 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source .(April 2020) |
Apollo | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Genres | R&B, soul, disco |
| Years active | 1970s |
| Labels | Gordy |
| Past members | Kerry Gordy Benny Medina Cliff Liles Lenny Greene Larry Robinson |
Apollo was an American R&B/disco group that recorded for Motown in the late 1970s. They are best known as the band of future music executives Benny Medina and Kerry Gordy. [1]
Originally the band was called Kryptonite after the green substance that weakened Superman. The group's moniker was changed to Apollo after the creators of the superhero refused to let the band use the name they created. As a result, the name of their first single was changed from "Krypto Disco" to "Astro Disco." [1]
The band consisted of keyboardist Kerry Gordy, drummer Lenny Greene (who replaced original drummer Chico Ross, brother of Diana Ross), bassist Cliff Liles, vocalist Benny Medina and guitarist Larry Robinson. [1] Liles and Gordy were the sons of Ray Singleton, who produced their self-titled debut album for Gordy Records. The latter son is Singleton's child through her relationship with Berry Gordy, the former is the ex-stepson of Berry Gordy.
Initially, the band showed promise, appearing on Soul Train and other dance shows. They also had a successful two-week tour in Japan, but Motown's interest in the band waned and pulled the plug before they could start on a second album. [1]
Cliff Liles did re-emerge a few years later as a member of the rock band Kagny and the Dirty Rats, which recorded a self-titled album on the Motown label. The latter was produced by former bandmates Benny Medina and Kerry Gordy (now known as Kerry Ashby).
Larry Robinson also collaborated with Todd Homer of the Los Angeles punk band The Angry Samoans, his former classmate at Beverly Hills High School, to form the psychedelic band The Mooseheart Faith Stellar Groove Band that released several CDs on September Gurls Records in Germany.
The Supremes was an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful American vocal band, with 12 number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100. Most of these hits were written and produced by Motown's main songwriting and production team, Holland–Dozier–Holland. It is said that their breakthrough made it possible for future African-American R&B and soul musicians to find mainstream success. Billboard ranked the Supremes as the 16th greatest Hot 100 artist of all time.
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Berry Gordy III, known professionally as Berry Gordy Jr., is an American retired record executive, record producer, songwriter, film producer and television producer. He is best known as the founder of the Motown record label and its subsidiaries, which was the highest-earning African-American business for decades.
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de Passe Entertainment was an American film and television production company run by entertainment executive Suzanne de Passe. The company was founded by Berry Gordy Jr., in 1968, as Motown Productions, the film and television arm of Gordy's Motown Records label. In 2008, de Passe and Madison Jones started a successor company, de Passe Jones Entertainment.
Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever is a 1983 television special, produced by Suzanne de Passe for Motown Records, to commemorate Motown's 25th year. The program was taped before a live audience at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, California on March 25, 1983, and broadcast on NBC on May 16. Among its highlights were Michael Jackson's performance of "Billie Jean", Smokey Robinson's reunion with the Miracles, a Temptations / Four Tops "battle of the bands", Marvin Gaye's inspired speech about black music history and his memorable performance of "What's Going On", a Jackson 5 reunion, and an abbreviated reunion of Diana Ross & the Supremes, who performed their final #1 hit, "Someday We'll Be Together" from 1969. The show was co-written by de Passe with Ruth Adkins Robinson, who would go on to write shows with de Passe for the next 25 years, including the follow-up label tributes—through "Motown 40", Buz Kohan was the head writer.
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Let The Sunshine In is the sixteenth studio album by Diana Ross & the Supremes recorded and released by Motown in 1969. It contains the hit single "I'm Livin' in Shame", "The Composer," a Smokey Robinson composition that peaked at number 27, and "No Matter What Sign You Are," - a single produced by Motown chief Berry Gordy that failed to crack to Top 30. Motown had titled the album “No Matter What Sign You Are” originally; going as far as creating the front cover art with the title in it, but when the single didn’t chart as expected the album was retitled “Let The Sunshine In.” Though the album was released when the group consisted of Diana Ross, Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong, original founding member Florence Ballard appears on two songs.
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Kerry Ashby Gordy is a career music executive, and fourth eldest son of the founder of Motown Records, Berry Gordy. Kerry is the chief executive officer of Kerry Gordy & Associates, Inc. LLC, KGIP Inc., and NuVintage, LLC., intellectual property and branding companies focused on entertainment.
"I Want a Guy" is a song written by Freddie Gorman, Berry Gordy and Brian Holland and was the debuting single for Motown girl group The Supremes in 1961. It was also recorded by The Marvelettes on their album Please Mr. Postman. Featuring Diana Ross in lead, the song was a doo-wop ballad similar to what the Supremes had been recording since forming as "The Primettes" two years earlier.
The Gordys are an African-American family of businesspeople and music industry executives. They were born to Georgia-reared parents Berry "Pops" Gordy Sr. and Bertha Fuller Gordy and raised in Detroit, where most of the siblings played a pivotal role in the international acceptance of rhythm and blues music as a crossover phenomenon in the 1960s. The accomplishment is attributable to the creation of Motown, a company founded by the seventh-oldest sibling, Berry Gordy Jr.
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Playboy is the third album by the Motown girl group The Marvelettes, released in 1962. It capitalized on their hit singles "Playboy" and "Beechwood 4-5789". It also includes the single "Someday, Someway" and "Forever", a heartfelt standard that would be released the following year as the B-side of the single "Locking Up My Heart" and join the A-side on the charts. Other compositions include "Goddess of Love", "Cry Over You", and "Mix It Up". George Gordy, William "Mickey" Stevenson and Marvin Gaye, who had produced "Beechwood 4-5789" all did some work on the Playboy LP as well.
Raynoma Mayberry Liles Gordy Singleton was an American R&B producer, songwriter, and vocalist perhaps best known for her association with ex-husband, Berry Gordy during the early days of Motown when she was often known as Miss Ray.
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"Pops, We Love You " is a 1978 single recorded and released by Motown stars Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson and Stevie Wonder, as a tribute to Berry "Pops" Gordy Sr., father of Motown founder Berry Gordy, who had died that year from cancer.
Harvey Fuqua was an American rhythm and blues singer, songwriter, record producer, and record label executive.
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