Berry Gordy facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Berry Gordy
Gordy in 1998
Background information
Birth name	Berry Gordy III
Also known as	Berry Gordy Jr.
Born	(1929-11-28) November 28, 1929 (age 95) Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Genres	R&B soul pop rock and roll doo-wop
Occupation(s)	Record executive record producer songwriter film producer television producer
Years active	1953–2019
Labels	Motown

Berry Gordy III (born November 28, 1929), also known as Berry Gordy Jr., is an American retired music executive, producer, and songwriter. He is most famous for starting the Motown record label. For many years, Motown was the most successful African-American-owned business in the United States.

As a songwriter, Gordy helped create many hit songs. These include "Lonely Teardrops" and "That's Why" for Jackie Wilson, and "Shop Around" for the Miracles. He also co-wrote "I Want You Back" and "ABC" for the Jackson 5. As a producer, he helped launch the careers of huge stars like the Supremes, Marvin Gaye, the Temptations, and Stevie Wonder. He was known for carefully guiding how his artists looked and acted in public.

Berry Gordy has received many honors. He was added to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. In 2016, President Barack Obama gave him the National Medal of Arts. He also received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2021.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Berry Gordy III was born on November 28, 1929, in Detroit, Michigan. He was the seventh of eight children in his family. His parents, Berry Gordy II and Bertha Fuller Gordy, moved to Detroit from Georgia in 1922. They were looking for better job opportunities.

Berry's grandfather, Berry Gordy I, was related to former US President Jimmy Carter. Berry's father owned a grocery store and other businesses. While his older brothers worked in the family businesses, Berry was more interested in music and dancing. He also loved boxing.

From Boxing to Songwriting

Gordy left high school in the eleventh grade to become a professional boxer. He hoped to get rich quickly. He boxed until 1950, when he joined the United States Army. He served in the Korean War from 1951 to 1953. After the war, he earned his high school diploma.

In 1953, Berry Gordy opened a record store called 3-D Record Mart. It sold jazz music and 3-D glasses. The store did not do well. Later, he met singer Jackie Wilson at a club.

In 1957, Gordy co-wrote the song "Reet Petite" for Jackie Wilson. It became a hit, especially in the UK. Over the next two years, Wilson recorded six more songs co-written by Gordy. One of these was "Lonely Teardrops", which became a top R&B hit.

Starting Motown Records

Berry Gordy used the money he earned from songwriting to start his own music production company. In 1957, he discovered a group called the Miracles. He started working with them and other talented artists.

In 1959, with encouragement from Smokey Robinson of the Miracles, Gordy borrowed $800 from his family. He wanted to start an R&B record company. He first named it Tamla Records. The company officially started on January 12, 1959.

First Hits and Growth

The first song released on Tamla was "Come to Me" by Marv Johnson. Soon after, Gordy released "Bad Girl" by the Miracles. This was the first song released on the Motown record label.

Barrett Strong's "Money (That's What I Want)" was another early hit. But it was the Miracles who gave the label its first million-selling song with "Shop Around" in 1960. This song, and others like "You've Really Got a Hold on Me", made the Miracles the first big stars for the label.

Berry Gordy's house, also known as the Motown mansion, in Detroit.

On April 14, 1960, the Tamla and Motown labels officially became the Motown Record Corporation. In 1960, Gordy signed Mary Wells, who became another early star for Motown. Her hits included "My Guy". "Shop Around" reached No. 1 on the R&B charts and No. 2 on the pop charts in early 1961. This showed everyone that Motown was a serious music company. Later in 1961, the Marvelettes' "Please Mr. Postman" became a No. 1 hit on both charts.

Gordy was very good at finding and developing musical talent. He also carefully managed how his artists looked and acted. This helped Motown become a huge success across the country and then around the world. Over the next ten years, he signed famous artists like the Supremes, Marvin Gaye, the Temptations, the Four Tops, Gladys Knight & the Pips, and Stevie Wonder. While he mainly promoted African-American artists, he made sure their image appealed to everyone.

Moving to Los Angeles

In 1972, Berry Gordy moved Motown to Los Angeles. There, he started producing movies. He produced the successful film Lady Sings the Blues in 1972. It was about singer Billie Holiday and starred Diana Ross. He also produced and directed Mahogany in 1975, also starring Diana Ross. In 1985, he produced the martial arts movie The Last Dragon.

Even though Motown continued to have hits in the 1970s and 1980s with artists like the Jackson 5, Lionel Richie, and Rick James, it wasn't as powerful as it used to be. In 1988, Gordy sold Motown Records for $61 million. He later sold most of his music publishing company, Jobete.

Gordy wrote a book about his life called To Be Loved in 1994.

Awards and Honors

Berry Gordy with John Legend, Smokey Robinson, and First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House in 2011.

Berry Gordy has received many important awards:

• In 1988, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
• In 1998, he joined the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame.
• In 2013, he received the Pioneer Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He was the first living person to get this award.
• In 2016, President Obama gave him the National Medal of Arts. This award recognized his role in creating a new sound in American music and launching many legendary artists.
• In 2021, he received the Kennedy Center Honors.
• In 2022, he was inducted into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame.
• Also in 2022, he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Michigan.

A street intersection in Los Angeles, where the Motown office used to be, was named Berry Gordy Square.

About Motown Artists

Berry Gordy often spoke highly of the artists he worked with.

• After Marvin Gaye's funeral in 1984, Gordy called him "the greatest of his time."
• In 2009, Gordy honored the Miracles when they received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He said, "Without the Miracles, Motown would not be the Motown it is today."
• At Michael Jackson's memorial service in 2009, Gordy called him "the greatest entertainer that ever lived."

Motown: The Musical

In 2011, Berry Gordy announced he was creating a Broadway musical about Motown. The show tells the story of how the record label was created in the 1960s. Gordy hoped the musical would help people better understand Motown's history.

Motown: The Musical opened on Broadway in April 2013. It later opened in London's West End in January 2016, with Berry Gordy attending the opening night.

Personal Life

Berry Gordy celebrating his daughter Hazel Joy's birthday (1971)

Berry Gordy has been married and divorced three times. He has eight children with six different women. His music publishing company, Jobete, was named after his three oldest children: Joy, Berry, and Terry.

His children include:

• Hazel Joy Gordy (born 1954), who was married to Jermaine Jackson.
• Berry Gordy IV (born 1955).
• Terry James Gordy (born 1956).
• Kerry Gordy (born 1959).
• Sherry Gordy (born 1963).
• Kennedy William Gordy (born 1964), who became the Motown musician Rockwell.
• Rhonda Suzanne (born 1971), whose mother is Motown artist Diana Ross.

Film and Broadway Work

Films Produced and Directed

Broadway Shows

See also

• Album era
• List of songs written by Berry Gordy