Gwen Gordy Fuqua
Encyclopedia
Gwen Gordy Fuqua was the elder sister of Motown founder Berry Gordy
, sister of Motown songwriters Anna Gordy Gaye
, Robert Gordy
and George Gordy, sister of Motown Museum founder Esther Gordy Edwards
, sister of Fuller Gordy and also Loucye Gordy, and the former wife of Harvey Fuqua
. She was also an important contributor to the early years of the label as a songwriter herself.
Fuqua began her music career in the mid-1950s co-writing hit singles for Jackie Wilson
with boyfriend Roquel Billy Davis (who then went by the pseudonym Tyran Carlo) and her brother Berry. Fuqua and Davis soon departed to form Anna Records
(with sister Anna as a limited partner) in 1959, around the same time Fuqua's brother Berry formed Motown's first label, Tamla Records.
That year, when Gordy co-wrote and produce the Barrett Strong
single, "Money (That's What I Want)
", he asked Fuqua and Davis to distribute the song for national release. Released on Anna Records, the song rose to the top thirty on the pop charts in 1960 and became Anna's biggest hit and Motown's first hit single.
In 1960, after breaking up with Davis romantically, Fuqua befriended Harvey Fuqua
, former co-lead singer of The Moonglows
and soon the two became a couple. They married in 1961. That same year, Anna Records folded. The couple started Harvey Records and Tri-Phi Records, signing The Spinners, Shorty Long
and Junior Walker & the All Stars, all three bands later leaving to join Motown.
In 1963, the labels folded and the couple found work as Motown staffers. In the late 1960s, Gwen and Harvey Fuqua divorced though she still kept Harvey's last name. In the late 1970s, Fuqua discovered the disco group High Inergy
, who had a Motown hit in 1977 with "You Can't Turn Me Off (In the Middle of Turning Me On)
". She was also credited for co-writing her old friend Marvin Gaye
's 1973 song, "Distant Lover
", from his Let's Get It On
album.
Fuqua succumbed to cancer at her San Diego
home on November 8, 1999 at the age of 71. She was buried in Detroit.
Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy, Jr. is an American record producer, and the founder of the Motown record label, as well as its many subsidiaries.-Early years:...
, sister of Motown songwriters Anna Gordy Gaye
Anna Gordy Gaye
Anna Gordy Gaye is an American songwriter and composer, known as the elder sister of Motown founder Berry Gordy and the first wife of soul legend Marvin Gaye, who used their troubled marriage as the focal point of his critically acclaimed 1978 effort, Here, My Dear, an album from which Gordy...
, Robert Gordy
Robert Gordy
Robert Gordy was the youngest child of Berry Gordy, Sr. and Bertha Fuller, and is best known as the youngest brother of Motown founder, Berry Gordy, Jr....
and George Gordy, sister of Motown Museum founder Esther Gordy Edwards
Esther Gordy Edwards
Esther Gordy Edwards was a staff member and associate of her younger brother Berry Gordy's fabled Motown label during the 1960s. Edwards created the Motown Museum, Hitsville U.S.A., by preserving the label's Detroit studio. She also served as President of the Motown Museum.-Biography:Esther Gordy...
, sister of Fuller Gordy and also Loucye Gordy, and the former wife of Harvey Fuqua
Harvey Fuqua
Harvey Fuqua, was an African-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...
. She was also an important contributor to the early years of the label as a songwriter herself.
Fuqua began her music career in the mid-1950s co-writing hit singles for Jackie Wilson
Jackie Wilson
Jack Leroy "Jackie" Wilson, Jr. was an American singer and performer. Known as "Mr. Excitement", Wilson was important in the transition of rhythm and blues into soul. He was known as a master showman, and as one of the most dynamic singers and performers in R&B and rock history...
with boyfriend Roquel Billy Davis (who then went by the pseudonym Tyran Carlo) and her brother Berry. Fuqua and Davis soon departed to form Anna Records
Anna Records
Anna Records was a short-lived record label, known as a forerunner of Motown, founded by sisters Anna and Gwen Gordy and Roquel Billy Davis in 1959 and located in Detroit, Michigan. Gwen Gordy and Davis had written hit songs for Jackie Wilson and Etta James prior to founding the label...
(with sister Anna as a limited partner) in 1959, around the same time Fuqua's brother Berry formed Motown's first label, Tamla Records.
That year, when Gordy co-wrote and produce the Barrett Strong
Barrett Strong
Barrett Strong is an American singer and songwriter. Strong was the first artist to record a hit for Motown, although he is best remembered for his work as a songwriter, particularly in association with producer Norman Whitfield.-His career:Strong was among the first artists signed to Berry...
single, "Money (That's What I Want)
Money (That's What I Want)
"Money " is a 1959 hit single by Barrett Strong for the Tamla label, distributed nationally on Anna Records. The song was written by Tamla founder Berry Gordy and Janie Bradford, and became the first hit record for Gordy's Motown enterprise....
", he asked Fuqua and Davis to distribute the song for national release. Released on Anna Records, the song rose to the top thirty on the pop charts in 1960 and became Anna's biggest hit and Motown's first hit single.
In 1960, after breaking up with Davis romantically, Fuqua befriended Harvey Fuqua
Harvey Fuqua
Harvey Fuqua, was an African-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...
, former co-lead singer of The Moonglows
The Moonglows
The Moonglows were an American R&B and doo-wop group based in Cleveland, Ohio.-Early years:Originally formed in their native Louisville, Kentucky as the Crazy Sounds, the group moved to Cleveland, where disc jockey Alan Freed renamed them 'the Moonglows'...
and soon the two became a couple. They married in 1961. That same year, Anna Records folded. The couple started Harvey Records and Tri-Phi Records, signing The Spinners, Shorty Long
Shorty Long
Frederick Earl "Shorty" Long was an American soul singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer for Motown's Soul Records imprint...
and Junior Walker & the All Stars, all three bands later leaving to join Motown.
In 1963, the labels folded and the couple found work as Motown staffers. In the late 1960s, Gwen and Harvey Fuqua divorced though she still kept Harvey's last name. In the late 1970s, Fuqua discovered the disco group High Inergy
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 their hit, "You Can't Turn Me Off ".-History:...
, who had a Motown hit in 1977 with "You Can't Turn Me Off (In the Middle of Turning Me On)
You Can't Turn Me Off
"You Can't Turn Me Off " is a 1977 single by girl group High Inergy. It was the first single off their debut album, Turnin' On. The song reached #2 on the Billboard Black Singles chart, and #12 on the Pop Singles chart in 1978.The song was written by Pam Sawyer and Marilyn McLeod. It was produced...
". She was also credited for co-writing her old friend Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
's 1973 song, "Distant Lover
Distant Lover
"Distant Lover" is the sixth song issued on singer Marvin Gaye's 1973 album, Let's Get It On and was later issued as a live recording in 1974. The live version of the song was Gaye's most successful single during the three-year gap between Let's Get It On and his following 1976 album, I Want...
", from his Let's Get It On
Let's Get It On
Let's Get It On is the twelfth studio album by American soul musician Marvin Gaye, released August 28, 1973, on Tamla Records. Recording sessions for the album took place during June 1970 to July 1973 at Hitsville U.S.A. and Golden World Studio in Detroit, and at Hitsville West in Los Angeles...
album.
Fuqua succumbed to cancer at her San Diego
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
home on November 8, 1999 at the age of 71. She was buried in Detroit.