OMMA Catalogue Number

OMMA-0133

Artist

The Jackson Five, featuring Michael Jackson on lead vocal

Title

“Big Boy / You’ve Changed”

Release Details

Issued in the United States on 31 January 1968 by Steeltown Records as a 7-inch, 45 rpm single (681). Released initially in the Gary–Chicago market, the record pairs “Big Boy” with “You’ve Changed.” After becoming a minor hit in the Gary-Chicago area, Atlantic’s Atco subsidiary made a larger, nationwide repress distribution.

Although production numbers for the original release are unknown, the initial run was a small, independent local pressing meant for regional radio and personal sales by the brothers, estimated at just a couple of thousand copies before the Atco distribution deal.

Edition & Variant Identification

Original commercial issue bearing red Steeltown labels and catalogue number 681.

Original Gary-area copies were distributed with orange and red label variants with a shared pressing identification. The present copy is the original local red-label variant.

Matrix & Pressing Data

Side A Runout: 681-A

Side B Runout: 681-B

Physical Description

Seven-inch black-vinyl single playing at 45 rpm. Both sides carry red Steeltown paper labels with black printing and catalogue number 681.

Factory-Origin Characteristics

The red label color and absence of Atlantic/Atco distribution credit identify a the original local Steeltown issue.

Condition Report

The vinyl is graded a VG with numerous scuffs and scratches visible under inspection, with none detectable by touch. Despite questionable visual condition, sound review produced clean, strong playback at an approximately EX-/VG++ level, without skips, crackle, or pops. The red labels remain especially clean and visually attractive.

Provenance

Acquired via eBay from seller thegreenleevintagefinds on 19 July 2026.

According to a written provenance statement supplied by William and Adohna Greenlee, the record was acquired by them in the Philippines during the summer of 2023. The Greenlees encountered it at a small sale outside a family home while searching for vintage material. The unidentified Filipino couple who offered the record described themselves as longtime admirers of the Jackson family and stated that they had treasured the single for many years. The Greenlees purchased it directly from the couple and subsequently transported it from the Philippines to the United States.

Market Context & Historical Notes

Steeltown 681 marks the commercial birth of both the Jackson Five and Michael Jackson. Issued from Gary, Indiana, in early 1968, the record carried a family act known through Midwestern talent shows and club appearances into recorded public life. Michael was nine.

“Big Boy” already reveals the central force of the Jackson story: a child vocalist commanding adult rhythm-and-blues material with startling timing, attack, and emotional assurance. Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, and Marlon supply the family setting around him, forming the ensemble identity. Airplay in the Gary–Chicago market gave the brothers their first experience of hearing their work return through mass media. Michael later remembered the family gathering around the radio in celebration, a private household scene at the threshold of global fame.

From this record followed the Jackson Five’s run of four consecutive number-one singles, Michael Jackson’s transformation into the defining solo pop figure of his generation, and a body of work that reshaped singing, dance, music video, and global celebrity.

Canonical Status in OMMA

OMMA recognizes Steeltown 681 as the first commercial release by the Jackson Five and the first commercially released recording featuring Michael Jackson.

References and Source Documentation

45cat, “The Jackson Five — Big Boy / You’ve Changed — Steeltown 681”. Release date, original local-label variants, songwriting and production credits, and Atlantic matrix information.

Discogs, “The Jackson Five — Big Boy / You’ve Changed”.

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, “The Jackson 5”. Group history, cultural impact, and 1997 induction.

Chicago Reader, “The Jackson Find”. Research into the Jackson Five’s pre-Motown recording history and the rediscovery of the earlier One-derful session.

WBEZ Chicago, “Before the Jackson 5 Hit It Big, the Iconic Group Saw Chicago as an Extension of Their Hometown of Gary”. Regional history of the group, Steeltown, and the early circulation of “Big Boy.”

VH1, “Listen to the First Recorded Performance by a Nine-Year-Old Michael Jackson, ‘Big Boy’”. Secondary account of the Steeltown period and the frequently cited circulation estimate.