Customer Reviews

A Tribute to Berry Gordy - The Music, the Magic, the Memories of Motown

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Berry Gordy remains one of the most inspiring and influential figures in pop culture in the 20th Century. He created, arguably the greatest music corporation of it's time, Motown. What label can claim the singular Mount Rushmore of Pop/Soul music including Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye and Michael Jackson. Not to mention The Supremes, The Temptations, The Jackson 5, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Lionel Richie and The Commodores, etc. just to name a few.

A half century ago in 1961, he took a family loan of $800 and began to build an empire. Not only did he sign great performing artists, being rooted in songwriting, via their Jobete Publishing co., many of the aforementioned performing artists, there was a stable of first rate songwriters/producers in Holland, Dozier, Holland, Ashford & Simpson, Norman Whitfield, etc. to name a few.

So on that 50th Anniversary celebration, Mr. Gordy has written his memoirs and released this compilation.

Diana Ross was one of his proudest achievements. Her contribution to this compilation is her cover of an early Jobete copyright, "You've Made Me So Very Happy", made famous by Blood, Sweat and Tears. In this modern update, the track has a neo-soul, new Jill swing arrangement, produced by Jerry Peters,( who happened to also write and produce one of my all time favorite songs, "Going in Circles"). Though the Motown of 1991 is a poor facsimile of the Motown, Mr. Gordy created, Diana delivers a performance brimming with love and admiration for it's honoree. For this reason, and 14 lesser ones, I treasure this album.