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Anna Records facts for kids

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Anna Records was a music company that didn't last very long. It was a very important step before the famous Motown record label started.

It was founded in 1959 by two sisters, Anna and Gwen Gordy, along with Roquel Billy Davis. Their company was in Detroit, Michigan. Before starting Anna Records, Gwen Gordy and Billy Davis had already written popular songs for stars like Jackie Wilson and Etta James.

Anna Records helped record many artists. These included David Ruffin, who later became a lead singer for the Temptations. Other artists were Joe Tex, Herman Griffin, and Johnny Bristol with his partner Jackey Beavers. They were the original duo who sang "Someday We'll Be Together" before The Supremes made it famous. Also, Lamont Dozier, who later wrote many hits for Motown, recorded there under the name Lamont Anthony. Anna Records even hired Marvin Gaye, who became a huge Motown star, as a drummer for their label.

Anna Records is most famous for releasing the first national hit song that led to Motown's success. This song was "Money (That's What I Want)", sung by Barrett Strong. It became very popular and reached number two on the R&B music charts in early 1960.

After this big hit, Anna Records wasn't as successful. In 1961, Anna Records and all its artists joined Motown. Motown was started by Gwen and Anna's brother, Berry Gordy. Marvin Gaye became a solo artist and signed with Motown's oldest label, Tamla. He also continued to play drums for recording sessions. David Ruffin later joined the Temptations. He had signed a separate contract with Motown's Gordy company just before joining Anna Records. David's brother, Jimmy, also recorded a few songs for Anna Records.

The company Chess Records helped distribute Anna Records' music across the country. Anna Records only released single songs, not full albums.

After Anna Records closed, Anna Gordy joined Motown's team of songwriters. Gwen later separated from Billy Davis. She then teamed up with singer Harvey Fuqua, and they got married. Together, Gwen and Harvey started two new record labels: Harvey Records and Tri-Phi Records. Both of these labels also joined Motown in 1963. Gwen and Harvey then became part of Motown's songwriting team. Billy Davis found success writing songs for Chess Records. This happened shortly after Etta James released "All I Could Do Was Cry", a song he helped write.

Singles Released by Anna Records

Anna Records released many single songs between 1959 and 1961. Some of the artists who released music on the label included:

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