that principal a what-for. There was a radio playing or something and the principal came out and demanded it be turned off. Which it was and that’s when it happened. In perfect pitch Jimmy finished singing the song! Can you believe it? Wish I could have been there.”
“How did he know the song?” the interviewer asked.
“Oh, according to Jimmy his mom never had the radio playing during the day. But at night she did. He could hear the music in his room while he was trying to sleep. Usually she listened to country music, you know, Hank Williams and Johnny Cash. That type. Apparently one night though, she couldn’t get the station to come in so she switched it. That’s when he first heard Stevie Wonder and he enjoyed it. He memorized the song by listening to it once that night. When Jimmy heard it on the radio in the school, he was ready for it. Good thing, too!”
“He memorized it after hearing it one time?” the interviewer asked.
“One time. Pretty smart for a dumb mute, eh?” Billy tried to laugh again but couldn’t. “That boy was special. I knew it the first moment I heard him in my studio.”
“You discovered him?”
“What? He’s not America. How do you discover a person? I heard him and I had never heard anything so perfect before. That talent had to be shared. I convinced his mom to let me manage him.” Billy looked off camera as tears came to his eyes. “Sometimes I wish I never heard him. He was perfectly happy working as a night janitor. His mom never wanted him to have any part of that life – you know, fame and fortune. She knew her boy well. But I really thought his talent needed to be shared.”
More clips of Jimmy showed on-screen as the announcer continued. “Jimmy had been discovered. He worked with Billy for five years before switching to a new manager, Pete Skerrit. Pictures of Pete showed on-screen. He looked cranky and ill-tempered in all of them.
“It was my idea for him to go to Pete,” Billy said. “I thought it was best for his career.” His words trailed slowly. He let out a sigh and shrugged his shoulders.
Pete showed on-screen. He looked like he as at least 90 years old but he still sat defiantly in the chair with his arms folded. “I did everything for that boy,” he said. “I took him from obscurity to fame and then he turned on me. That’s rock and roll for you.” His lips parted in an attempt to grin but it came out more sinister looking. “He probably would have gone further if it hadn’t been for his mother.”
“How so?” the interviewer asked.
“She was a piece of work. Domineering. Meddlesome. Argumentative. I never did like her. She always thought she knew what was best for her son. Excuse me? How many acts did she manage? None. How many acts have I managed?” He wheezed a laugh. “If she would have trusted me a little more her son probably would have done a bit better.”
He paused and looked at the camera.
“She was probably the reason he started on drugs. I can’t prove it but I have my theories about it. Mothers who can’t cut the apron strings make a mess for the rest of us, don’t they? I did my best to straighten that boy out but it was too late. He was addicted to drugs by the time he got to me. Drugs and alcohol. He needed them before a show to calm him and he needed other drugs to help him do the public demands such as interviews. I tried to stop him but he wouldn’t listen to me. It peaked after his mother died. I mean, she didn’t give him the resources to survive on his own. He needed her. A grown man and he couldn’t function without his mama.” He emphasized the last word with a sarcastic tone. Finally, it all caught up with him – as it always does – during his last concert. I gave him an ultimatum, either clean up or go home. He chose to go home. I begged with him to get help but he wouldn’t hear it. We parted ways shortly after.”
The screen showed images of Pete and Jimmy. A tear went down the middle separating the two. The announcer continued, “While Pete always maintained his innocence in Jimmy’s drug use, other witnesses have come forward and pointed the finger at Pete.”
A middle-aged man showed on the screen. Dean Terry, Themz Boyz showed across the the screen under him. “I was Jimmy’s drummer.” He said in a deep laid-back voice. “I remember Mama P – that’s what the band used to call Jimmy’s mom. She was an absolute angel. She was like a mom to all of us. She was definitely a better mom to me than my own mom.” He grunted a laugh. “There were two things we all knew about Mama P, one, she loved her son, and two, she did not like Pete.”
The announcer asked, “She didn’t like Pete?”
“I don’t think she trusted him.”
“Why?” the announcer asked.
“Pete was always about the money. When Jimmy left, Pete put together our band, Themz Boyz. He worked us to death. He didn’t care about our well-being. When the work load started to get to me, he offered me some pills to help me keep up with the demands. I remembered what happened to my friend Jimmy though. He wasn’t going to take me down like that.”
The screen showed pictures of the boy band Themz Boyz while Dean talked. It faded to black.
Pete was on-screen again. “I did no such thing!” Pete vehemently denied.
The announcer continued. “Dean and other members of the band publicly accused Pete of offering drugs to them. Shortly after the accusations, Pete retired.”
“Maybe,” Dean was onscreen again. “Maybe if people would have listened to Mama P, Jimmy would still be here today.” He looked down.
The announcer said, “Jimmy collapsed on stage at what became his final concert. Afterward, Pete sued him for breach of contract. Broke and homeless, Jimmy returned to his hometown and went back to his old manager Billy Lowery.
“He was a broken man,” Billy’s interview showed onscreen. “He didn’t want to sing anymore. He became withdrawn and quiet. Although he didn’t lose his voice completely, he hardly spoke to anyone. He just wanted to go back to being a janitor so of course I hired him. I hoped he would heal in time, get clean, and find his voice again. Maybe not for others but for himself. He needed that comfort again.”
A wreckage of a car showed onscreen and a 911 call could be heard. “I need to report an accident,” a woman said frantically. “A car just ran a red light and crashed into a semi. I’m at work and I saw the whole thing happen.”
“On July 1, 1995, Jimmy ran a red light going 75mph in a 40mph zone. His vehicle was hit by a semi crossing the intersection. The truck driver was sent to the hospital and released. Jimmy was killed instantly. He was only 35.”
Billy looked down and wiped a tear from his eye. “My boy was gone. He didn’t deserve what he got. He was a good boy.” He looked up and straight at the camera. “I will never forgive myself for introducing him to Skerrit. He killed my boy.”
Dean’s voice-over while pictures of Jimmy showed onscreen. “Jimmy always felt like he wasn’t as smart as the rest of us. He worked twice as hard at everything, and I mean everything. If an interview didn’t go well, he would analyze it and go over it again to figure out what went wrong. He was constantly rehearsing his talks with Pete. I think Pete was doing the same thing because he never approached Jimmy and his mom same way twice. He’d come at them from all different directions and angles to get what he wanted. The only thing that Jimmy ever wanted was to feel normal. To feel like he belonged. Pete was not the man to give him that.”
The final picture was the one of 18-year old Jimmy smiling doing what he loved. “A needless tragedy,” the announcer said. “Of the boy who found his voice doing what he loved only to lose it by doing what he loved. This was the rise and fall of Jimmy B. A true songbird.”
Amanda watched as the program faded to black and the credits rolled. All she could say was, “Huh. That’s a sad story. I had no idea.” She turned off the tv and went to check on her daughter.
ck's days 