preview

Motown Gordy's Accomplishments

Decent Essays

Motown was, and still is an iconic place that has helped shape music and civil rights in Detroit Michigan in the 1950s. Berry Gordy was born in 1929, and founded his music company in 1959. He was married in 1953, had a family, and started working at Lincoln-Mercury assembly line in 1955, while working he would compose songs. "Through family connections, Gordy encountered singer Jackie Wilson's manager; he ended up co-writing the Wilson hit "Reet Petite," which came out in 1957. Gordy also wrote Wilson's "Lonely Teardrops” and "To Be Loved."(Kettler, Sarah.) Gordy tried to make the company name by using his kids initials and came up with Jobete which did not stick so well so he decided to open his open record company. When it was founded, …show more content…

He signed primarily African American artists and applied his principles, he learned in the factory production to produce records and the creation of different groups. Gordy tried to move Motown records to Los Angeles in 1968 after riots in Michigan while trying to diversify the brand, which didn't go well and Berry had to file for bankruptcy, then later had artists leave for another record label company. Berry Gordy sold Motown records in 1988 to MCA, Inc. for $61 million with a limited partnership. Motown was a success from a number of factors, such as, economic, demographic, educational, and musical in the 1900th century. Detroit was the fourth largest city in the US, until the population went up to almost 2 million. Part of the population was 28.9% by the 1960s, which caused a lot of racism. Black families who migrated to Detroit, were able to create a life for themselves that were a lot better than being back in the south. Most did this "to develop a sense of pride and dignity in the culture and traditions that they brought with them."(McCarthy, Marie).

Get Access