Anna Gordy Gaye
Anna Gordy Gaye | |
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Born | Anna Ruby Gordy January 28, 1922 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) 34°08′59″N 118°19′13″W / 34.1496°N 118.3202°W |
Occupation(s) | Songwriter, composer, businessperson |
Years active | 1956−1979 |
Spouse | |
Children | Marvin Pentz Gaye III (adopted) |
Parents | |
Relatives |
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Family | Gordy |
Musical career | |
Origin | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
Genres | |
Labels | |
Anna Ruby Gaye (née Gordy; January 28, 1922 – January 31, 2014) was an American businesswoman,
Life and career
This section needs additional citations for verification. (February 2014) |
Born Anna Ruby Gordy on January 28, 1922,
By the late 1950s, members of the Gordy clan were getting involved with the music business. In 1956, Anna began her career distributing records for Checker Records. In about 1957, she distributed a few recordings for Gone Records. In 1958, Anna and Gordy's younger sister Gwen founded the label Anna Records with musician Billy Davis, a year before Berry launched Tamla Records. Anna distributed Tamla's first national hit, Barrett Strong's "Money (That's What I Want)". Artists such as David Ruffin and Joe Tex also recorded for the label, and Marvin Gaye became a session musician with the company. After the label was absorbed as a subsidiary of Motown in 1961, Gordy joined Motown as a songwriter. Some of her early compositions were recorded by Gaye and Mary Wells. In 1965, Gordy co-wrote Stevie Wonder's "What Christmas Means to Me".
Gordy later co-composed the Originals' hits "
Personal life
Gordy met Marvin Gaye in 1959 when he was 20 years old and singing with Harvey and the New Moonglows. Gaye soon began working at Anna Records and soon developed an attraction to Gordy. They eventually began dating in 1960. After a three-year courtship, they married in June 1963.
Inspired by their romance, Marvin penned hit singles about Anna including "Stubborn Kind of Fellow" and "Pride & Joy." Of "Pride and Joy", Gaye said, "When I composed 'Pride and Joy', I was head over heels in love with Anna. I just wrote what I felt about her, and what she did for me. She was my pride and joy."[3]
The marriage between Marvin and Anna was reportedly turbulent, including two public spats. In order to bring some stability to their home life, Anna and Marvin adopted a boy born on November 17, 1966, who was named Marvin Pentz Gaye III, after his adoptive father. The boy was said to have been naturally conceived by Anna and Marvin in Motown's
In 1971, the couple moved to
In the 1980s, Marvin and Anna reconciled as friends, and Anna accompanied Marvin to industry events following the release of his comeback album
Gordy never remarried. Her last public appearance was in June 2008. She attended a Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Heart Foundation event at which her brother Berry was honored.[8]
Death
Gordy died of natural causes on January 31, 2014, three days after her 92nd birthday.[9] She is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park – Hollywood Hills, Courts of Remembrance, Sanctuary of Enduring Protection.
References
- ISBN 978-0-306-81191-3. Retrieved 6 July 2010.
- ^ "Berry Gordy's Statement on the Passing of His Sister Anna Gordy Gaye". Eurweb.com. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
- ^ Ritz 1991, p. 82.
- ^ Ritz 1991, pp. 100–101.
- ^ a b "snopes.com: Marvin Gaye Here, My Dear". 16 September 2004. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
- ^ "In L.A.'s Other Marvin Case, It's Gaye Vs. Anna Gordy, With Brother Berry in the Middle". People.com. April 9, 1979. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
- ^ Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. 1987-02-16.
- ^ "Post Event Release: The Heart Foundation Honors Motown Founder Berry Gordy with The Steven S. Cohen Humanitarian Award". The Heart Foundation. 2008-06-07. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
- ^ "Marvin Gaye's Ex-Wife Anna Gordy Gaye Dead at 92". TMZ. January 31, 2014. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
External links
- Anna Gordy Gaye at IMDb