Kerry Gordy
This article has an unclear citation style. (September 2009) |
Kerry Ashby Gordy | |
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Born | Record executive, Intellectual property manager, personal manager, songwriter, record producer | June 25, 1959
Instrument(s) |
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Years active | 1973-present |
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Kerry Ashby Gordy (born June 25, 1959) is a career music executive, and fourth eldest child of the founder of Motown Records, Berry Gordy. Kerry is the chief executive officer of Kerry Gordy & Associates, Inc. LLC, KGIP Inc., and NuVintage, LLC., intellectual property and branding companies focused on entertainment.
Early years
Gordy was born in Detroit, Michigan to multi-instrumentalist, Motown songwriter and arranger, Raynoma Mayberry and Berry Gordy. He was born the same year that his father founded Motown Records on West Grand Boulevard which housed the Hitsville U.S.A/Motown recording studios.[1][relevant?]
Gordy's mother, was a child prodigy in music and played eleven instruments. She orchestrated the early arrangements for Motown. Gordy lived with his mother until the age of 13, at which point he began to live full-time with his father.
In 1972, Gordy moved to Los Angeles, California with his father and became one of his protégés, along with best friend and business partner, Benny Medina.[citation needed]
Gordy and Medina met during their time at Beverly Hills High School, during which time, Medina came to live at the Gordy Estate. Together, they wrote arranged and produced records for Motown and also founded the teen band, Apollo. Teena Marie was an original member of the band as the groups female lead. Teena later dropped out of the band before the release of their first single, "Astro Disco" in 1979.[2]
In the early 80s Gordy acted in various commercials, T.V. shows and movies under the name Kerry Ashby, and in 1990, participated as a judge in the Miss USA Pageant.[citation needed]
Early professional career
Gordy's career began in 1973 working in the Motown Records mailroom. The early years of his career were spent in various administrative and creative capacities. In order for Gordy to separate himself at Motown from his father Berry, he dropped his surname and began using the name Kerry Ashby professionally.[citation needed]
In 1984, as an A&R representative for Motown, Gordy was instrumental in signing Rockwell's "Somebody's Watching Me", which became a hit for Motown and Gordy's first hit. He was then promoted to the position of Director of A&R, where he worked on projects with Gold and Platinum artists such as The Temptations, the Four Tops, Rick James and Billy Preston. He also worked on compilation albums for Diana Ross and Michael Jackson.[3] He became a senior executive for The Gordy Company (his father's company after selling Motown in 1988[4]) where he was responsible for supervising business affairs, A&R, product development, administration and personnel. Between 1991 and 1993 Gordy consulted Al Bell's independently distributed label, Bellmark Records. This union culminated with $26 million in sales and yielded the year's biggest international hit, "Whoomp! (There It Is)" by the group Tag Team.[5]
In 1993, Gordy became the vice president of two divisions for
Gordy served as vice president of A&R for
Entertainment consulting, IP and other ventures
In 1997, Gordy negotiated and obtained a three-act production deal with
In 1998, Gordy partnered with Gordon Bizar under the name Gordy-Bizar to securitize artists' and publishers' royalties. Financing deals were signed with Alice Walton's investment banking firm Llama Company as well as Lehman Brothers.
In 2003, Gordy signed a deal with
In 2004, Gordy co-founded Siebers Style with
In 2007, Gordy founded Kerry Gordy Enterprises, LLC., an intellectual property and branding company focused on entertainment. He also closed a seven-figure publishing deal for his long-time client, partner, and friend, Bruce Fisher (Writer of several number one hits including the standard "You Are So Beautiful") with Evergreen Publishing.[citation needed]
In recent years, Gordy has entered into a deal to produce
Gordy partnered with Stevie Wonder and the Duke Ellington School, in Washington, DC to raise $1 Million to help fund school programs, and support growing budget costs. Because of Gordy's efforts, other celebrity musicians, including Sting, Paul Simon and Aretha Franklin, Smokey Robinson and Patti LaBelle, lent their talents to help raise over $100 million for the institution. Their efforts allowed the Duke Ellington school to build a new state of the art campus.[citation needed]
Through his work in Copyright Recapture, as CEO of Kerry Gordy & Associates, Inc., Gordy has become known as "Robin Hood".
Represented by Geneva Bray of GVA Talent Agency, Gordy has been a guest speaker for
In 2021, Dakia Global/ Dakia Universal announced a joint venture with Gordy, IP to form Dakia-Gordy, IP.[15]
Gordy was featured in Steven Samblis' self-help book, 100 Habits from the worlds Happiest Achievers, where he discusses his personal philosophies on life business and personal achievement and satisfaction.[citation needed]
Family
The fourth eldest child of Berry Gordy, Gordy's paternal half-siblings are:
- Hazel Joy Gordy
- Berry Gordy IV
- Terry James Gordy
- Sherry Gordy
- Kennedy William Gordy
- Rhonda Suzanne Gordy
- Stefan Kendal Gordy (Redfoo of LMFAO)
Gordy has one daughter named Juliet Gordy.[16]
References
- ^ "Berry Gordy Jr. Boulevard - Dedication to Motown's Legend Producer". Motown Museum. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
- ^ "Apollo (2) - Astro Disco". Discogs. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
- ^ "Kerry Ashby". Discogs. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
- ^ "Motown Records Company L.P. | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
- ^ Billboard. 1993-07-10.
- ^ Billboard. 1993-08-14.
- ^ Billboard. 1994-06-11.
- ^ Billboard. 1994-06-18.
- ^ "Funk Legend Rick James Dies at 56". Jet. 2004-08-23.
- ^ Billboard. 1999-06-19.
- ^ Billboard. 2000-02-19.
- ^ "Beachbody on Demand". www.beachbodyondemand.com. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
- ^ a b Steve Olenski. "Signed, Sealed, Delivered: My One-On-One With Kerry Gordy". Forbes. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
- ^ "Kerry Gordy". IMDb. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
- ^ "Kerry Gordy". Dakia Global. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
- ^ "Juliet Gordy | Leah, Soundtrack Netflix, Father, Kerry Gordy, le Bal Debutante, Education, Relationship". 19 December 2019.
Sources
- Kerry Gordy Produces George Clinton's Comeback Hit, "Paint the White House Black" on the "Smell My Finger" Album [1]
- Paisley Park Recruits Kerry Gordy to Oversee its Roster [2]
- George Clinton Music Video "Paint the White House Black", Produced by Kerry Gordy Starring Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Yo Yo, MC Breed and Kam Among Others Video on YouTube
- Kerry Gordy Signs Indian "King of Pop", Reggie Benjamin
- Chemical Engineer Turned Indian Pop Star, Reggie Benjamin Signs with Kerry Gordy Enterprises [3]
- Manager Kerry Gordy Talks About Rick James Album Plans in 2000 [4][dead link]
- Rick James' Long Time Manager, Kerry Gordy, Talks About the Super Freak After His Death [5]
- Top Warner Bros. Records Executives in 1995 [6]
- Kerry Gordy Writes Two Songs for The Temptations "Reunion" Album that Reaches #2 on Billboards R&B Album Chart [7]
- Four Tops "Magic" Album Produced by Kerry Ashby and Benny Medina [8]
- Kerry Gordy Produces Hit TV Show Theme "Real Stories of the Highway Patrol" [9]
- Kerry Gordy, Leader and Founder of Teen Idol Group "Apollo" [10]
- Kerry Gordy and Benny Medina, Teen Idol Group "Apollo", National Television Debut on the Dinah Shore Show in 1978 (Video) Video on YouTube
- Kerry Ashby on NBC's Diff'rent Strokes [11]
External links
- Kerry Gordy at IMDb
- Kerry Gordy discography at Discogs