Record executive, record producer, songwriter, film and television producer Berry Gordy III a. Born 28th November in Detroit in 1929, he is best known as the founder of the Motown record label and its subsidiaries. Motown became the most successful Black-owned music company in the United States. Through Motown, he developed the majority of the great rhythm and blues (R&B) performers of the 1960s and ’70s, including Diana Ross and the Supremes, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, The Marvelettes, Little Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, The Temptations and the Jackson Five. Gordy was said to have masterminded the popular “Motown sound,” a ballad-based blend of traditional Black harmony and Gospel music with the lively beat of R&B.

As a youngster Berry dropped out of North Eastern High School in the eleventh grade to become a professional boxer in hopes of becoming rich quickly. He boxed professionally until 1950, when he was drafted by the United States Army in 1951 for service in the Korean War. Arriving in Korea in May 1952, Berry was first assigned to the 58th Field Artillery Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division, near Panmunjom. He later became a chaplain's assistant, driving a jeep and playing the organ at religious services at the front.

After his return from Korea in 1953, he developed his interest in music by writing songs and opening the 3-D Record Mart, a record store featuring jazz music and 3-D glasses. The store was unsuccessful, so he sought work at the Lincoln-Mercury plant, but his family connections put him in touch with Al Green (no relation to the singer Reverend Al Green), owner of the Flame Show Bar Talent Club, where he met the singer Jackie Wilson.

In 1957, Wilson recorded "Reet Petite", a song Berry had co-written with his sister Gwen and writer-producer Billy Davis. It became a modest hit, but had more success internationally, especially in the UK, where it reached the Top 10 and even later topped the chart on re-issue in 1986. Wilson recorded six more songs co-written by Berry over the next two years, including "Lonely Teardrops", which topped the R&B charts and got to number 7 in the pop chart. The Gordy siblings and Davis also wrote "All I Could Do Was Cry" for Etta James at Chess Records.

Continuing as a songwriter, he composed or co-composed a number of hits including "That's Why" (Jackie Wilson), "Shop Around" (the Miracles), and "Do You Love Me" (the Contours), all of which topped the US R&B charts.

As part of the Corporation he wrote many hit songs for the Jackson 5 including "I Want You Back" and "ABC".

As a record producer, he launched the Miracles and signed acts like the Supremes, Marvin Gaye, the Temptations, the Four Tops, Gladys Knight & the Pips, and Stevie Wonder. He was known for carefully directing the public image, dress, manners, and choreography of his acts. By the time Gordy founded Motown, he was at the apex of Detroit’s Black music scene and had already discovered Smokey Robinson. During the early 1960s Motown produced a string of hits that included Martha and the Vandellas- Dancing in the Street and the Temptations’ “My Girl.” Also about this time Gordy developed the Supremes, Motown’s first superstar act. Powered by Diana Ross's sweet voice and quiet grace, the group went on to become one of the most successful female singing trios of all time.

In the early 1970s Gordy relocated the company to Hollywood and began producing films, including Lady sings the Blues(1972), featuring Ross in her film debut as Billie Holiday. By the mid-1980s the company boasted annual revenues in excess of $100 million, and Motown acts had recorded more than 50 number one hits on the Billboard pop singles chart. Facing increasing competition from large media conglomerates, however, Gordy sold the record company in 1988. He later wrote the book for Motown : the Musical which premiered on Broadway in 2013 and debuted in London's West End in 2016.

Berry was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. When he received the Songwriters Hall of Fame's Pioneer Award in 2013, he was the first living individual to receive the honour.

He was awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Barack Obama in 2016 and in 2022 inducted into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame.

Artist

Berry Gordy 111

Born:

28th November 1929

Artist Bio

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