9th October 1964: Berry Gordy Jnr, American songwriter (‘Reet Petite’), impresario and founder of the Tamla Mowtown record label, shows his camera to Mrs Edwards. (Photo by Victor Drees/Evening Standard/Getty Images)
There’s always an alternate universe in music history—the one where the biggest stars never got their shot. Mason dives into one of those close calls: a young singer named Earl Gay and his group, The Imaginations.
“The guy from Steel Town Records said, ‘I’ve got two groups. Both kids are the same age.’ First he played Michael. Then he played Earl Gay.”
Back in the early days of the Jackson 5’s rise, Steel Town Records in Gary, Indiana had lightning in a bottle—twice. They had Michael Jackson on one hand, and Earl Gay on the other. Both young. Both talented. Both fronting child groups with ambitious dreams. But the outcome would be drastically different.
Steel Town executives knew they had something special in both acts, but only one would go on to superstardom. Mason explains that when the Jackson 5 were first pitched to Motown, they weren’t alone.
“Motown heard both. They passed on Earl Gay. But it wasn’t because he wasn’t good—it’s because Michael was just… otherworldly.”
The Jacksons had the choreography, the energy, and most of all—Michael’s unmistakable charisma. Earl Gay was a powerhouse in his own right, but sometimes the stars align just once. And with Motown’s resources behind them, the Jackson 5 took off like a rocket.
Still, Mason makes sure to remind us that talent isn’t always the only factor. Timing, connections, and plain old luck play just as big a role.
“If you listen to old cuts from Earl Gay, you can hear it. The voice. The style. He had something. But you gotta have the machine, too.”
It’s a bittersweet story, and one that could’ve ended very differently if Tommy Chong hadn’t spotted the Jackson 5 onstage in Chicago. In the end, Michael became a global icon—and Earl Gay became a footnote.
“There’s always another kid out there with the voice. But it takes more than that. You need the moment. You need someone to fight for you. And sometimes… you just need the right person in the room.” in another world, it could’ve been Earl Gay on our cereal boxes.
