~
photographer unknown
Today is the birthday of Berry Gordy III, born on November 28, 1929, and known professionally as Berry Gordy, Jr.
He is best known as the founder of
Motown records.
As a songwriter, he composed some of my favorite tunes, Lonely Teardrops and Reet Petite both recorded by Jackie Wilson; ABC sung by The Jackson 5, and on and on.
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 controlling the public image, dress, manners, and choreography of his acts. He
insisted that his stars learn their trade as entertainers with mentors
such as Maurice King, who taught them the rudiments of music theory, Cholly Atkins (choreography) and Maxine Powell (deportment).
By
the middle of the 1960s, Scott began turning increasingly away from
recording and performing to focus on writing and inventing with his
remaining years spent solely on electronic composition. One of his
innovations was an early programmable polyphonic sequencer
and in 1971 tapped Raymond Scott to head the label's electronic music research and development team.
And incredibly, he built up the whole thing with an eight hundred dollar loan. Now, I call that remarkable!
Gordy received the Songwriters Hall of Fame's Pioneer Award on June 13, 2013, he was the first living individual to receive the honor.
In 1988, Gordy was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2016, he was awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Barack Obama.
Gordy spoke at the memorial service for Michael Jackson
in Los Angeles on July 7, 2009. He suggested that "The King of Pop" was
perhaps not the best description for Jackson in light of his
achievements, referring to him instead as "the greatest entertainer that
ever ."
On Sunday, September 22, 2019, during a celebration to mark Motown label’s 60th anniversary at Orchestra Hall in Detroit, Berry Gordy announced that after 60 decades in the music business he would be retiring (link below).
photographer unknown
Viewfinder links:
Net links:
Detroit Free Press ~ Berry Gordy announces retirement after 60 decades
History of Rock ~ Berry Gordy's Motown Records
Motown Museum ~ Berry Gordy
Nostalgia Central ~ Berry Gordy, Jr.
Rolling Stone ~ How Berry Gordy Created the Motown Label
YouTube links:
Berry Gordy (interview)
Mastermind of Motown (10 mins., 24 secs.)
To Tell the Truth ~ The Supremes and Berry Gordy (1965)
"I'm a songwriter, that's what I love."
~ Berry Gordy
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