Berry Gordy III, also known as Berry Gordy Jr., was born on November 28, 1929, in Detroit, Michigan. He is a renowned American record executive, record producer, songwriter, film producer, and television producer, best known as the founder of the Motown Record Corporation in 1959. Motown became the most successful Black-owned music company in the United States, shaping the careers of numerous legendary R&B artists such as Diana Ross and the Supremes, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, the Temptations, and the Jackson 5.

Before his success in the music industry, Gordy dropped out of high school to pursue a career in boxing and later served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. After returning to Detroit, he opened a record store and began producing his own compositions. With an $800 loan from his family's co-op, he founded Motown, applying principles he learned from the auto industry to music production and artist development.

Gordy was instrumental in crafting the "Motown sound," a blend of traditional Black harmony, gospel music, and R&B. His attention to detail and vision for artist development were key to Motown's success, as he meticulously polished performers' images and performances.

In the 1970s, Gordy relocated Motown to Hollywood, expanding into film production with movies like "Lady Sings the Blues" and "Mahogany," starring Diana Ross. Despite selling Motown in 1988, Gordy's influence on music and culture remains profound.

Berry Gordy has received numerous accolades, including induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988, the National Medal of Arts in 2016, and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2021. His autobiography, "To Be Loved: The Music, the Magic, the Memories of Motown," was published in 1994, and he later wrote the book for "Motown: The Musical," which premiered on Broadway in 2013.