Berry and Bertha Gordy As a couple, Berry and Bertha owned several businesses, including a successful painting business that they established, and a construction firm. Berry Sr. (or Berry II) established a
Booker T. Washington grocery store in Detroit, while Bertha co-founded the Friendship Mutual Life Insurance Company. Later, Berry Sr. mentored several recording acts for his son's
Motown label. Bertha died in 1975. Berry II died in 1978. A tribute album,
"Pops We Love You"...The Album, and single, called "
Pops, We Love You," were released later that year in his memory.
Fuller Berry Gordy The eldest Gordy child, Fuller B. Gordy (September 9, 1918 – November 9, 1991), born in Georgia, 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.
Esther Gordy Edwards The eldest Gordy daughter,
Esther (April 25, 1920 – August 24, 2011), born in Georgia, established herself early in business as a political campaigner for her husband, Detroit politician George Edwards. She was in charge of the family's savings fund which they called the "Ber-Berry" Co-op (a combination of the parents names "Bertha" and "Berry"). In 1959, her brother Berry wanted to borrow $1000 from the family savings fund to start a record company. Esther was skeptical, but ultimately Berry did get an $800 loan to start
Tamla Records. Esther Gordy Edwards served as head of the art department and was the head of the artist management arm at Motown during the 1960s. Edwards also served as mentor, adviser, and vice president of Motown's main offices from 1961 until 1972, when Berry moved the entire operation to
Los Angeles. In 1985, she founded the Motown Historical Museum at the site of the former
Hitsville U.S.A. studios, where many of Motown's successful recording artists recorded. Esther died in 2011 at the age of 91.
Anna Gordy Gaye Though she is often remembered more for her volatile marriage to Motown legend
Marvin Gaye,
Anna Ruby Gordy (January 28, 1922 – January 31, 2014), the third and last child born in Georgia prior to the family's move to Detroit, was one of Motown's earliest songwriters, penning several hits mainly for her first (and only) husband. Anna also co-founded a self-named music label (
Anna Records) that would establish Motown's records nationally, such as
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. She 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, after which Anna retreated into seclusion, only coming out briefly to celebrate Marvin's music career by attending ceremonies, including Marvin's 1987 induction to the
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Anna died in 2014 at the age of 92.
Loucye Gordy Wakefield Another astute businesswoman, Loucye (1924 – July 24, 1965) was named head of
Jobete Music, Motown's main publishing division created by Berry. Loucye headed the division until her sudden death from brain cancer in 1965. Her youngest brother Robert succeeded her as the publishing company's head. At the time of her death on July 24, 1965, she went by the name Loucye S. Gordy Wakefield.
George Gordy George Weldon Gordy Sr. (January 7, 1926 – July 27, 2011) 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 and produced some sessions by
The Spinners. By his wife Rosemary (who died in 1980), he had six sons and two daughters. He died in his sleep at the age of 85.
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 Records 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 represented acts such as
The Spinners. By 1964, Gwen joined Motown's staff songwriting team, later writing "
Distant Lover" for her brother-in-law, Marvin Gaye, and discovering the disco group
High Inergy in 1976. Gwen died of cancer in 1999 at the age of 72.
Berry Gordy A former boxer and jazz record store owner,
Berry Gordy, Jr. (born November 28, 1929) first got involved with producing and writing
R&B songs in 1955. Amongst Gordy's earliest songwriting successes were songs he penned as one-third 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 with Wilson and other acts, decided to form a record label. He convinced his sister Esther to lend him $800 from the tuition fund his father had established for him and formed Tamla Records in January of that year. 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 "The Motown Sound", partially cultivated by Gordy, 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; he sold Motown's interest for $61 million to
MCA Records and Boston Ventures. Gordy retained Motown's music publishing division, including Jobete Music Co., and Motown's film and television production company, Gordy was inducted to the
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for his musical achievements the same year he sold Motown. In September 2019, 2 months before his 90th birthday, Gordy announced his retirement during the Motown 60th anniversary program in Detroit.
Robert Gordy Robert Louis Gordy (born July 15, 1931 – October 21, 2022) is 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 1958 novelty hit, titled "Everyone Was There", under the stage name Bob Kayli. He replaced Loucye Gordy as head of Jobete Music Publishing in 1965 after Loucye's death. Gordy is the father of Robert Louis Gordy Jr. He died on October 21, 2022, at the age of 91. ==Music groups formed consisting of family members==