The Jackson 5 and Johnny - Lonely Heart (Original)

Pre-Motown recording by the Jackson 5, first heard in 1989, when it was included on the album, BEGINNING YEARS 1967-1968.

Believed to originate from a demo tape recorded in the living room of 2300 Jackson Street or Tito’s music teacher Shirley Cartman, which Cartman planned to pass on to Gordon Keith, founder and owner of
Steel-Town Records – however, instead Keith accepted an invitation to hear the Jackson 5 play, and signed them soon after.

Cartman, after moving to Atlanta, had the demo tape transferred to more durable audiotape to preserve the recordings – it appears someone at the taping facility made an illegal copy of the tape, which led to its eventual release without Cartman’s knowledge or permission.

Despite crediting Gordon Keith as song-writer, Cartman has confirmed she wrote Lonely Heart, as she felt the songs the Jackson 5 were performing at the time were a little too mature for them.