![]() | A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject.(February 2019) |
![]() | |
Formerly |
|
---|---|
Company type | Private |
Industry | Entertainment, Television, Film |
Founded | 1968 |
Founder | Berry Gordy Jr. |
Headquarters | Los Angeles, California, United States |
Products | Motion pictures Television series Television specials |
Website | www |
de Passe Jones Entertainment (dJE) is an American entertainment content provider led by Suzanne de Passe and Madison Jones that sources, develops, acquires, and produces a variety of television, motion picture, theater, new media, and print content. The company was founded by Berry Gordy Jr., in 1968, as Motown Productions, the film and television arm of Gordy's Motown Records label. It became de Passe Entertainment in 1992, then in 2008, joining forces with Jones, de Passe Jones Entertainment.
Motown Productions' original focus was on the production of television specials for its star recording artists. These included TCB (1968) and G.I.T. on Broadway (1969), starring Diana Ross & the Supremes with The Temptations, The Temptations Show (also 1969), The Smokey Robinson Show (1970), Diana! (1971) starring Diana Ross, and Goin' Back to Indiana (also 1971) starring The Jackson 5. When Suzanne de Passe joined Motown in 1968, much of her work involved the production of these television specials. Motown's first television series was The Jackson 5ive (1971 - 1973), a Saturday morning cartoon by Rankin/Bass starring characters based upon Motown's popular teen act.
The company's first feature film was Lady Sings the Blues (1972), a Billie Holiday biographical film starring Diana Ross as Holliday and Billy Dee Williams as her husband Louis McKay. After Lady Sings the Blues became a success, garnering box office success and five Academy Award nominations, Ross and Williams were paired for a second feature, Mahogany (1975). Both films were coupled with successful music releases: Lady Sings the Blues was accompanied with a platinum-selling soundtrack album by Ross, while Mahogany featured Ross' number-one pop hit "Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)" Other Motown films included Scott Joplin (1977), another musician biopic starring Billy Dee Williams, and Thank God It's Friday (1978), which starred Donna Summer and featured her hit song "Last Dance".
Following the commercial and critical failure of Motown's eighth film, a 1978 adaptation of the Broadway musical The Wiz starring Diana Ross and the Jackson 5's Michael Jackson, the company focused more closely on television. Its productions during the late 1970s and early 1980s included TV movies such as Amateur Night at the Dixie Bar and Grill, (1979) and Callie & Son (1981) and TV specials such as the popular and successful Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, and Forever (1983). Motown 25, an anniversary special for the Motown Records label, was most noted for featuring Michael Jackson's famous performance of his non-Motown hit song "Billie Jean". By this time, Suzanne de Passe had become the executive producer in charge of Motown's film and TV products. Motown briefly returned to feature films with Berry Gordy's The Last Dragon , which became Motown's final theatrical feature. In 1986, Motown Productions had inked an agreement with video distributor MCA Home Video in an effort to expand the direct-to-video market with a series of "Motown Video Originals" mini-movie series. [1]
In 1988, Gordy sold Motown Records to MCA Inc. (owner of Universal Studios, which co-produced four films with Motown) and Boston Ventures. The following year, he sold Motown Productions to de Passe, and the company continued its success in television with the popular miniseries Lonesome Dove (1989). A sequel, Streets of Laredo , would follow in 1995. Changing its name to de Passe Entertainment in 1992, the company has produced a number of successful TV programs, among them Sister, Sister (1994 - 1999), Smart Guy (1997 - 1999), and It's Showtime at the Apollo (produced by de Passe from 2002 to 2008). Successful TV specials from the company include Motown biopics such as The Jacksons: An American Dream (1992) and The Temptations (1998), The Loretta Claiborne Story (2000), and the Essence Awards and NAACP Image Awards telecasts. de Passe Entertainment also produced the feature films Class Act (1992), starring rappers Kid 'n Play, and Who's the Man? (1993), starring hip-hop radio personalities Doctor Dré and Ed Lover.
In 2008, Suzanne de Passe joined with veteran producer Madison Jones to form de Passe Jones Entertainment [2] which is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.
In 2009, dJE produced President Barack Obama's Commander in Chief's Inaugural Ball.
The Supremes were 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.
The Temptations are an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan, who released a series of successful singles and albums with Motown Records during the 1960s to mid 1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield, beginning with the Top 10 hit single "Cloud Nine" in October 1968, pioneered psychedelic soul, and was significant in the evolution of R&B and soul music. The band members are known for their choreography, distinct harmonies, and dress style. Having sold tens of millions of albums, the Temptations are among the most successful groups in popular music.
Diana Ross is an American singer and actress. She was the lead singer of the vocal group The Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time. They remain the best-charting female group in history, with a total of 12 number-one pop singles on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, including "Where Did Our Love Go," "Baby Love," "Come See About Me," "Stop! In the Name of Love," "You Keep Me Hangin' On," and "Love Child."
Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of motor and town, has become a nickname for Detroit, where the label was originally headquartered.
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.
Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers were a Canadian soul band from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The group recorded for the Gordy Records division of Motown Records in 1968, where they had a top 30 hit single, "Does Your Mama Know About Me". As a producer and solo artist, Bobby Taylor contributed to several other soul recordings, both inside and outside of Motown. Taylor is most notable for discovering and mentoring The Jackson 5. Tommy Chong was a member of Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers before he became famous as a comedian.
The Temptations is a four-hour television miniseries broadcast in two-hour halves on NBC, based upon the history of one of Motown's longest-lived acts, The Temptations. Executive produced by former Motown executive Suzanne de Passe, produced by Otis Williams and Temptations manager Shelley Berger, and based upon Williams’ Temptations autobiography, the miniseries was originally broadcast on November 1 and November 2, 1998. It was filmed on location in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the spring of 1998. Allan Arkush directed the miniseries.
Suzanna Celeste de Passe(sources differ) is an American businesswoman, television, music and film producer. De Passe serves as the co-chairwoman of de Passe Jones Entertainment Group.
The Jacksons: An American Dream is an American five-hour miniseries broadcast in two halves on ABC and originally broadcast on November 15 through November 18, 1992. It is based upon the history of the Jackson family, one of the most successful musical families in show business, and the early and successful years of the popular Motown group the Jackson 5.
Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever is a 1983 television special, produced by Suzanne de Passe for Motown, to commemorate its 25th anniversary. 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 written by Buz Kohan, Ruth Robinson, and de Passe.
Mahogany is a 1975 American romantic drama film directed by Berry Gordy and produced by Motown Productions. The Motown founder Gordy took over the film direction after British filmmaker Tony Richardson was dismissed from the film. Mahogany stars Diana Ross as Tracy Chambers, a struggling fashion design student who rises to become a popular fashion designer in Rome. It was released on October 8, 1975. The soundtrack included the single "Theme from Mahogany", which peaked at number-one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in January 1976.
Robert Alan Cohen is an American director and producer of film and television. Beginning his career as an executive producer at 20th Century Fox, Cohen produced and developed numerous high-profile film and television programs, including The Wiz, The Witches of Eastwick, and Light of Day until he began focusing on full-time directing in the 1990s. He directed the action films The Fast and the Furious, and XXX.
Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5 is the debut studio album from Gary, Indiana-based soul family band the Jackson 5, released on the Motown label on December 12, 1969. The Jackson 5's lead singer, a preadolescent Michael Jackson and his four older brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, and Marlon, became pop successes within months of this album's release. Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5's only single, "I Want You Back", became a number-one hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 within weeks of the album's release. The album reached number 5 on the US Pop Albums chart, and spent nine weeks at No. 1 on the US R&B/Black Albums charts. To date, the Jackson 5's debut album has sold estimated 5 million copies worldwide.
The Wiz is a 1978 American musical fantasy adventure film directed by Sidney Lumet. Adapted from the 1974 Broadway musical of the same name, the film reimagines the classic 1900 children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum with an African-American cast. Dorothy, a 24-year old teacher from Harlem, finds herself magically transported to the urban fantasy Land of Oz. On her travels seeking help from the mysterious Wiz, Dorothy befriends a Scarecrow, a Tin Man, and a Cowardly Lion.
Kerry Ashby Gordy is a career music executive, and fourth eldest child 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.
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 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..
The Jackson 5, later the Jacksons, is an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was founded in 1964 in Gary, Indiana, and originally consisted of brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael. They were managed by their father Joe Jackson. The group were among the first African American performers to attain a crossover following.
Diana Ross Sings Songs from The Wiz is an album by Diana Ross, released by Motown Records/Universal on November 27, 2015. The album features Ross' versions of songs from the film version of the musical The Wiz, in which she starred along with Michael Jackson. The songs were originally recorded in 1978, produced by Ross, Suzanne de Passe and Grammy Award winner Lee Holdridge. Motown originally planned to release the album in 1979 but it was cancelled following low box office returns and highly negative critical response to the film.
Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off the Wall is a 2016 documentary film directed by Spike Lee, chronicling the rise of pop star Michael Jackson through the creation of his landmark solo album, Off the Wall (1979). It is the second Michael Jackson-focused documentary Lee has made, after Bad 25 (2012). The film premiered on January 24, 2016, at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.
Michael is an upcoming American biographical musical drama film directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by John Logan, based on the life of the American singer, songwriter, and dancer Michael Jackson. It stars Jackson's nephew Jaafar Jackson, in his film debut, alongside Colman Domingo, Nia Long, Miles Teller, Laura Harrier, Kat Graham, Larenz Tate, Jessica Sula, Liv Symone, Kevin Shinick, KeiLyn Durrel Jones, Kendrick Sampson and Derek Luke.