How Berry Gordy And Motown Pioneered African-American Businesses

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We all know the Motown Story and how Berry started it all with eight hundred dollars. But this article is interesting and the casual fan may find one or two things in here that we did not know. And avid fans may dispute some of the facts listed here.

i never heard the story of how Diana recorded a song with a gobbeldegook title called “Doobedood’ndoobe, doobedood’ndoobe, doobedood’ndoo”

In the TAKING CONTROL section of the article, it says:

" Gordy owned the means of production. He owned the studio complex, pressing plants, distribution companies and a publishing arm, Jobete, that brought in millions of dollars. Motown didn’t have to rely on other companies to achieve success. "

Motown was distributed by independent distributors throughout the country. In NYC, he used Alpha Distributors, which distributed many independent labels. Maybe in later years with success, he may have bought out a few of these distributors in certain parts of the country. Anyone know?

And was Berry Gordy considering dropping Stevie Wonder from the label when he transformed from boyhood to manhood?

https://www.yahoo.com/video/berry-go...132515377.html

Motown did have their own distribution company called Hitsville Distributors that operated out of the Donovan Building in downtown Detroit, so late 60s at the earliest but most likely only during the 70s. They definitely relied on other distributors to "achieve" success though.

They also never owned any pressing plants until the 70s, and even then they were only part-owners of Superior Record Pressing Corp. which had plants in New Jersey and Arizona. There's some weird conspiracy-like connection with the mob, Motown, and Superior too, but I can't remember what it was - maybe some sort of bootlegging?

Hitsville Distributors also had a store front at 18465 James Couzens Freeway, Detroit which at some point moved to Sterling Heights.

It would be nice if someone could locate some pictures of this other distribution building.

I just recalled there is another thread one can look at for the Hitsville Distributors courtesy of a former SDF member who actually worked there.

Do a search for the following in the upper right hand corner and read the thread.

[Search for] Hitsville Distributing Facility

"Gordy was unsure that Stevie Wonder would make it to star status as an adult, and seriously considered dropping him from the label just before the soul genius was about to launch his astonishing series of 70s albums in 1971."

I think the time line is off on this point. If Berry was thinking of dropping Stevie "...just before the soul genius was about to launch his astonishing series of 70s albums in 1971", I never heard about that one. However, I have read that Stevie was in some danger of being dropped around '64 or '65. Motown was having trouble in finding the right songs for Stevie post-"Fingertips." Plus, Stevie's voice was changing. At a producers' meeting during this pivotal period, when Sylvia Moy heard that Stevie might be dropped, she told Gordy she would work with Stevie and figure out what to do. She did. "Uptight" was the song Sylvia came up with along with Stevie and that song saved his career.

I'm going off memory so if anyone knows otherwise, I'm sure they'll correct the details. You might want to watch this video on YouTube as well:

https://youtu.be/O0SStmfW9es

Spot on! Berry Gordy pulled Stevie's 45 "Pretty Little Angel" from 1964, he had 2 more in 65, "Kiss Me Baby" Mar 65 & "High Heel Sneakers" [ 2 versions one withdrawn] Jul & Aug 65.
And then came "Uptight" in Nov 65 a complete step change and they dropped the "Little Stevie" logo.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by WaitingWatchingLookingForAChance

"Gordy was unsure that Stevie Wonder would make it to star status as an adult, and seriously considered dropping him from the label just before the soul genius was about to launch his astonishing series of 70s albums in 1971."

I think the time line is off on this point. If Berry was thinking of dropping Stevie "...just before the soul genius was about to launch his astonishing series of 70s albums in 1971", I never heard about that one. However, I have read that Stevie was in some danger of being dropped around '64 or '65. Motown was having trouble in finding the right songs for Stevie post-"Fingertips." Plus, Stevie's voice was changing. At a producers' meeting during this pivotal period, when Sylvia Moy heard that Stevie might be dropped, she told Gordy she would work with Stevie and figure out what to do. She did. "Uptight" was the song Sylvia came up with along with Stevie and that song saved his career.

I'm going off memory so if anyone knows otherwise, I'm sure they'll correct the details. You might want to watch this video on YouTube as well:

https://youtu.be/O0SStmfW9es

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An astonishing writer - producer and vocalist in her own right.....

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Graham Jarvis

Spot on! Berry Gordy pulled Stevie's 45 "Pretty Little Angel" from 1964, he had 2 more in 65, "Kiss Me Baby" Mar 65 & "High Heel Sneakers" [ 2 versions one withdrawn] Jul & Aug 65.
And then came "Uptight" in Nov 65 a complete step change and they dropped the "Little Stevie" logo.

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Attachment 19908
Ironically, "Pretty Little Angel" is, BY FAR, my favourite song by Little Stevie/Stevie, I was really angry that they didn't give him mellow songs like that with the 1964 sound [[my favourite year of Motown, and my favourite year in music. I liked "Uptight", but not nearly as much, and HATED most of his '70s recordings.

Berry Gordy acquired 50% of Southern Plastics in Nashville during the early to mid 1960s. there was an apartment in the upstairs of the plant where Motown's artists stayed while they were in racially segregated Nashville. He also owned part of American Record Pressing Company in Owosso, Michigan. I don't think these were officially part of the Motown corporation.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bob_olhsson

Berry Gordy acquired 50% of Southern Plastics in Nashville during the early to mid 1960s. there was an apartment in the upstairs of the plant where Motown's artists stayed while they were in racially segregated Nashville. He also owned part of American Record Pressing Company in Owosso, Michigan. I don't think these were officially part of the Motown corporation.

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This is the first I have ever heard that BG owned part of ARP in Owosso. It began operations in 1951. Here is a unique story about the business.

https://www.lansingcitypulse.com/sto...nnection,14929

Yeah I'd never heard BG/Motown had an actual interest in ARP before either?

"How Berry Gordy And Motown Pioneered African-American Businesses"

African American Music Business maybe, from a crossover perspective another maybe, but as it reads, this statement is wrong on multiple levels.