Gwen Gordy Fuqua
| Gwendolyn Gordy Fuqua | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Gwendolyn Gordy |
| Born |
November 26, 1927 Detroit, Michigan |
| Died | November 8, 1999 (aged 71) San Diego, California |
| Genres | R&B, soul |
| Occupation(s) |
Songwriter Composer Businesswoman |
| Labels | Anna, Tri-Phi, Harvey, Motown |
| Associated acts | Berry Gordy, Anna Gordy Gaye, Esther Gordy Edwards, Jackie Wilson, Billy Davis, Harvey Fuqua, Marvin Gaye, The Spinners, G.C. Cameron, High Inergy |
Gwendolyn Gordy Fuqua (November 26, 1927 – November 8, 1999) was an American businesswoman, songwriter and composer, most notably writing hit songs such as "Lonely Teardrops", "All I Could Do Was Cry" and "Distant Lover". She earned her full name after marrying Harvey Fuqua and kept the name after their divorce.
Gwen Gordy was born to Berry Gordy Sr. (or Berry Gordy II) and Bertha Ida (née Fuller) Gordy in Detroit. She was the youngest of the four Gordy sisters (Esther, Anna and Loucye) and the third youngest of the entire family (brothers Berry and Robert were born after her).
Following graduation from high school, Gwen owned the photo concession at Detroit’s popular Flame Show Bar, which helped to make her a celebrity in Detroit's nightlife. By the late 1950s, Gordy had also become a cheerleader for brother Berry's musical efforts. She provided Berry with his first important music business contact when she introduced him to the manager of the club, a white man named Al Green. Green managed music stars like Johnnie Ray and LaVern Baker and he had just signed a new singer from Detroit named Jackie Wilson. Green also owned a music publishing company and was looking for new material. She had a songwriting partnership with her brother Berry Gordy and Roquel “Billy” Davis, a childhood friend who had connections with Chess Records in Chicago. The partners started out with a bang by writing “Jim Dandy Got Married” for LaVern Baker on the Atlantic label and “All I Could Do Was Cry” for Etta James on Argo, a Chess subsidiary label. By far, however, their greatest early success was writing the first big hits for Jackie Wilson.
Starting with “Reet Petite”, Gwen, Berry and Davis penned five consecutive Jackie Wilson hits. “Lonely Teardrops”, “That’s Why (I Love You So)”, “To Be Loved”, and “I’ll Be Satisfied” all established Wilson as one of Rock and Roll’s hottest new stars. Gordy earned small pay during this period of her work with Wilson's label Brunswick.
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