“Big Boy” – Yet Another Jacko Controversy

MJ is in court again – maybe he should buy his own:

Gordon Keith, who signed the Jackson 5 to his Gary-based Steeltown Records in 1967, alleges he has received no credit for producing tracks that later surfaced on a 1996 album, “Pre-History: The Lost Steeltown Recordings.”

Norman Reed, Keith’s local attorney, said the album also misidentifies two songs by another vocal group — Ripples & Waves — as the work of the Jackson 5.

The copyright complaint is tied to writing credits for those songs, “Let Me Carry Your Schoolbooks” and “I Never Had a Girl.”

In an affidavit filed in November, Jackson denied any involvement with the “Pre-History” release distributed by New York-based Brunswick Records.

….[Reed’s] primary clients, Keith and musician Elvy Woodard, accuse Michael, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and Marlon Jackson of perpetuating a myth that they once performed under the stage name Ripples & Waves.

From the late 1960s into the 1980s, Woodard led a group called Ripples & Waves at appearances in northwest Indiana and Chicago, Reed says.

In various reference guides, as well as biographical material at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Ripples & Waves is listed as an early name for the Jackson 5.

“The question I have for Michael Jackson and the other members of the Jackson 5 is, ‘Why have you not come forward to eliminate the confusion?’ ” Reed said. “These guys have remained silent for years.”

In any event, “Pre-History” has been a scant seller. According to Nielsen SoundScan, 6,000 copies of the album have been purchased since its release. [Indianapolis Star]

Which I might add, cruelly and unfairly, continues Jackson’s commercial slide:

Jackson, who hasn’t performed in Indianapolis since two dates at Market Square Arena in 1988, is mired in his own commercial slump. His 2001 album “Invincible” sold 2 million copies, following 7 million in sales for “Dangerous” (1992), 8 million for “Bad” (1987) and a record-setting 26 million for “Thriller” (1982).

I haven’t heard the Steeltown recording, but Amazon says this:

This album contains the first recordings ever made by the Jackson 5. Recorded in 1967, several of these tracks were actually released by Steeltown Records as singles. One of which, ‘Big Boy’, became a local hit in the Chicago/Gary area. All recordings have been left in their original and unenhanced state for historical purposes. 14 tracks including, ‘Let Me Carry Your Schoolbooks’, ‘My Girl’ and ‘Soul Jerk’. Standard jewel case.