Berry Gordy Biography

Fast Facts

• Became the first living individual to receive the Pioneer Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2013
• In 1988, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
• Was inducted into the Junior Achievement U․S․ Business Hall of Fame in 1998
• Before finding his niche in the entertainment industry, he worked as a boxer, a record store owner and an assembly line worker
• Was drafted into the United States Army in 1950 to fight in the Korean War
• Converted a garage behind his flat into a music studio, which he dubbed Hitsville U․S․A
• Discovered many of the earliest rhythm and blues stars, including the Miracles, Mary Wells, the Temptations and the Supremes
• Founded the Motown Record Corporation, which was incorporated in 1960, which produced so many hits that Motown it is sometimes considered its own genre
• Billy Dee Williams portrayed him in "The Jacksons: An American Dream․"
• Wrote the introduction to "Moonwalk," Michael Jackson's autobiography