Biography - Berry Gordy

Last Modified: 8th Aug, 2023
Name
Berry Gordy
Best Known For
Motown (record label)
Net Worth
$400.00M Under Review
Salary:
$ Under Review
Social Media Presence
Personal Detail
Birth Name / Full Name
Berry Gordy III N/A
Born on
November 28, 1929 (age 94)
N/A
Horoscope
N/A
Nationality
Relationship
Gender
Male N/A
Sexual Orientation
Marital Status
Married Date
,
N/A
Siblings
8
Children
8
Relations
Berry Gordy Sr.
Father
Berry Gordy Sr.
Father
James Gordy
Half-brother
James Gordy
Half-brother
Loucye Gordy Wakefield
Sister
Loucye Gordy Wakefield
Sister
Esther Gordy Edwards
Sister
Esther Gordy Edwards
Sister
Gewn Gordy Fuqua
Sister
Gewn Gordy Fuqua
Sister
Anna Gordy Gaye
Sister
Anna Gordy Gaye
Sister
Bertha Fuller Gordy
Mother
Bertha Fuller Gordy
Mother
Thelma Coleman
1953 to 1959
Ex-wife
Thelma Coleman
1953 to 1959
Ex-wife
Raynoma Mayberry Liles
1960 to 1964
Ex-wife
Raynoma Mayberry Liles
1960 to 1964
Ex-wife
Grace Eaton
1990 to 1993
Ex-wife
Grace Eaton
1990 to 1993
Ex-wife
Margaret Norton
Ex-girlfriend
Margaret Norton
Ex-girlfriend
Jeana Jackson
Ex-girlfriend
Jeana Jackson
Ex-girlfriend
Nancy Leiviska
Ex-girlfriend
Nancy Leiviska
Ex-girlfriend
Diana Ross
Ex-girlfriend
Stefan Kendal Gordy
Son
Kennedy William Norton
Son
Kennedy William Norton
Son
Terry James Gordy
Son
Terry James Gordy
Son
Berry Gordy IV
Son
Berry Gordy IV
Son
Rhonda Suzanne Ross
Daughter
Rhonda Suzanne Ross
Daughter
Sherry Jackson Gordy
Daughter
Sherry Jackson Gordy
Daughter
Kerry Gordy
Daughter
Kerry Gordy
Daughter
Hazel Joy Gordy
Daughter
Hazel Joy Gordy
Daughter
Fuller Berry
Brother
Fuller Berry
Brother
George Gordy
Brother
George Gordy
Brother
Robert Gordy
Brother
Robert Gordy
Brother
Body Measurement
Height
Weight
Hair Color
Black N/A
Eye Color
Black N/A
Shoe Size
N/A
Bicep Size
inch N/A
Chest Size
inch N/A
Waist Size
inch N/A
Dress Size
N/A
Bust Size
inch N/A
Waist Size
inch N/A
Hip Size
inch N/A
Bra Size
inch N/A
Cup Size
N/A
Social Media Presence

Who is Berry Gordy?

Berry Gordy is a record executive, record producer, songwriter, film producer, and television producer by profession, and American by nationality. He is best recognized as the founder of the record label Motown.

Berry Gordy – Age, Parents, Siblings

Berry Gordy’s birth took place on November 28, 1929, in Detroit, Michigan, USA. He was born Berry Gordy III to his father Berry Gordy Sr., a plastering contractor while his mother Bertha Fuller Gordy worked as an insurance agent.

He is not the only child of his parents and had seven siblings- four sisters and three brothers. His sisters are Anna Gordy Gaye, Gwen Gordy Fuqua, Esther Gordy Edwards, and Loucye Gordy Wakefield, and his brothers are Fuller Berry, George, and Robert Gordy.

Berry Gordy also has a half-brother named James.

Source: telegraph (Berry Gordy in 1950s)

Education, Ethnicity

Gordy was a student at Northeastern Senior High School. 

His ethnicity includes African-American, English, and Finnish.

Berry Gordy – Girlfriend, Wife, Children, Divorce

Gordy has been married and divorced three times and has a total of eight children. He married his girlfriend Thelma Coleman in 1953. He and his wife have three children together- Hazel Joy (born August 24, 1954), Berry IV (born October 1955), and Terry James (born August 1956). Their marriage ended in divorce in 1959.

In the spring of 1960, he married Raynoma Mayberry Liles. Their daughter Kerry Gordy had already been born on June 25, 1959, before their marriage. Just after a few years, the couple divorced in 1964.

From his relationship with Jeana Jackson, he has one daughter Sherry (born May 23, 1960) and from his mistress Margaret Norton, he has a son Kennedy William (born March 15, 1964).

His 5-year affair with Diana Ross produced their daughter Rhonda Suzanne (born August 14, 1971). 

From his affair with Nancy Leiviska, Stefan Kendal Gordy, better known by his stage name Redfoo of the LMFAO duo was born.

On July 17, 1990, Gordy married Grace Eaton. They soon divorced in 1993.

Also read: Tom Selleck - Producer, Actor of Magnum P.I. 

Source: Oprah (Berry Gordy, Diana Ross in February 2012)

Berry Gordy – Career

Before fame

Years ago Gordy tried to open his own record store which featured jazz music and 3-D glasses. But his love for music and writing songs was not enough and the store was unsuccessful.

Through family contacts, he got in touch with the owner of the Flame Show Bar Talent Club where he met Jackie Wilson. Wilson co-wrote the song, Reet Petite, with Berry Gordy’s sister Gewm and writer-producer Billy Davis.

The song was a hit and gained much success internationally, reaching the Top 10 in the UK. It did, however, top the chart in 1986.

Over the next two years, Gordy and Wilson worked together and recorded six more songs. The Gordy siblings and Davis were the writers of the song All I Could Do Was Cry for Etta James.

Also read: Issa Rae - Actress, Producer, Director, Writer of Awkward Black Girl, Insecure 

Motown Record Corporation

Gordy reinvested his profits from songwriting into producing. Later on, he borrowed $800 from his family to create an R&B record company named Tamla Records. The label began recording on January 12, 1959.

But the company did not do very well in its initial days. The album Bad Girl by the Miracles did not do well when released by the Motown record label. But when Chess Records picked it up, it became a hit in 1959.

In April 1960, The Tamla and Motown labels were merged into a new company Motown Record Corporation and singed Mary Wells into the label, making her the label’s second star.

In 1972, Berry Gordy moved to Los Angeles where he produced Lady Sings the Blues followed by Mahogany in 1975 and The Last Dragon in 1985. He sold his interests in Motown Records to MCA and Boston Ventures on June 28, 1988, for $61 million.

Years later in 1994, he published an autobiography, To Be Loved.

Source: telegraph (Berry Gordy in his office in 1970)

Worked with

Over the years, Gordy’s record label had signed artists such as  Marvin Gaye, Jimmy Ruffin, Stevie Wonder, the Jackson 5, the Commodores, and the Velvelettes.

He has talked about Michael Jackson and Raynoma Gordy Singleton’s death.

Also read: Neal McDonough - Producer, Actor, of Band of Brothers 

Berry Gordy – Awards, Nominations

He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988, into the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame in 1998, and into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame in 2009.

Gordy was also awarded Songwriters Hall of Fame's Pioneer Award in 2013, making him the first living individual to receive the honor. In 2016, he was awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Obama.

Berry Gordy – Net Worth, Salary

The net worth of Gordy is estimated to be around $400 million while the figure for his annual salary is not known.

Berry Gordy – Instagram, Twitter, Facebook

Berry Gordy is absent from social media sites such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Also read: Diallo Riddle - Actor, Writer, Comedian, Producer 

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