The Oldies Music Board

You are not logged in. Would you like to login or register?



September 23, 2019 3:42 pm  #1


Berry Gordy announces retirement; bows out after 6 decades in showbiz

The Chairman has stepped down — and likely taken his final bow in Detroit.
Berry Gordy, the Detroit native who built Motown Records from a shoestring operation into a music, film and television empire, told a hometown crowd Sunday night that he is at last retiring.
https://www.freep.com/story/entertainment/music/brian-mccollum/2019/09/23/berry-gordy-announces-retirement-motown-hollywood/2416362001/

 

September 23, 2019 6:13 pm  #2


Re: Berry Gordy announces retirement; bows out after 6 decades in showbiz

Kind of interesting.  Way back in 2002, Gerald Posner published a book entitled, "Motown: Music, Money, Sex and Power."  Very revealing!  Even if half of it is true, Mr. Gordy is a v-e-r-y shrewd businessman who cheated a lot of very talented people, e.g. minimum hourly wages to some of the top R&B talent in the world.  Argument could be had that, at the time he hired those people, some were not much more than street urchins - no claim to fame until AFTER he discovered and MADE them a name.  One very big asset, among others was the Funk Brothers, who like many others, once they reached the fame and fortune category, skipped town and made more money somewhere else.  I grew up in Motown and it's in my blood - super empire that Gordy made and I respect him for that.  But, he stepped on a lot of people to make that fortune, selling out to MCA in 1988 for $61 MILLION. That's not chicken feed.

 

Board footera

 

Powered by Boardhost. Create a Free Forum