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Gwen Fuqua (born Gwendolyn Gordy; November 26, 1927 – November 8, 1999) was an American businesswoman, songwriter and composer, most notably writing hit songs such as "
Lonely Teardrops "Lonely Teardrops" is a song written by Berry Gordy Jr., Gwen Gordy and Roquel "Billy" Davis, first recorded and released as a single in 1958 by R&B singer Jackie Wilson on the Brunswick label. It is a 1999 Grammy Hall of Fame Inductee. The r ...
", " All I Could Do Was Cry" and "
Distant Lover "Distant Lover" is the sixth song issued on singer Marvin Gaye's 1973 album, ''Let's Get It On'' and the B-side of the second single from that album, " Come Get to This". A live recording was issued as a single in 1974. The live version of t ...
". She acquired her full name after marrying
Harvey Fuqua Harvey Fuqua (July 27, 1929 – July 6, 2010) was an American rhythm and blues singer, songwriter, record producer, and record label executive. Fuqua founded the seminal R&B/doo-wop group the Moonglows in the 1950s. He is notable as one of th ...
and kept the name after their divorce.


Biography


Early life and career

Gwen Gordy was born to Berry Gordy Sr. and Bertha Ida (née Fuller) Gordy in Detroit. She was the youngest of the four Gordy sisters (
Esther Esther is the eponymous heroine of the Book of Esther. In the Achaemenid Empire, the Persian king Ahasuerus seeks a new wife after his queen, Vashti, is deposed for disobeying him. Hadassah, a Jewess who goes by the name of Esther, is chosen ...
,
Anna Anna may refer to: People Surname and given name * Anna (name) Mononym * Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke * Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773) * Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th century) * Anna (Anisia) (fl. 1218 to 12 ...
and Loucye) and the third youngest of the entire family (brothers Berry and
Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...
were born after her). Following graduation from high school, Gwen owned the photo concession at Detroit's popular Flame Show Bar, which helped to make her a celebrity in Detroit's nightlife. By the late 1950s, Gordy had also become a cheerleader for brother Berry's musical efforts. She provided Berry with his first important music business contact when she introduced him to the manager of the club, a white man named Al Green. Green managed music stars like
Johnnie Ray John Alvin Ray (January 10, 1927 – February 24, 1990) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Highly popular for most of the 1950s, Ray has been cited by critics as a major precursor to what became rock and roll, for his jazz and blu ...
and
LaVern Baker Delores LaVern Baker (November 11, 1929 – March 10, 1997) was an American R&B singer who had several hit records on the pop chart in the 1950s and early 1960s. Her most successful records were " Tweedle Dee" (1955), " Jim Dandy" (1956), and " ...
and he had just signed a new singer from Detroit named Jackie Wilson. Green also owned a music publishing company and was looking for new material. She had a songwriting partnership with her brother Berry Gordy and Roquel "Billy" Davis, a childhood friend who had connections with Chess Records in Chicago. The partners started out with a bang by writing "Jim Dandy Got Married" for LaVern Baker on the Atlantic label and "All I Could Do Was Cry" for Etta James on Argo, a Chess subsidiary label. By far, however, their greatest early success was writing the first big hits for Jackie Wilson. Starting with "Reet Petite", Gwen, Berry and Davis penned five consecutive Jackie Wilson hits. "Lonely Teardrops", " That's Why (I Love You So)", "To Be Loved", and "I'll Be Satisfied" all established Wilson as one of rock and roll's hottest new stars. However, Gordy earned small pay during this period of her work with Wilson's label Brunswick. Although Berry, Gwen, and Roquel had provided five consecutive hits for Jackie Wilson, they had to split the songwriting royalties three ways. To bring in more income, Berry demanded that some of their songs be used for the B sides on Wilson's recordings. After he was turned down by manager Nat Tarnopol, the trio decided to end their association with Jackie. Gwen Gordy was the first to put the idea of starting a record company into action. She formed a label with Roquel Davis and named the company 'Anna', after her sister. Davis then used his contacts to make a deal with Chess Records to distribute their new Anna label nationally. Gwen and Roquel both wanted Berry to become a partner with them. However, Berry decided to go out on his own. The label helped to distribute the local Tamla Records single,
Barrett Strong Barrett Strong (born February 5, 1941) is an American singer and songwriter. Strong was the first artist to record a hit for Motown, although he is best known for his work as a songwriter, particularly in association with producer Norman Whitfi ...
's "
Money (That's What I Want) "Money (That's What I Want)" is a rhythm and blues song written by Tamla founder Berry Gordy and Janie Bradford, which was the first hit record for Gordy's Motown enterprise. Barrett Strong recorded it in 1959 as a single for the Tamla label, ...
", which became a top 40 hit in 1960. That year, Gordy co-wrote the ballad " All I Could Do Was Cry", which was originally offered to
Erma Franklin Erma Vernice Franklin (March 13, 1938 – September 7, 2002) was an American gospel and soul singer. Franklin was the elder sister of American singer/musician Aretha Franklin. Franklin's best known recording was the original version of " Piece of ...
( Aretha's sister), who almost signed with Anna Records but was rebuffed by her father, C. L. Franklin. The song eventually was sold by Chess Records who recorded the song with Etta James. Shortly after meeting
Harvey Fuqua Harvey Fuqua (July 27, 1929 – July 6, 2010) was an American rhythm and blues singer, songwriter, record producer, and record label executive. Fuqua founded the seminal R&B/doo-wop group the Moonglows in the 1950s. He is notable as one of th ...
, they founded the labels Harvey Records and Tri-Phi Records, the latter label including The Spinners, who recorded their first hit with the Gordy/Fuqua composition, "
That's What Girls Are Made For "That's What Girls Are Made For" is the debuting single for the American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citi ...
". In 1961, Motown absorbed Anna Records, signing Marvin Gaye in the process. The Harvey and Tri-Phi labels were absorbed by Motown two years later after that and Gordy and Fuqua accepted staff jobs with Motown, with Gordy handling business affairs, while Fuqua became a staff writer and producer. Alongside sister Anna, she co-headed Motown's Artist Development course and by the mid-1960s was managing acts such as the Spinners,
Shorty Long Shorty is a nickname, usually for a short person. See Shorty (nickname). Shorty may also refer to: Music Artists * Ras Shorty I, Trinidadian artist and founder of soca music. * Shorty (band), an American rock band formed in 1991 * Shorty (Ameri ...
, Junior Walker & the All Stars and
Tammi Terrell Tammi Terrell (born Thomasina Winifred Montgomery; April 29, 1945 – March 16, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter, widely known as a star singer for Motown Records during the 1960s, notably for a series of duets with singer Marvin Gaye. ...
, who signed to Motown in 1965. Gordy convinced Motown to allow Terrell to perform duets with Gaye. In 1973, Gordy had hand in adding lyrics to Marvin Gaye's composition, "
Distant Lover "Distant Lover" is the sixth song issued on singer Marvin Gaye's 1973 album, ''Let's Get It On'' and the B-side of the second single from that album, " Come Get to This". A live recording was issued as a single in 1974. The live version of t ...
", which became a hit single a year later after Motown released a
live recording An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records coll ...
of the song. In 1977, Gordy founded Gwen Glenn Productions and produced for Motown acts such as
High Inergy High Inergy was an American R&B and soul girl group who found fame on Motown Records in the late 1970s. They are best known for the hit song, " You Can't Turn Me Off (In the Middle of Turning Me On)". History High Inergy started in 1976 when the ...
before retiring from the music business in the early 1980s.


Personal life

Gordy dated fellow composer Billy Davis for a number of years. However, the relationship imploded after Gordy got involved with Harvey Fuqua. Gordy and Fuqua married in 1961 and Gordy was known afterwards as Gwen Gordy Fuqua for the duration of her life, though in 1968, Gordy and Fuqua divorced. After most of the Spinners left Motown for Atlantic Records in 1972, she struck up a romance with ex-Spinners bandmate G.C. Cameron, managed his career and later marrying him. The couple broke up in the late 1970s after Cameron left Motown. Gordy's production company "Gwen Glenn" was named after Gwen's son Glenn Gordy. Gordy moved to California in the early 1970s, where she'd remained until her death and lived comfortably off royalties after her career ended in the early 1980s.


Death

Gwen succumbed to cancer at her home in San Diego, California on November 8, 1999, at the age of 71. She was buried in Detroit, Michigan.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fuqua, Gwen Gordy 1927 births 1999 deaths African-American businesspeople African-American composers African-American women composers African-American songwriters American women composers Deaths from cancer in California Gordy family Musicians from Detroit Songwriters from Michigan American women songwriters 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American women musicians 20th-century American composers 20th-century women composers 20th-century American businesswomen African-American women musicians