Sources : My personal research, Wikipedia, Michael Jackson: For The Record by Chris Cadman & Craig Halstead, Twitter account of Damien Shields and the amazing archives of the MJCast.
ERA
RECORDING DATE
I’m A Big Boy Now : On July 13, 1967 : The Jackson 5 made their first professionnal recording at the George & Ernie Leaner Studio for One-derful Records in Chicago. They recorded the song “I’m A Big Boy Now” but they did not sign any record deal. In August 2009, the Leaners’ children of former Chicago One-derful! Records owners George and Ernie Leaner, discovered for the first time, a master recording in the One-derful! archives of The Jackson Five recording “I’m A Big Boy Now” (“Big Boy”) dated July 13, 1967. This recording predates Keith’s Steeltown 1967 recording of “Big Boy” (in 1967, the Leaner brothers had told Keith, that they did not have any Jackson Five recordings). This first version of “Big Boy” was released posthumously in 2014.
Big Boy : In late November/December 1967, the J5 recorded a new version of “Big Boy” at the Sunny Sawyer Studio in Chicago. The song was released as their first ever single on January 31, 1968.
Big Boy” was released by Steeltown Records, a record company in Gary, Indiana, in January 1968. After it was released, the song played on radio stations in the Chicago-Gary area and was a local hit. Beginning in March 1968, Steeltown Records sold thousands of copies of “Big Boy” nationally through a distribution deal with Atlantic Records, but it was neither a critical nor commercial success. The Jackson family were delighted with the outcome nonetheless.
In 1994, the master tapes to “Big Boy” were thought to be lost (Keith kept his 1967 Jackson Five master tapes of “Big Boy” in a bank vault). Jackson family friend Ben Brown (and former Steeltown co-owner) claimed he found the tapes in his parents’ “kitchen pantry”. In 1995, Brown reissued the record on the Inverted Records label— a week before Michael Jackson’s HIStory album was issued. He also remastered the song, selling it by mail order, along with an instrumental version, in a limited edition package consisting of a compact disc and cassette tape — the package could be purchased at a cost of approximately $30. The reissue of “Big Boy” was promoted with a music video.
In May 2009, Gordon Keith put items from steeltown era up for auction, including “a sizable number of mint-condition copies of ‘Big Boy'” (#681) in 45 rpm format and 100 copies of “We Don’t Have To Be Over 21 (to Fall in Love)”. Keith stated, “I could use the money… I got these guys off the ground… I didn’t truly get real money for it”.
STUDIO(S)
The George & Ernie Leaner Studio in Chicago
Sunny Sawyer Studio in Chicago
SONGWRITER(S)
Ed Silver
PRODUCER(S)
Gordon Keith
RELEASE DATE :
January 31, 1968.
LABEL
Steeltown Records
LENGTH
3:00 (original record)
3:36 (CD release)
ALTERNATE VERSIONS RECORDED BY MJ (covers and remixes by other artists are not included)
No other version known to exist
MUSICIANS
PEAK ON HOT 100 BILLBOARD :
Not released as a single
SHORT FILM
No short film
LIVE PERFORMANCES ON TV SHOWS
Never performed on TV
LIVE PERFORMANCES IN CONCERTS
The Jackson 5 performed the song live several times in 1968-1969, although no footage of those performance exist.
Jackson Dynasty 