Gordy family

Gordy
Ethnicity	African American
Current region	Detroit, Michigan
Information
Place of origin	United States
Notable members	Berry Gordy, Esther Gordy Edwards, Anna Gordy Gaye, Gwen Gordy Fuqua, Robert Gordy, Kerry Gordy. Rockwell, Rhonda Ross Kendrick, Denise Gordy, Bianca Lawson
Connected families	Fuller, Bristol, Brown, Bullock, Gaye, Lawson, Fuqua, Jackson, Kendrick
Estate	Motown Historical Museum

The Gordys are an African-American family of businesspeople and music industry executives born to Georgia-reared parents Berry "Pops" Gordy, Sr. and Bertha Fuller Gordy and raised in Detroit, where a majority of the siblings had a pivotal role in the international acceptance of rhythm and blues music to crossover phenomenon in the 1960s due to the creation of Motown Records, founded by the seventh-oldest member, brother Berry Gordy, Jr..^[1]

Family members

• Berry "Pops" Gordy, Sr. (father)
• Bertha Fuller Gordy (mother)
• Fuller Gordy (oldest, sibling #1)
• Esther Gordy (oldest, sibling #2)
• Anna Ruby Gordy (sibling #3)
• George Gordy (sibling #4)
• Loucye Gordy (sibling #5)
• Gwen Gordy (sibling #6)
• Berry Gordy, Jr. (sibling #7)
• Robert L. Gordy (sibling #8)

Businesspeople, musicians, recording artists and executives within the family

Berry and Bertha Gordy

As a couple, Berry and Bertha owned several businesses including establishing a successful painting business and construction business. Berry, Sr. (or Berry II) would establish a Booker T. Washington grocery store in Detroit while Bertha co-founded the Friendship Mutual Life Insurance Company. Later on, Berry II would serve as mentor for several of the recording acts for his son's Motown label. Berry II died in 1978. A tribute album in his memory and the single, "Pops We Love You", was released later that year. Bertha died in 1975.^{[2] [3]}

Fuller Berry Gordy

The eldest Gordy child, Fuller B. Gordy (Sep. 9, 1918 – Nov. 9, 1991) was an executive alongside his younger siblings in their brother Berry's Motown music company. Fuller was also a professional in bowling. His daughter Iris was married to singer Johnny Bristol.^[4]

Esther Gordy Edwards

The eldest Gordy daughter, Esther (April 25, 1920 – August 24, 2011) established herself early in business as a political campaigner for her husband, Detroit politician George Edwards during his runs in office. In the late 1950s, she formed a loan company named after her parents and helped her brother Berry with a $800 loan from their father's college tuition money for him to start Motown Records in 1959. Edwards later served as mentor, adviser, and vice president of Motown's main offices from 1961 until 1972 when Berry moved the entire operations to Los Angeles. In 1985, she founded the Motown Historical Museum, which is the site of the former Hitsville U.S.A. studios where many of Motown's successful recording artists recorded at. Esther died in 2011 at the age of 91.^[5]

Anna Gordy Gaye

Though she is often remembered more for her volatile marriage to Motown legend Marvin Gaye, Anna Gordy was one of Motown's earliest songwriters penning several hits mainly for her first and only husband. Anna was also part-founder of a self-named music label that would first nationally established Motown's records including Barrett Strong's "Money (That's What I Want)". In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Anna co-wrote The Originals' biggest hits, "Baby I'm For Real" and "The Bells" alongside Marvin and also co-wrote "God Is Love" and "Flying High (In the Friendly Sky)" on Marvin's famed What's Going On album. Despite an acrimonious divorce in 1977, Gordy remained friends with Gaye until his 1984 death, in which afterwards, Anna retreated into seclusion only coming out briefly to celebrate Marvin's music career attending ceremonies including Marvin's 1987 induction to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

George Gordy

George Gordy started several short businesses before joining his brother's Motown label in 1960 where he was a co-writer of several songs released by Motown artists. He just got his leg amutated for diabetes. He has a son named George Gordy, II also known as Royal.

Loucye Gordy

Another astute businesswoman, Loucye was named head of Jobete Music, Motown's main publishing division created by Berry. Loucye was head of the division until she suddenly died in 1965. After her death, her youngest brother Robert became the head of the publishing company. At the time of her death on July 24, 1965, she went by the name of Loucye S. Gordy Wakefield.^[6]

Gwen Gordy Fuqua

Another important member of Motown's growing success was Gwendolyn Gordy (November 26, 1927 – November 8, 1999). Gwen partnered with her brother Berry and then-boyfriend Billy Davis to co-pen several hits for Jackie Wilson in the mid-1950s. In 1959, Gwen, Billy and sister Anna formed Anna Records in Detroit. Anna would be the site where the hit song, "Money (That's What I Want)", then a regional single for Berry's Tamla Records, would get its first national distribution. Two years later, Anna was absorbed by Motown. In 1961, Gwen married The Moonglows' Harvey Fuqua and the two presided over the labels Harvey Records and Tri-Phi Records, the latter label included acts like The Spinners. By 1964, Gwen would join Motown's staff songwriting team later writing "Distant Lover" for her brother-in-law, Marvin Gaye, and later discovering the disco group High Inergy in 1976. Gwen died of cancer in 1999.^[7]

Berry Gordy

A former boxer and jazz record store owner, Berry Gordy first got involved with producing and writing R&B songs in 1955. One of Gordy's first successful works as a songwriter were as one-thirds of the songwriting team behind Jackie Wilson's first legion of solo hits including "Reet Petite", "To Be Loved" and "Lonely Teardrops". By 1959, Gordy, fed up with not being paid royalties for his work on Wilson and other acts, the musician decided to form a record label and convinced his sister Esther to loan him $800 from his father's tuition loan. Gordy formed Tamla Records in January 1959. The label didn't become national until later that year after the success of Barrett Strong's "Money (That's What I Want)" and the label changed its name to Motown Records in December. Its first national release was The Miracles' "Way Over There". After 1964, Motown became one of the most successful recording labels in the business and its sound, partially cultivated by Gordy, "The Motown Sound" began to dominate popular music and pop culture. Gordy soon developed Motown Industries in 1968 which developed television specials and variety shows. By 1973, Motown had produced more than 100 top ten and number-one singles on various Billboard charts and had become the most successful black business company ever. By founding Motown Records, Gordy became the first African-American owner of a major recording label. He retired from being president of Motown Records in 1973 and from Motown Industries in 1988 where he sold Motown's interest for $61 million to MCA Records and Boston Ventures. Gordy was inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for his musical achievements the same year he sold Motown.

Robert Gordy

Robert L. Gordy is probably best known for playing a cameo in the Diana Ross-starring vehicle, Lady Sings the Blues, playing a drug dealer named "Hawk". Also an early songwriter of several songs for the Motown label, Gordy recorded a novelty hit in 1958 under the stage name Bob Kayli with the song "Everyone Was There". He replaced Loucye Gordy as head of Jobete Music Publishing in 1965 after Loucye's death.

Music groups formed consisting of family members

Apollo

A quintet formed by Kerry Gordy and his friends. Also in this group was Kerry's half-brother Cliff Liles, a son by Raynoma Mayberry Liles and Charles Liles.

LMFAO

A duo consisting of Skyler Husten ("SkyBlu") Gordy (born August 23, 1986), grandson of Berry Gordy, Jr. and Thelma Coleman through their son Berry Gordy IV and his wife Valerie Robeson, and also Stefan Kendal ("Redfoo") Gordy (born September 3, 1975), son of Berry Gordy, Jr. and Nancy Leiviska.

Other family members

Kerry Gordy

Son of Berry Gordy, Jr. and his second wife, Raynoma Mayberry, was a member of the band Apollo, which released an album on Gordy Records in 1979. Later, he worked as a staff writer and producer at Motown under his given name, Kerry Ashby. He continues to work as an entertainment industry executive today.

Rockwell

Son of Berry Gordy, Jr. and former girlfriend Margaret Norton, Kennedy William Gordy changed his name to Rockwell in 1983 to become a rock star. The singer, who earned his deal with Motown without his father's knowledge, recorded his biggest hit, 1984's "Somebody's Watching Me", which included background vocals by Michael Jackson. The song rose to number-two on the Billboard Hot 100. Rockwell turned out to be a one-hit wonder and after two more albums, he retired from music in the late 1980s.

Rhonda Ross Kendrick

Daughter of Berry Gordy, Jr. and Diana Ross, Rhonda garnered fame as an actress, first in the daytime soap Another World for which she was nominated for a Daytime Emmy and later in films like The Temptations, where she played Temptations original member Paul Williams' wife. She later embarked on a jazz career, which continues today.

Denise Gordy

Daughter of George and Rosemary Gordy, sister of George ("Royal") Gordy, and mother of Marvin Gaye III and Bianca Lawson. Denise appeared in television and theatrical productions throughout the 1970s and 1980s.

Bianca Lawson

Daughter of Denise Gordy and Richard Lawson, Bianca, like her parents, achieved fame as an aspiring actress appearing in numerous television productions and theatrical releases.

Family ties

The Gordys have at a few times been connected to other famous musicians and other notables over the years, mainly through Berry Gordy either through marriage or relationships:

• Johnny Bristol: married to Berry Gordy's niece Iris Gordy^[8]
• Marvin Gaye: married sister Anna Gordy in 1962; divorced in 1977^[9]
• Richard Lawson: married briefly to Berry Gordy's niece Denise Gordy
• Harvey Fuqua: married sister Gwen Gordy in 1961; divorced in 1968^[10]
• Jermaine Jackson: married Berry Gordy's daughter Hazel Gordy in 1973; divorced in 1988
• Raynoma Mayberry Liles: married to Berry Gordy from 1960–1964
• Diana Ross: dated Berry Gordy between 1965 and 1970
• Rodney Kendrick: married to Berry Gordy and Diana Ross' daughter

Note

As there are many Gordy family members, only notable family members are included in this listing.

References

1. ^ Motown Records Kicks Off 50th Anniversary Celebration
2. ^ Berry Gordy, Sr. - Find A Grave
3. ^ Bertha Fuller Gordy - Find A Grave
4. ^ Fuller Gordy - Find A Grave
5. ^ Esther Gordy Edwards - Find A Grave
6. ^ Loucye Gordy Wakefield - Find A Grave
7. ^ Gwendolyn Gordy Fuqua - Find A Grave
8. ^ Johnny Bristol - Find A Grave
9. ^ Marvin Gaye, Jr. - Find A Grave
10. ^ Harvey Fuqua - Find A Grave

External links

• Official Classic Motown website

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