Marcus Melvin "Marc" Gordon (October 14, 1935 – June 16, 2010) was an American

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

-winning record producer, songwriter and music executive, best known for his work with

Hal Davis Harold Edward Davis (February 8, 1933 – November 18, 1998) was an American songwriter and record producer. Davis was a producer and writer for Motown Records for nearly thirty years, and was a key figure in the latter part of the Motown ...

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

, and for his later involvement with

The 5th Dimension The 5th Dimension is an American popular music vocal group, whose repertoire includes pop, R&B, soul, jazz, light opera, and Broadway. Formed as the Versatiles in late 1965, the group changed its name to "the 5th Dimension" by 1966. Betwee ...

Biography

Gordon was born in

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

and initially worked as an engineer with the

Howard Hughes Corporation The Howard Hughes Corporation is a real estate development and management company based in The Woodlands, Texas. It was formed in 2010 as a spin-off from General Growth Properties (GGP). Most of its holdings are focused on several master-planned ...

. Around 1960, he started managing and also writing songs with R&B singer Hal Davis, in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. Though Davis' own recordings were unsuccessful, he and Gordon continued to collaborate on the recordings of other musicians, including

the Champs The Champs are an American rock band, most famous for their Latin-tinged rock and roll instrumental "Tequila". The group took their name from that of Gene Autry's horse, Champion, and was formed by studio executives at Autry's Challenge Recor ...

Bobby Pickett Robert George Pickett (February 11, 1938 – April 25, 2007), known also by the name Bobby "Boris" Pickett, was an American singer, songwriter, actor, and comedian known for co-writing and performing the 1962 hit novelty song "Monster Mash". B ...

, and

the Hollywood Argyles The Hollywood Argyles were an American musical ensemble, assembled for studio recordings by the producer and songwriter Kim Fowley and his friend and fellow musician Gary S. Paxton. They had a US number one hit record, "Alley Oop" (Lute Records 5 ...

; they sang backing vocals on the latter group's hit "

Alley Oop ''Alley Oop'' is a syndicated comic strip created December 5, 1932, by American cartoonist V. T. Hamlin, who wrote and drew the strip through four decades for Newspaper Enterprise Association. Hamlin introduced a cast of colorful characters an ...

".Heikki Suosalo, "Al Wilson Story", ''That'sMusic.org''
Retrieved 28 September 2015. Gordon and Davis became a record production team and began working with teenage singer

Brenda Holloway Brenda Holloway (born June 26, 1946) is an American singer and songwriter, who was a recording artist for Motown Records during the 1960s. Her best-known recordings are the soul hits, "Every Little Bit Hurts", " When I'm Gone", and " You've Ma ...

, as well as recording with

Mary Love Mary Love (born Mary Ann Varney; July 27, 1943 – June 21, 2013) was an American soul and gospel singer, and Christian evangelist. After the 1980s she was known as Mary Love Comer. Life Love was born as Mary Ann Varney (or Mary Ann Allen, acc ...

, a local singer for Modern Records, whose "You Turned My Bitter Into Sweet" became a Northern Soul favorite in the UK. After meeting

Berry Gordy Berry Gordy III (born November 28, 1929), known professionally as Berry Gordy Jr., is a retired American record executive, record producer, songwriter, film producer and television producer. He is best known as the founder of the Motown record la ...

, they were given the responsibility of recording material for Motown in Los Angeles. Between 1962 and 1965, Davis and Gordon collaborated on records including

Little Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, pop, so ...

's "

Hey Harmonica Man "Hey Harmonica Man" is a single released by Stevie Wonder in 1964 from his album, ''Stevie at the Beach''. It peaked at No. 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the Unit ...

" and "Castles in the Sand" (and the album ''

Stevie at the Beach ''Stevie at the Beach'' is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder released on the Tamla (Motown) label on June 23, 1964. With the exception of the mild hit, "Hey Harmonica Man", it was a concept album of sorts, focus ...

''), Brenda Holloway's "

Every Little Bit Hurts "Every Little Bit Hurts" was originally a 1964 hit single for Motown soul singer Brenda Holloway, written by Ed Cobb. Background Though she was against recording the song again (she recorded it a couple of years before signing with Motown), she ...

" (a #13 US pop hit), and Frank Wilson's "

Do I Love You (Indeed I Do) "Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)" is a song and single by American soul singer Frank Wilson first pressed in 1965 on the Motown subsidiary label Soul. It is Wilson's only Motown single and is a prized item among collectors. Record history Approximat ...

". They also produced albums by

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo ar ...

the Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful ...

, and others. They acted as managers for many of the acts they recorded, and also produced records by

Ike & Tina Turner Ike & Tina Turner were an American musical duo consisting of husband and wife Ike Turner and Tina Turner. From 1960 to 1976, they performed live as the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, supported by Ike Turner's band the Kings of Rhythm and backing vocal ...

, and

the Ikettes The Ikettes, originally The Artettes, were a trio (sometimes quartet) of female backing vocalists for the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. Despite their origins, the Ikettes became successful artists in their own right. In the 1960s they had hits such as ...

. Ben McLane, "Climax/Rocky Road Label", ''McLane & Wong'', 2006
Retrieved 28 September 2015. Marc Gordon credits, ''Discogs.com''
Retrieved 28 September 2015. Marc Gordon became President of Motown's Los Angeles office, before leaving the organization in 1965 and setting up an independent management company. He auditioned a new group, the Versatiles, and became their manager. They signed to a new label,

Soul City In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

, set up by singer

Johnny Rivers Johnny Rivers (born John Henry Ramistella; November 7, 1942) is an American musician. His repertoire includes pop, folk, blues, and old-time rock 'n' roll. Rivers charted during the 1960s and 1970s but remains best known for a string of hit sing ...

, and Gordon changed their name to The 5th Dimension. Gordon and Rivers co-produced some of their early singles, and their 1967 debut album '' Up, Up and Away'', for which he won a Grammy. Gordon introduced the group to songwriter

Jimmy Webb Jimmy Layne Webb (born August 15, 1946) is an American songwriter, composer, and singer. He has written numerous platinum-selling songs, including " Up, Up and Away", "By the Time I Get to Phoenix", "MacArthur Park", "Wichita Lineman", "Worst ...

and producer

Bones Howe Dayton Burr "Bones" Howe (born March 18, 1933) is an American record producer and recording engineer who scored a string of hits in the 1960s and 1970s, often of the sunshine pop genre, starting in 1965 with The Turtles cover of Bob Dylan's "It ...

, and remained the group's manager through their later recordings. He also managed singer

Thelma Houston Thelma Houston ( Jackson; born May 7, 1946) Retrieved . is an American singer. Beginning her recording career in the late 1960s, Houston scored a number-one hit record in 1977 with her recording of "Don't Leave Me This Way", which won the Grammy ...

, The 5th Dimension, ''ClassicBands.com''
Retrieved 28 September 2015. and, with Rivers, produced

Al Wilson Aldra Kauwa Wilson (born June 21, 1977) is a former American college and professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons. He played college football for the University of Tennessee, and ...

's recording of " The Snake". As with many of Gordon's earlier productions with Hal Davis, the recording became popular on the British Northern soul scene a few years later. In 1969, Gordon married

Florence LaRue Florence LaRue (born February 4, 1942) is an American singer and actress, best known as an original member of the 5th Dimension. Early life LaRue was born in Plainfield, New Jersey, but moved to Glenside, Pennsylvania, when she was young. She ...

, lead singer with The 5th Dimension, in a

hot air balloon A hot air balloon is a lighter-than-air aircraft consisting of a bag, called an envelope, which contains heated air. Suspended beneath is a gondola or wicker basket (in some long-distance or high-altitude balloons, a capsule), which carries p ...

above the

Century Plaza Hotel The Fairmont Century Plaza is a landmark 19-story luxury hotel in Los Angeles. Located in Century City, the hotel forms a sweeping crescent design fronting the Avenue of the Stars, adjacent to the twin Century Plaza Towers and the 2000 Avenue of ...

; they later divorced. In 1970, he formed Carousel Records, with Al Wilson,

Sonny Geraci Emmett Peter "Sonny" Geraci ("Jer-ah-see"); November 22, 1946 – February 5, 2017) was an American singer, best known as lead singer of musical groups The Outsiders and Climax. Biography Geraci first became known as the original lead vocal ...

's band The Outsiders, producer

Leon Ware Leon Ware (February 16, 1940 – February 23, 2017) was an American songwriter, producer, composer, and singer. Besides a solo career as a performer, Ware was best known for producing hits for other artists including Michael Jackson, Quincy ...

and others. The label was renamed Rocky Road, and had a #3 US pop hit in 1972 with "

Precious and Few "Precious and Few" is a song recorded by American group Climax which became a major North American hit in early 1972. The song was written by the band's guitarist, Walter D. Nims. Background Lead vocals on the demo were provided by Johnny McCur ...

" by

Climax Climax may refer to: Language arts * Climax (narrative), the point of highest tension in a narrative work * Climax (rhetoric), a figure of speech that lists items in order of importance Biology * Climax community, a biological community th ...

, a band formed by members of the Outsiders. In 1973, Al Wilson had the label's biggest hit with the million-seller, "

Show and Tell Show and tell (sometimes called show and share or sharing time) is the practice of showing something to an audience and describing it to them, usually a toy or other children's-oriented item. In the United Kingdom, North America, New Zealand and ...

", a US pop #1 (#10 R&B). After Rocky Road was taken over by

Bell Records Bell Records was an American record label founded in 1952 in New York City by Arthur Shimkin, the owner of the children's record label Golden Records, and initially a unit of Pocket Books, after the rights to the name were acquired from Benny ...

in 1974, Gordon continued to manage acts including The 5th Dimension, Thelma Houston, Al Wilson,

the Staple Singers The Staple Singers were an American gospel, soul, and R&B singing group. Roebuck "Pops" Staples (December 28, 1914 – December 19, 2000), the patriarch of the family, formed the group with his children Cleotha (April 11, 1934 – February 21 ...

Tony Orlando and Dawn Tony Orlando and Dawn is an American pop music group that was popular in the 1970s, composed of singer Tony Orlando and the backing vocal group Dawn (Telma Hopkins and Joyce Vincent Wilson). Their signature hits include "Candida (song), Candida" ...

, and

Willie Hutch William McKinley Hutchison (December 6, 1944 – September 19, 2005), better known as Willie Hutch, was an American singer, songwriter as well as a record producer and recording artist for the Motown record label during the 1970s and 1980s. Biog ...

. He left the music business in 1979 and became involved in

merchandising Merchandising is any practice which contributes to the sale of products to a retail consumer. At a retail in-store level, merchandising refers to displaying products that are for sale in a creative way that entices customers to purchase more i ...

for the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the secon ...

, but returned to management in the 1990s. He died in 2010, aged 75, after several years of ill health."Obituary: Marcus Melvin Gordon", ''Goldmine'', July 8, 2010
Retrieved 28 September 2015. He is no relation to Marc Gordon of the group

LeVert LeVert was an American R&B vocal group from Cleveland, Ohio, United States. Formed in 1983, LeVert was composed of Sean and Gerald Levert (sons of Eddie Levert, founder and lead singer of R&B/Soul vocal group O'Jays) and Marc Gordon.Wells, Ch ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gordon, Marc 1935 births 2010 deaths Record producers from Colorado African-American songwriters Place of death missing Songwriters from Colorado American music managers Businesspeople from Denver 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American people