Kerry Gordy (born June 25, 1959) is the chief executive officer of Kerry Gordy & Associates, Inc. He is the fourth eldest son of the founder of Motown Records, Berry Gordy. Just like his father, Kerry has built a career in the entertainment industry over a span of four decades.
Before he started his company, Berry Gordy’s son served as vice president of A&R for Warner Bros. Records Black Music Division. Also, the 65-year-old intellectual property manager has worked as a contributor to media outlets such as CNN. He has equally used several platforms to share his personal views regarding his business achievement.
Kerry Gordy’s Early Years and Background
Kerry Gordy was born in Detroit, Michigan on June 25, 1959. He comes from the relatively large family of the Gordys. He was born the same year his father, Berry founded Motown Records. His mother Raynoma Mayberry, was a child prodigy in music. She also worked in the entertainment industry as a multi-instrumentalist songwriter and arranger.
While growing up, Kerry stayed with his mother when he was 13. Afterward, he moved to his father’s place until 1972, when he started working as one of Berry’s protégés.
For his educational pursuits, Kerry attended Beverly Hills School. the same school as his best friend, Benny Medina. The two friends continued to work together as his father’s protégés and also Motown amateur producers.
Kerry and his friend would later form the teen band, Appollo, of which singer Teena Marie was an original member.
Besides working with his father in the 1980s, the music executive appeared in a couple of commercials and also TV shows and movies as Kerry ‘Ashby’. Then in 1990, he participated as a judge in the Miss USA Pageant.
Gordy would later drop his surname in other to separate himself from his father while he was working in Motown. He decided to use Kerry Ashby professionally.
Kerry Gordy Has a 4-decade Long Career as a Music Executive and Record Producer
Upon becoming the A&R representative for Motown, Berry Gordy’s son helped the record by signing Rockwell’s Somebody’s watching Me. The song became his first hit as well as one of Motown’s biggest hits.
By the time he was promoted to the position of Director of A&R, he got involved with several musicians such as Rick James and Billy Preston. He also worked on compilation albums for music legends Diana Ross and Michael Jackson.
Having attained a certain level of success in a short time, he became a senior executive for Motown. He was saddled with the responsibility of supervising business affairs and product development among other things.
From 1991 to 1993, Gordy worked as a consultant for Al Bell’s independently distributed label, Bellmark Records. While working with the label, the label grossed $26 million in sales after producing the year’s biggest international hit, Whoomp! (There It Is).
Moving on, he worked as the vice president of A&R and artist development for Paisley Park Records. During that same period, Kerry Gordy produced and co-wrote George Clinton’s comeback hit, Paint the White House Black working with artists such as Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, and Public Enemy.
While working as the vice president of A&R for Warner Bros. Records in 1995, the RIAA awarded him with gold records for Zapp and Roger’s All the Greatest Hits and also Prince’s Come Album.
The height of his career was reportedly while he was working with Rich James, who sold in excess of $25 million in records and grossed more than $40 million in concert revenue.
In 1998, he partnered with Gordon Bizar under the name Gordy-Bizar to securitize artists’ and publishers’ royalties. Subsequently, he signed a deal with Clear Channel Entertainment to produce his first theatrical venture, Hear No Evil.
In 2004, Kerry Gordy co-founded Siebers Style alongside Debie Siebers. With good knowledge of the entertainment industry, he went on to start his own company, Kerry Gordy Enterprises, LLC in 2007. The company is an intellectual property and branding company that focuses on entertainment only. During that same period, he closed a seven-figure publishing deal for his client and partner, Bruce Fisher.
Besides his stellar career as a music executive, Gordy has been a keynote speaker at several colleges including UCLA, USC, Duke University, and the Harvard Business School. He equally serves as a contributor to news organizations like CNN.
In an interview with Forbes, Kerry Gordy revealed that most part of his career has been focused on artists and repertoire. So in recent times, he has focused on copyright termination and recaptures. He also added that being the son of the legendary Berry Gordy has been both an asset and a liability for him.
He Has 7 Siblings
Kerry Gordon does not have biological siblings. All his siblings are his half-siblings. Before his parents married in 1960, his father was previously married to Thelma Coleman and they shared three children: Hazel Joy Gordy, Berry Gordy IV, and Terry James Gordy.
While his parents were still married, his father welcomed a son Kennedy William Gordy with another woman called Margaret Norton. He also welcomed a daughter Sherry Gordy with Jeana Jackson in the early 1960s.
Later in 1971, his father’s friendship with the Grammy winner, Diana Ross birthed another child, Rhonda Ross. While he did not have any child with his third wife, Grace Eaton, Berry had another child, Stefan Kendal Gordy (Redfoo) with producer Nancy Leiviska.
Read Also: Denise Gordy: The True Story Of The Actress
Is Kerry Gordy Married?
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According to reports, Gordy married Karen Denise Longley-Gordy in 2000 and they welcomed their daughter, Juliet Gordy in November 2000. Although there is very little about his marriage, it has been reported that his wife is a St. Louis native and the daughter of James Longley and Dolores Longley.
Also, Karen attended Ebenezer Lutheran Elementary School and also Lutheran North High School before moving to Mount Holyoke College. She is a founding member of the Young Ambassadors of UNICEF.
His daughter is also pursuing a career in the entertainment industry. Juliet is famous for her character as Leah in the Soundtrack Netflix show.
What is Kerry Gordy’s Net Worth?
There are speculations that Kerry Gordy’s net worth is not below $5 million at the moment. However, it is known that he might have made so much wealth so the numerous successful business deals he has had.
Meanwhile, his father has been dubbed one of the wealthiest African-American music executives with a net worth of over $400 million. 95-year-old Berry has Motown Record to thank for his wealth.
Having spent over four decades in the entertainment industry, Kerry Gordy has kept his family’s legacy through his numerous engagements in the entertainment industry. Besides that, he is now raising a daughter to keep the family’s showbiz through her career as an actress.
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