Berry Gordy Accomplishments

In a truly divided nation, Berry Gordy brought many different cultures together through the sound of music. Born on November 28, 1929, Gordy spent most of his life in Detroit. During his time in the city, he, like many others, was exposed to the rich black culture of the people around him. In the 1960s, music was a large part of the pride of schools in Detroit. After realizing this, Gordy began his own record label in January of 1959, and he named it Motown.

By creating Motown, Gordy impacted the world not only on a musical level, but also through the culture. Under his multiple record labels such as Tamla and Motown, Gordy worked with and popularized many artists such as Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, The Jackson 5, and The Supremes. With these artists' help, Gordy successfully achieved his goal of producing music that resonated with all kinds of different audiences, a significant feat considering the time of his work being during the civil rights movement. With the Supremes in particular, the connection between white and black culture was evident. Through the popularity of the Supremes, they became one of the many faces of Motown and were undeniable hits. The girl group appealed to white and black groups alike, helping with the spread of culture across the nation, then globally. White consumers around the world began to understand and enjoy different parts of black culture and became enamored with Gordy’s

By combining gospel music with the time’s pop music, many different genres that are known today were born. Today’s R&B, rock and roll, and different kinds of soul music are inspired heavily by the music of Motown. The musical groups like The Miracles and The Supremes that Gordy helped popularize also introduced a new market for similar groups in the musical world, creating new subcultures from the talented youth of