J Randy Taraberellis Michael Jackson Magic and Madness Chapter 2:
Over the years the Motown artist began to think of eachother as family and many of the more naive ones still do today. To Berry Gordy each son daughter sister and brother was a corporate asset. He wanted the best for them-he would be protective of them and nuture their abilities-but mostly he wanted what was best for himself and possibly what was best for his real family, the Gordys. "It was a family thing at Motown alright," Melvin Franklin of the Temptations would say. "It was the Gordy family, and everything was for Berry and the Gordy family."
The biggest criticism leveled at Berry Gordy-by outsiders at first and then later by the artists themselves- was aimed at the complete control he exercised over his dominion. Practically none of the artists had any idea how much money they had generated for the company and they were always discouraged from asking questions. Books written by members of the The Supremes and the Temptations have underscored the fact that most of the artists who recorded for Gordy in the 60s have made very little-if any money- for themselves. Motown management customarily lied to them about their sales figures, and many Motown artist still havent a clue as to how many records they really sold or how much money they should have had in their bank account.
"I never saw a tax return until,1979," Diana Ross who signed with Gordy in 1960 has said " Berry was such a mentor and a strong personality, you found yourself relying on that.You didnt grow." Ross would leave Mowtown bitterly in 1981 with just a few hundred dollars to her name, after selling millions of records for Gordy and performing in nightclubs for twenty years.
Though some of the fame starved youngsters recruited for Mowtown did become stars, the price od success was high. Some of the singers were jailed for drug abuse,tax evasion,and wife beating. Other suffered for emotional problems and alcholism.Many have illegitimate children they dont even know about,care about, or recognize. There would be tragice deaths as well: Florence Ballard, a former Supreme,died at the age of thirty-two from a heart attack after spending two heartbreaking years as a welfare recipient;Paul Williams, a former Temptaion who was $80,000 in debt, shot himself in the head at age thirty-four;Marvin Gaye fourty-four was murdered by his own father. Its as if something went wrong,very wrong, in their upbrining as members of the Motown "family."
Most of the members have long since forgotten what Berry did for them and can only remember what he did to them. As the late Florence Ballard once said,"You hope you can leave it all behind and start over.But you cant. You cant just forget what should have been when your own family has done you wrong."
J Randy Taraberellis Michael Jackson Magic and Madness Chapter 2:
Over the years the Motown artist began to think of eachother as family and many of the more naive ones still do today. To Berry Gordy each son daughter sister and brother was a corporate asset. He wanted the best for them-he would be protective of them and nuture their abilities-but mostly he wanted what was best for himself and possibly what was best for his real family, the Gordys. "It was a family thing at Motown alright," Melvin Franklin of the Temptations would say. "It was the Gordy family, and everything was for Berry and the Gordy family."
The biggest criticism leveled at Berry Gordy-by outsiders at first and then later by the artists themselves- was aimed at the complete control he exercised over his dominion. Practically none of the artists had any idea how much money they had generated for the company and they were always discouraged from asking questions. Books written by members of the The Supremes and the Temptations have underscored the fact that most of the artists who recorded for Gordy in the 60s have made very little-if any money- for themselves. Motown management customarily lied to them about their sales figures, and many Motown artist still havent a clue as to how many records they really sold or how much money they should have had in their bank account.
"I never saw a tax return until,1979," Diana Ross who signed with Gordy in 1960 has said " Berry was such a mentor and a strong personality, you found yourself relying on that.You didnt grow." Ross would leave Mowtown bitterly in 1981 with just a few hundred dollars to her name, after selling millions of records for Gordy and performing in nightclubs for twenty years.
Though some of the fame starved youngsters recruited for Mowtown did become stars, the price od success was high. Some of the singers were jailed for drug abuse,tax evasion,and wife beating. Other suffered for emotional problems and alcholism.Many have illegitimate children they dont even know about,care about, or recognize. There would be tragice deaths as well: Florence Ballard, a former Supreme,died at the age of thirty-two from a heart attack after spending two heartbreaking years as a welfare recipient;Paul Williams, a former Temptaion who was $80,000 in debt, shot himself in the head at age thirty-four;Marvin Gaye fourty-four was murdered by his own father. Its as if something went wrong,very wrong, in their upbrining as members of the Motown "family."
Most of the members have long since forgotten what Berry did for them and can only remember what he did to them. As the late Florence Ballard once said,"You hope you can leave it all behind and start over.But you cant. You cant just forget what should have been when your own family has done you wrong."
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