Barry Gordy

Stevie Wonder, singer, songwriter, producer: Because Berry Gordy owned the company, it was not “tore up from the floor up.” It was something he built. It was not something that somebody else had and passed on to him; it was his and his family’s and all the people who were part of it who built this thing. That alone gives us a sense of pride. Smokey Robinson: Way before we started Motown, Berry said, “I’m going to work with you and your group,” and he just turned my whole life around. I...Read Full Story

The Mizell Brothers comprised of: Larry Mizell Born on the 17th February 1944, Englewood, New Jersey, U.S.A. Songwriter, percussion & keyboards & Alphonso ‘Fonce’ Mizell Born on the 15th January 1943, Englewood, New Jersey, U.S.A. Producer, percussion & keyboards How did Alphonso ‘Fonce’ Mizell make it to Motown? As teenagers both Fonce and Larry Mizell were given trumpets and joined their school band. In time, the Mizells and classmate Freddie Perren formed a doo-wop group dubbed...Read Full Story

Production and songwriting on Jackson 5 hits such as “I Want You Back” and “ABC” was credited to a generic-sounding group called The Corporation. But The Corporation was made up of four people, and one of them was Englewood native Frederick “Freddie” Perren. It’s no exaggeration to say that the ’70s wouldn’t have been the same without him, as he contributed to some of the decade’s signature songs, particularly in the dance field. “He was an up-tempo guy,” said his widow, Christine. “He...Read Full Story

African Americans are taking their place among America’s Fabulously wealthiest citizens. Forbes magazine compiled a list of the nation’s wealthiest African Americans.So let’s take a look at the top 10 wealthiest African Americans in the nation. ___________________________________________________________________ 10.Quintin Primo III: Age 55 $300 million – Source of wealth: Real Estate Quintin Primo lll is a minister’s son who grew up in Chicago. He received an MBA from Harvard University in...Read Full Story

The four members of The Corporation – Berry Gordy, Freddie Perren, Deke Richards, and Alphonzo Mizell – were responsible for the writing, production and arranging of the Jackson 5 number-one hit singles “I Want You Back” (1969), “ABC”, “The Love You Save” (both in 1970); as well as for other Jackson 5 singles such as “Mama’s Pearl” and “Maybe Tomorrow” (both in 1971). Back Row: Deke Richards, Berry Gordy, Freddie Perren and Alphonzo Mizell Like a previous production team, “The Clan...Read Full Story