First Record Deal and Lead Single
The Jackson 5 began their career performing at talent contests, which they would often win. During a performance at Beckman Junior High, the group were brought to the attention of Gordon Keith — the owner of Steeltown Records, a company based in the group's hometown of Gary, Indiana. He signed the children to a limited record deal. The band recorded with their instruments and a backing group on the weekends. Michael Jackson sang lead vocals on the majority of tracks and the brothers produced much of the material themselves, including the track "Big Boy", which took a few hours to record and was written by Ed Silver. The group were paid three cents for each record sold, which was split equally amongst the five members. The group released their first single "Big Boy" on January 30, 1968. It was backed with the B-side "You've Changed". The brothers would go on to perform "Big Boy" at numerous strip clubs throughout their early lives.
Read more about this topic: Big Boy (song)
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