The Jackson 5’s first pro recording contract, with the King of Pop’s late father Joe Jackson’s signature, will be up for grabs at Arlan Ettinger’s Guernsey’s Auction House.
The auction will be during a sale of “African American Historic & Cultural Treasures,” July 25 and 26, at the General Scott Mansion on Park Avenue. The contract between the Jacksons and Steeltown Records was signed by Joe on behalf of his five sons, including Michael, who was 9 at the time of the deal in 1967.
Description: First ever, original, signed contract between Joe Jackson and Steeltown Records, November 21, 1967. This contract signed The Jackson Five to their first professional label. It was on this label that a nine-year-old Michael Jackson sang some of his first recorded songs. This document was the first step along the path of one of the world’s most famous and beloved pop groups.
The first sheet of the contract is a copy of the original. Signature sheet is original, measures 13 x 8 1/2”, and has been signed in blue pen. Dated as having been executed on the November 21, 1967. William Adams, of Steeltown Records, has signed on both the President and the Secretary lines. Joseph Jackson has signed the artist line. Document has been stamped and signed by a notary public. Wear around edges of paper, as well as deep crease along bottom due to the paper having been folded. Some slight age spots. Three small tears have been slightly taped on back.
Steeltown Records, in Gary, Indiana, is best known for being the label with which The Jackson Five got their start. Their first album, The Steeltown 45s, was released on this label. The story of their first signing went as such: Joe Jackson invited the owner of Steeltown to come see the Jackson kids perform at Beckman Junior High in Gary. Hestitant at first, he eventually agreed – and he was hugely impressed by what he saw. After the performance, Steeltown offered the Jacksons a record deal. The Jackson Five ever only recorded eight songs with the label, two of which were unreleased. In July of 1968, The Jackson Five signed with Motown Records – a move that was controversial, as their contract with Steeltown had not yet expired.
This item comes to us from the one of the original founders of Steeltown Records.
The auction of more than 700 lots covers artifacts from the civil rights movement, African-American films and music. Other items include a two-page handwritten letter in which Rosa Parks describes meeting Martin Luther King Jr. for the first time, plus a large collection of original sheet music by Marvin Gaye, the Temptations and the Isley Brothers.
The auction’s expected to break records in various categories.
For more information about the Auction, CLICK HERE
SOURCE: Page Six
