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Motown.
| Motown Records | |
|---|---|
| Official website | www.motownrecords.com |
What happened to Berry Gordy of Motown?
Berry Gordy Jr., the former Detroit auto worker who built Motown Records into what was once the nation’s largest black-owned business, has sold the company for $61 million to MCA Inc. and Boston Ventures Limited Partnership, the companies announced Tuesday.
How old is Berry Gordy now?
Berry Gordy IV (born October 1955), father to Skyler Austen Gordy. Terry James Gordy (born August 1956). In the spring of 1960 he married Raynoma Mayberry Liles (they were divorced in 1964).
What does new Motown boss Greg Gordy do with the music business?
Gordy will retain Motown’s lucrative music publishing division, including the highly profitable Jobete Music Co., and Motown’s film and television production company, which produced such specials as a 25th anniversary Motown program in 1983.
How much did Gordy Gordy Jr sell his company for?
The Los Angeles Times reports that the company's price was $61 million. Gordy Jr. officially retired in 2019 at the age of 89, a move he told the Los Angeles Times that he'd "dreamed about it, talked about it, threatened it" for a long time.
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Is Motown still black-owned?
Motown, in full Motown Record Corporation, also called Hitsville, recording company founded by Berry Gordy, Jr., in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., in January 1959 that became one of the most successful Black-owned businesses and one of the most influential independent record companies in American history.
Who currently owns Motown?
Motown Records, the company that introduced some of popular music's biggest stars, including Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder, has been sold to MCA Inc. and an investment banking firm for $61 million, it was announced today.
Who owns Motown masters?
Both companies are owned by Mr. Gordy and his sister Esther Edwards. Executives said that EMI Music expected the Motown song catalogue to contribute $9 million in profit in its first year.
What does Berry Gordy do now?
Although Gordy sold the record label in 1988 and later parceled off its song-publishing arm, the 89-year-old has remained very much in the business of Motown. In recent years, his creative pursuits have included a Broadway musical and a Showtime documentary about the company.
How much is Motown worth today?
Motown was the most successful soul music label, with a net worth of $61 million....Motown.Motown RecordsParent companyUniversal Music GroupFoundedJune 7, 1958FounderBerry Gordy6 more rows
Where is Motown now?
Directions. Motown Museum is located on West Grand Boulevard in Detroit—east of Rosa Parks Boulevard and west of Woodward Ave.
Does Beyoncé own her masters?
Beyoncé doesn't own her masters Columbia records does, do your research.
Does Diana Ross own Motown?
The singer Diana Ross has become a part owner of Motown Records and has agreed to resume recording for the label she helped propel to popularity in the 1960's.
Does Rihanna own her masters?
Rihanna. The “Love on the Brain” singer acquired the masters of all of her previous albums after finishing her Def Jam contract and creating her Westbury Road Entertainment imprint on Universal's Roc Nation label, according to Vogue.
Who owns Motown Museum?
Esther Gordy EdwardsEsther Gordy Edwards is the founder of Motown Museum and a former Motown Records' senior vice president and corporate secretary. The last thing on Mrs.
Why did Motown stop?
Insiders blame Motown's decline on a variety of factors. The one cited most often is that Motown failed to come up with new stars to replace those who moved on to other labels or passed their prime. “If you're not breeding and developing new artists, you're going to have problems,” said Arista's Anderson.
When did Motown end?
When Motown Records shut down its operations in Detroit at the end of June, 1972, it was a shock – or at least it seems so, in retrospect.
Who is Berry Gordy Jr?
Berry Gordy III (born November 28, 1929), known professionally as Berry Gordy Jr., is an American record executive, record producer, songwriter, film producer and television producer. He is best known as the founder of the Motown record label and its subsidiaries, which was the highest-earning African-American ...
What was Gordy Berry's third release?
The record did not sell well and is now one of the rarest issues from the Motown stable. Berry's third release was " Bad Girl " by the Miracles, the first release on the Motown record label.
How much did Gordy sell his records to?
Gordy sold his interests in Motown Records to MCA and Boston Ventures on June 28, 1988, for $61 million. He later sold most of his interests in Jobete publishing to EMI Publishing. Gordy wrote or co-wrote 240 of the approximately 15,000 songs in Motown's Jobete music catalogue.
What is Gordy known for?
He was known for carefully directing the public image, dress, manners, and choreography of his acts. 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 .
Where is Berry Gordy House?
Berry Gordy House, known as the Motown mansion, in Detroit's Boston-Edison Historic District. Gordy's gift for identifying and bringing together musical talent, along with the careful management of his artists' public image, made Motown a major national and then international success.
How many children does Gordy have?
Gordy, who was married and divorced three times, has eight children: His publishing company, Jobete, was named after his three eldest children: Jo y, Be rry and Te rry. He had three children with his first wife, Thelma Coleman, whom he married in 1953 (they were divorced in 1959):
What did Gordy's father do?
Gordy's father opened a grocery store, owned a plastering and carpentry business, and a printing shop. While his brothers Fuller and George were happy to work at jobs their father assigned to them in construction and printing, Berry and Robert, the younger boys, were less inclined to follow that path.
Where did Berry Gordy Jr. move to?
Berry Gordy Jr.'s lasting legacy. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images. Shortly after the loss of Holland-Dozier-Holland, Gordy Jr. relocated to Los Angeles and, as Time put it, became "distracted by Hollywood.". Gordy Jr. sold Motown to MCA records in 1988, where it continued to move, according to Encyclopedia Britannica, ...
What was Gordy Jr.'s first venture?
Spurred on by their success, but still wanting more, Gordy Jr. accepted an $800 loan from his family and, in 1959, began a new venture, Motown (a combination of "Motortown," one of Detroit's nicknames). Here, Gordy Jr. hoped to take the most efficient parts of the auto industry and apply them to musical talent.
What did Gordy Jr. believe?
According to the Motown Museum, Gordy Jr. believed his process could transform a random kid off the corner and turn him into "a polished performer.". Over the next eight years, Motown would rule the charts thanks to Gordy Jr.'s skills at writing and producing, combined with an eye for talent.
Why did Gordy Jr. drop out of high school?
Gordy Jr. dropped out of high school to pursue his dream of becoming a professional boxer, and he had a pretty good record, too, as BoxRec reveals, but the Korean War draft interrupted that dream. After a return from Korea (where he'd earned his GED), Gordy, Jr. married and found work at the Lincoln-Mercury plant.
Where was Gordy Jr. born?
Gordy Jr. was born in the Motor City in 1929 and his beginnings are a classic Great Migration experience. Born the seventh of eight children, Gordy Jr,'s father moved the family from Georgia to Detroit before Gordy Jr. was born, likely drawn there by jobs in the booming auto industry.
Who is the founder of Motown?
The Untold Truth Of Motown Founder Berry Gordy Jr. Today, the word "Motown" is so ingrained in our culture, it's easy to forget it hasn't always been a way to casually refer to Detroit or to describe a kind of infectious pop-soul music. In fact, Motown Records as we know it has only been around since 1960, but its influence is mighty.
Who is the singer who wrote Motown?
Motown is born. Writing for and recording songs with Wilson gave Gordy Jr. the foothold he'd needed in the music industry. Biography tells us that some of their initial collaborations, like "Reet Petite" and "Lonely Teardrops," still score radio airtime.
Who is Berry Gordy?
At the ripe old age of 89, Berry Gordy, who built Motown Records into a multimedia empire in the 1960s and 1970s, has announced his retirement. “I have come full circle,” he said onstage during Motown’s 60th anniversary program at Orchestra Hall in Detroit, where he founded and built the label with members of his family and many artists ...
Where did Gordy work?
Inspired by the assembly-line work of Detroit’s auto industry, where Gordy worked during his youth, he and Motown’s artists and staff cranked out hit after hit from the basement studio he’d built in Motown’s headquarters in a house on West Grand Boulevard.
Who is the founder of Motown Records?
Motown Founder Berry Gordy to Retire. At the ripe old age of 89, Berry Gordy, who built Motown Records into a multimedia empire in the 1960s and 1970s, has announced his retirement. “I have come full circle,” he said onstage during Motown’s 60th anniversary program at Orchestra Hall in Detroit, where he founded and built the label with members ...
Hazel Joy Gordy
Berry’s eldest daughter Hazel married Jackson 5 singer Jermaine Jackson in 1973. The pair had three children together: Jay Jackson Jr., born January 1977, Autumn Joy Jackson, born July 1978 and Jaimy Jermaine Jackson, born March 1987. The couple were divorced in 1988.
Berry Gordy IV
The eldest Gordy son shares a moniker with his famous father. Berry IV is the father of Skylar Austen Gordy, better known by his stage name, Sky Blu. The rapper makes up one half of the music duo LMFAO along with his half-uncle Redfoo.
Terry James Gordy
Not much is known about Terry and whether or not he decided to pursue an entertainment career like his famous father and some of his siblings.
Kerry Gordy
Kerry is by far, one of the most famous Gordy children. He ventured into the music business, becoming the CEO of Kerry Gordy & Associates, Inc. The company is responsible for helping popular artists with brand deals and royalty payouts. The music mogul spent a lot of time around his father growing up, working in the mailroom at Motown.
Sherry Gordy
Sherry was raised in Southern California and studied business at UCLA while also taking acting classes. Eventually, she decided to get her real estate license and started her own brokerage. In between her career as a realtor, she was inspired by her father to start her own charity in 2004.
Rhonda Ross
Rhonda, Diana’s eldest child, portrayed Toni Burrell on Another World from 1997 to 1999. Her mother was married to her first husband, Ron Silberstein, when she was born. She was told Berry was her father at the age of 13. The Emmy nominee opened up about learning about her biological father in a May 2015 interview with the New York Post .
Overview
Motown Record Corporation
Gordy reinvested the profits from his songwriting success into producing. In 1957, he discovered the Miracles (originally known as the Matadors) and began building a portfolio of successful artists. In 1959, with the encouragement of Miracles leader Smokey Robinson, Gordy borrowed $800 from his family to create an R&B record company. Originally, Gordy wanted to name the new labe…
Early years
Berry Gordy III (also known as Berry Gordy Jr.) was the seventh of eight children (Fuller, Esther, Anna, Loucye, George, Gwen, Berry and Robert), born on November 28, 1929, in Detroit, to the middle-class family of Berry Gordy II (also known as Berry Gordy Sr.), who had relocated to Detroit from Oconee in Washington County, Georgia, in 1922. His grandfather, named Berry Gordy I, was the son of James Gordy, a white plantation owner in Georgia, and a woman he enslaved. His hal…
Relocation to Los Angeles
In 1972, Gordy relocated to Los Angeles, where he produced the commercially successful biographical drama film on Billie Holiday, Lady Sings the Blues, starring Diana Ross (who was nominated for an Academy Award), Richard Pryor, and Billy Dee Williams (cast in a role originally for Levi Stubbs of the Four Tops). Initially the studio, over Gordy's objections, rejected Williams after several screen tests. However, Gordy, known for his tenacity, eventually prevailed, and the film e…
Awards and accolades
Gordy was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. He was inducted into the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame in 1998 and the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame in 2009.
When Gordy received the Songwriters Hall of Fame's Pioneer Award on June 13, 2013, he was the first living individual to receive the honor.
Statements about Motown artists
Following the funeral of Marvin Gaye on April 5, 1984, Gordy declared Gaye "the greatest of his time." Berry said the singer "had no musical equals," while also discussing how he carried on the legacy of other soul singers who tackled a range of themes, from love to civil rights, such as Billie Holiday.
On March 20, 2009, Gordy was in Hollywood to pay tribute to his first group and first million-selli…
Motown: The Musical
On May 15, 2011, it was announced that Gordy was developing a Broadway musical about Motown. The show is said to be an account of events of the 1960s and how they shaped the creation of the label. Gordy hoped that the musical would improve the reputation of Motown Records and clear up any misconceptions regarding the label's demise.
Motown: The Musical began previews at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on March 11, 2013, and bega…
Personal life
Gordy, who was married and divorced three times, has eight children: His publishing company, Jobete, was named after his three eldest children: Joy, Berry and Terry.
He had three children with his first wife, Thelma Coleman, whom he married in 1953 (they were divorced in 1959):
• Hazel Joy Gordy (born August 24, 1954), was once married to Jermaine Jackson.