Berry Gordy Is Retiring At 89

Berry Gordy

Berry Gordy Announces Retirement at 89

Music mogul Berry Gordy is officially retiring. According to reports, the 89-year-old Detroit native shared the news over the weekend at a 60th anniversary event for Motown Records.

Gordy is a record executive, record producer, songwriter, film producer and television producer. He is best known as the founder of the Motown record label and its subsidiaries, which was the highest-earning African-American business for decades.

As a songwriter he composed or co-composed a number of hits including “Lonely Teardrops”, “Shop Around” and “Do You Love Me”, all of which topped the US R&B charts. As part of The Corporation he wrote a number of hit songs for The Jackson 5, including “I Want You Back” and “ABC”.

As a record producer he launched the Miracles and signed acts like the Supremes, Marvin Gaye, the Temptations, the Four Tops, Gladys Knight & the Pips and Stevie Wonder. He was known for carefully controlling the public image, dress, manners and choreography of his acts.

In 1998 Gordy was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Congratulations to him his contributions to music and black culture!