How Did Berry Gordy Changed Music

Cameron Garcia

Ms. Watts

English 11CP

20 April. 2016

Berry Gordy: The Change of Music "ABC easy as 123" , "Myyy Giirrrlll" were the top songs and still remain on the greatest hits and were made by the revolutionary company, Motown. Berry Gordy, the owner of Motown, is the most influential person in the music industry. Berry made music bring people together and changed music for the better because he started "greatest hits" and "Soul music". Gordy was born into a eight sibling family that had financial struggles so it made him desire to be wealthy at a young age. He was born on November 28, 1929, in the city of Detroit, Michigan. At a young age Gordy wasn't very book smart and spent most of his time songwriting. Songwriting was a stress reliever

He also wrote Wilsons, "Lonely Teardrops" and "To Be Loved". Gordy started his own music publishing company, which he called Jobete. The business wasn't as successful as he thought, and then decided to open his own record company. Using $800 his family had loaned him, Gordy began Tamla Records on January 12, 1959. When Gordy set up shop in a house on Detroit's West Grand Boulevard, he chose the name Hitsville for his office. One of Tamla's labels was called Motown; the Motown Record Corporation was created in 1960. Motown created what music is known for today, which is for its pop and funk. Without The Jackson 5, the Corporation, Diana Ross and the Supremes, Smokey Robinson, the Temptations, Stevie Wonder, the Four Tops, the Miracles, Marvin Gaye, Martha and the Vandellas, Rockwell would have never became big. Without the groups Motown signed, music wouldn’t have evolved as fast as it could have. 1960, Robinson and his group, the Miracles, sold more than a million copies of "Shop Around," which climbed to No. 1 on the R&B charts and No. 2 pop due to Gordys producing. The next year, the Marvelettes were the first group to be No. 1 for Motown. Gordy being influential, wrote more than 50 No. 1 singles. Another accomplishment that Gordy achieved is having the first tour "Soul music" bus, Motortown Revue. The bus traveled the US spreading good Soul music

Since they achieved many goals, Gordy was chosen to be in the Rock Hall of Fame. Him and his company making over 50 No. 1 hit songs. Also Gordy getting credited for find the following artists: Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross and Micheal Jackson, who are all now in the Rock Hall of Fame. Most of Motowns top singers later went on to sell out the Madison square garden. Since Motown was so successful they went on tours and since most of the singers were African American they were picked on while going to concerts. The Motortown Revue pushed through it and the outcome helped end dividing black and whites. While the first set of concerts had cops and ropes separate the people by the color of their skin the second set of concerts had no cops or ropes and everyone was together. Everyone went to the concerts not caring about what they believe in but for the good soul music. The music was so good it brought blacks and whites together at their concerts. Today people still listen to the top hits from the 60s and people much appreciate soul music. Gordy once a kid who wrote songs for fun, to a man that helped evolve music. He changed music forever and the environment that surrounded the music industry. Through his music he helped bring people together and help people get through hard times. Without Gordy and his striving company, Motown, no one knows how music would be