Steeltown Records was an American record company in Gary, Indiana. The company was founded in 1966 by William Adams and co-owned with Ben Brown (deceased), Maurice Rodgers, Willie Spencer (deceased), and Lou "Ludie" D. Washington (deceased). The record company was mostly active from 1966 to 1972. Steeltown gave the Jackson 5 their start in the music industry. The Jackson 5's first record was released on the Steeltown label in early 1968, before Motown signed the group in 1969.