Kerry Gordy facts for kids

Kerry Ashby Gordy was born on June 25, 1959. He is a successful music executive. Kerry is the fourth oldest child of Berry Gordy, who started the famous Motown Records. Today, Kerry is the CEO of several companies, including Kerry Gordy & Associates, Inc. LLC, KGIP Inc., and NuVintage, LLC. These companies focus on managing music rights and brands in the entertainment world.

Growing Up in Music

Kerry Gordy was born in Detroit, Michigan. His mother, Raynoma Mayberry, was a very talented musician. She played eleven instruments and helped create the early music arrangements for Motown. Kerry's father, Berry Gordy, founded Motown Records in the same year Kerry was born.

Kerry lived with his mother until he was 13. After that, he moved to live full-time with his father. In 1972, Kerry moved to Los Angeles, California, with his father. There, he became one of his father's special students, along with his good friend and business partner, Benny Medina.

Kerry and Benny met while attending Beverly Hills High School. They worked together to write, arrange, and produce music for Motown. They also started a teen band called Apollo. The singer Teena Marie was originally the lead female singer for the band. However, she left before Apollo released their first song, "Astro Disco," in 1979.

In the early 1980s, Kerry acted in various commercials, TV shows, and movies. He used the name Kerry Ashby for these roles. In 1990, he was a judge for the Miss USA Pageant.

Starting a Music Career

Kerry Gordy's career in music began in 1973. He started by working in the mailroom at Motown Records. In his early years, he held many different jobs, both administrative and creative. To show that he could succeed on his own, Kerry used the name Kerry Ashby professionally, instead of his family name.

In 1984, Kerry worked as an A&R (Artists and Repertoire) representative for Motown. He played a key role in signing Rockwell's song "Somebody's Watching Me." This song became a big hit for Motown and was Kerry's first major success. After this, he was promoted to Director of A&R. In this role, he worked with many famous artists who sold millions of records, such as The Temptations, the Four Tops, Rick James, and Billy Preston. He also helped create compilation albums for Diana Ross and Michael Jackson.

Later, Kerry became a senior executive at The Gordy Company, which was his father's company after Motown was sold in 1988. He was in charge of business, finding new artists, developing products, and managing staff.

Between 1991 and 1993, Kerry advised Bellmark Records, an independent music label. This led to $26 million in sales and produced a huge international hit, "Whoomp! (There It Is)" by the group Tag Team.

In 1993, Kerry became the vice president of two divisions at Paisley Park Records. This company was a partnership between Time-Warner and Prince. That same year, Kerry produced and helped write George Clinton's hit song "Paint the White House Black." He worked with famous artists like Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Public Enemy, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers on this project. The next year, he helped Prince's N.P.G. label partner with Bellmark Records. This partnership resulted in the hit song "The Most Beautiful Girl In The World."

Kerry also served as vice president of A&R for Warner Bros. Records' Black Music Division. In 1995, the R.I.A.A. (Recording Industry Association of America) gave him gold records. These awards were for his work on Zapp and Roger's All the Greatest Hits and Prince's Come Album. He also produced Belize's "I’m Looking Out For You," which became the theme song for the TV show Real Stories of the Highway Patrol. From 1996 until his death in 2004, Kerry managed Rick James. During this time, Rick James sold over $25 million in records and earned more than $40 million from concerts.

Music Rights and Other Projects

In 1997, Kerry Gordy helped arrange a deal with Interscope Records' partner, B-Rite Records. The first music released from this deal, by Gospel Gangstaz, was very successful. It reached number three on Billboard's Gospel album chart and was nominated for a Grammy Award. Between 1998 and 2001, Kerry received many Gold, Platinum, Double Platinum, and Triple Platinum sales awards from the R.I.A.A. These awards were for his work on songs by Rick James, Salt n Pepa's Brand New Project, Erykah Badu's Live Project, and Mary J. Blige's Share my World and My Life projects. He has over 40 Gold, Platinum, and Diamond awards in total.

In 2003, Kerry signed a deal with Clear Channel Entertainment to produce his company's first play, “Hear No Evil.” He also signed a worldwide deal with the William Morris Agency to represent him in this area.

In 2004, Kerry co-founded Siebers Style with Debbie Siebers. Debbie had a deal with BEACHBODY to sell her “Debbie Siebers Slim in 6” weight loss program. This program earned over $250 million for Beach Body. Debbie later became the fitness expert on the reality TV show The Swan on Fox TV. Kerry also helped Debbie get two book deals with Silverback Publishing for her books Energy Boost and Nutritional Makeover.

In 2007, Kerry founded Kerry Gordy Enterprises, LLC. This company focuses on managing intellectual property and brands in entertainment. He also completed a large publishing deal for his long-time client and friend, Bruce Fisher. Bruce Fisher wrote several number one hits, including the famous song "You Are So Beautiful."

In recent years, Kerry has made a deal to produce The Last Dragon for Sony Pictures with John Davis. John Davis has produced over 90 movies that have earned more than $4.8 billion worldwide. Kerry also partnered with entertainment leader Ted Field and Radar Pictures for a joint project involving intellectual property.

Kerry Gordy has also worked with Stevie Wonder and the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC. They raised $1 million to help fund school programs and cover rising costs. Because of Kerry's efforts, other famous musicians like Sting, Paul Simon, Aretha Franklin, Smokey Robinson, and Patti LaBelle also helped. Their efforts raised over $100 million, which allowed the Duke Ellington school to build a new, modern campus.

Through his work in Copyright Recapture as CEO of Kerry Gordy & Associates, Inc., Kerry has become known as "Robin Hood." He works with artists like Smokey Robinson, Valerie Simpson, the Rick James Estate, and writer/producer Teddy Riley. Teddy Riley has produced music for Michael Jackson and Lady Gaga. Kerry has helped increase royalty payments and secure intellectual property deals worth over $80 million. Some of the well-known songs he has helped monetize include "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", "Please Mr. Postman", "Just My Imagination", "Shop round", "Ain't Too Proud to Beg", "Tracks of My Tears", "I'm Every Woman", "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", "War", "Super Freak", "You Are So Beautiful", and "Somebody's Watching Me".

Kerry Gordy is represented by Geneva Bray of GVA Talent Agency. He has been a guest speaker at universities like UCLA, USC, and Duke University. He was also a main speaker at the Harvard Business School. Through a partnership with Yellow Brick Music, Co., Kerry has teamed up with the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at NYU. They provide 100 scholarships for students who might not otherwise be able to afford college.

Kerry also writes for news organizations like CNN. He has appeared as himself on the TV series Little Women LA, Inside Edition, and Access Hollywood as a music industry expert. He has also been featured in Forbes Magazine, where he shares his ideas on brand marketing.

In 2021, Dakia Global/Dakia Universal announced a joint project with Gordy, IP, to form Dakia-Gordy, IP. Kerry was also featured in Steven Samblis' self-help book, 100 Habits from the worlds Happiest Achievers. In the book, he talks about his personal beliefs on life, business, and achieving happiness.

Family Life

Kerry Gordy is the fourth oldest child of Berry Gordy. His half-siblings from his father's side are:

• Hazel Joy Gordy
• Berry Gordy IV
• Terry James Gordy
• Sherry Gordy
• Kennedy William Gordy
• Rhonda Suzanne Gordy

Kerry Gordy has one daughter named Juliet Gordy.