Robert "Bob" Lorenz is the primary studio host on the YES Network. He hosts the New York Yankees Pre-Game Show and the New York Yankees Post-Game Show for Yankees telecasts, as well as the pregame and postgame shows for New Jersey Nets cablecasts. Lorenz also hosts other shows on YES, including Yankees Hot Stove, a show that tracks the offseason movement of the Yankees and the rest of the teams in MLB. He has done play-by-play of Staten Island Yankees games and, in 2008, began working play-by-play on Yankees spring training games, which he continued in March 2009

YES Network[link]

He hosts the New York Yankees Pre-Game Show and the New York Yankees Post-Game Show for New York Yankees telecasts, as well as the pregame and postgame shows for New Jersey Nets cablecasts. Lorenz also hosts other shows on YES, including Yankees Hot Stove, a show that tracks the offseason movement of the Yankees and the rest of the teams in MLB. He has done play-by-play of Staten Island Yankees games and, in 2008, began working play-by-play on Yankees spring training games, which he continued in March 2009. During the 2010 season, Lorenz worked play-by-play for the 1st time during in-season games against the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners. Lorenz also writes a behind-the-scenes studio blog for the network's website, Yesnetwork.com, entitled The Blob. ("It's a blog...it's Bob...it's The Blob"). He can also be found on Twitter (@boblorenz). Lorenz previously hosted Yogi and a Movie, where he watched baseball-related movies with Hall of Fame catcher Yogi Berra. In addition, Lorenz for 6 years hosted This Week in Football, a show focusing on the New York Giants and New York Jets as well as the rest of the NFL. And he has been a fill-in host on the interview show CenterStage.

CNN[link]

Lorenz was formerly an anchor on CNN Sports Illustrated. Also he worked for TBS and TNT hosting various sporting event studio shows. Lorenz hosted CNN's weekly baseball show, CNN's College Football Preview, College Basketball Preview, College Coach's Corner, and CNN's NFL Preview. He was also a back-up host on Inside the NBA on TNT.

Education[link]

Lorenz holds a degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

References[link]

External links[link]

• YES Network Bio

Berry Gordy
Gordy in December 2010
Background information
Born	(1929-11-28) November 28, 1929 (age 82)
Origin	Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Genres	Rock, soul, pop
Occupations	Record executive, songwriter, record producer, film producer, television producer
Years active	1957–present
Labels	Motown
Associated acts	The Jackson 5, The Corporation, The Supremes, Smokey Robinson, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, The Four Tops, The Miracles, Michael Jackson, Rockwell, LMFAO

Berry Gordy, Jr.^[1] (born November 28, 1929) is an American record producer, and the founder of the Motown record label, as well as its many subsidiaries.

Early years[link]

Berry Gordy, Jr. (born in Detroit, Michigan) was the seventh of eight children (Fuller, Esther, Anna, Loucye, George, Gwen, Berry and Robert), born to the middle-class family of Berry Gordy II (a.k.a. Berry Gordy, Sr.)^[1] and Bertha Fuller Gordy (1899–1975), who had relocated to Detroit from Milledgeville, Georgia, in 1922. Gordy was brought up in a tight-knit family with strong morals.^{[citation needed]} Berry Gordy II (1888–1978) was the son of Berry Gordy I and a woman named Lucy Hellum. Berry Gordy I was the son of James Thomas Gordy, a white plantation owner in Georgia, and his female slave Esther Johnson. Berry Gordy, Jr. is distantly related to former president Jimmy Carter through Carter's mother, Bessie Lillian Gordy.

Berry Gordy II was lured to Detroit by the many job opportunities for black people offered by booming automotive businesses.^[1]

Berry Gordy, Jr's older siblings were all prominent black citizens of Detroit. Berry, however, dropped out of high school in the eleventh grade to become a professional boxer in hopes of becoming rich quick, a career he followed until 1950 when he was drafted by the United States Army for the Korean War.

After his return from Korea in 1953, he married Thelma Coleman. He developed his interest in music by writing songs and opening the 3-D Record Mart, a record store featuring jazz music. The store was unsuccessful and Gordy sought work at the [Lincoln-Mercury] plant, but his family connections put him in touch with Al Green (not the singer), owner of the Flame Show Bar talent club, where he met singer, Jackie Wilson.

In 1957 Wilson recorded "Reet Petite", a song Gordy had co-written with his sister Gwen and writer-producer, Billy Davis. It became a modest hit, but had more success internationally, especially in the UK where it reached the Top 10 and even later topped the chart on re-issue in 1986. Wilson recorded six more songs co-written by Gordy over the next two years, including "Lonely Teardrops", which topped the R & B charts and got to number 7 in the pop chart. Berry and Gwen Gordy also wrote "All I Could Do Was Cry" for Etta James at Chess Records.

Motown Record Corporation[link]

Gordy reinvested his songwriting success into producing. In 1957, he discovered The Miracles (originally known as The Matadors) and began building a portfolio of successful artists. In 1959, at Miracles leader Smokey Robinson's encouragement, Gordy borrowed $800 from his family to create R&B label Tamla Records. On January 21, 1959, "Come To Me" by Marv Johnson was issued as Tamla 101. United Artists Records picked up "Come To Me" for national distribution, as well as Johnson's more successful follow-up records (such as "You Got What It Takes", co-produced and co-written by Gordy). Berry's next release was the only 45 ever issued on his Rayber label, and it featured Wade Jones with an unnamed female back-up group. The record did not sell well and is now one of the rarest issues from the Motown stable. Berry's third release was "Bad Girl" by The Miracles, and was the first-ever release for the Motown record label. "Bad Girl" was a solid hit in 1959 after Chess Records picked it up. Barrett Strong's "Money (That's What I Want)" initially appearing on Tamla and then charted on Gordy's sister's label, Anna Records, in February 1960. The Miracles' hit "Shop Around" peaked at No. 1 on the national R&B charts in late 1960 and at No. 2 on the Billboard pop charts on January 16, 1961 (#1 Pop, Cash Box), which established Motown as an independent company worthy of notice. Later in 1961, The Marvelettes' "Please Mr. Postman" made it to the top of both charts.

In 1960, Gordy signed an unknown named Mary Wells who became the fledgling label's first star, with Smokey Robinson penning her hits "You Beat Me to the Punch", "Two Lovers", and "My Guy". The Tamla and Motown labels were then merged into a new company Motown Record Corporation, which was incorporated on April 14, 1960.

Berry Gordy House, known as Motown Mansion in Detroit's Boston-Edison Historic District.^[2]

Gordy's gift for identifying and bringing together musical talent, along with the careful management of his artists' public image, made Motown initially a major national and then international success. Over the next decade, he signed such artists as The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, Jimmy Ruffin, The Contours, The Four Tops, Gladys Knight & the Pips, The Commodores, The Velvelettes, Martha and the Vandellas, Stevie Wonder and The Jackson 5.

Gordy was not known for cultivating white artists, although some were signed, such as Nick and the Jaguars, Mike and the Modifiers, Chris Clark, Rare Earth, the Valadiers, Debbie Dean and Connie Haines.

Berry produced a record on the Penny Label (part of early Tamla Records) in the spring of 1959 showcasing a white doo-wop group known as "Bryan Brent and The Cutouts". Berry had hoped that "Vacation Time", written by himself and Billy Davis, would be the hit side. However, "For Eternity",^[3] written by the Cutouts, became the summer hit and enjoyed an unprecedented #1 spot in the greater Detroit area for 8 weeks. Bryan Brent and The Cutouts performed on Soupy Sales late-night TV show and on Mickey Schorr's Detroit Bandstand TV show, as well as many radio station-sponsored dance parties, such as Tommy Clay's Sock Hop at the Light Guard Armory on 8 Mile Rd. Not restricted to white venues, the group also performed for Martha Jean "The Queen" from WJLB at many of her popular weekend dances. While Bryan Brent and The Cutouts never enjoyed the security of a contract, they did enjoy the summer of 1959. In spite of missing notations in the history books, "For Eternity" is recognized as a doo-wop classic in the US and in Europe.

Berry produced a record for white artist Tom Clay some time in 1959. The record was released on a tiny Detroit label called Chant. It is not currently known if Berry owned Chant records, but the 45 is recognized by many collectors to be one of the rarest of all Gordy singles. Tom Clay became a DJ in LA, and recorded again for Gordy on his MoWest label in the 1970s. Kiki Dee became the first white female British singer to be signed to the Motown label. Gordy also employed many white workers and managers at the company's headquarters, named Hitsville U.S.A., on Detroit's West Grand Boulevard. He largely promoted African-American artists but carefully controlled their public image, dress, manners and choreography for across-the-board appeal.

Relocation to Los Angeles[link]

In 1972, Gordy attended FIDM in Los Angeles, where he produced the commercially successful Billie Holiday biography Lady Sings the Blues, starring Diana Ross (who was nominated for an Academy Award) and Richard Pryor, and introducing Billy Dee Williams (casted in a role originally for Levi Stubbs of the Four Tops). Initially the studio, over Gordy's objections, rejected Williams after several screen tests. However, Gordy, known for his tenacity, eventually prevailed and the film established Williams as a major movie star. Berry Gordy soon after produced and directed Mahogany, also starring Ross and Williams. In 1985, he produced the cult martial arts film The Last Dragon, which starred martial artist Taimak and one of Prince's proteges, Vanity.

Although Motown continued to produce major hits throughout the 1970s and 1980s by artists including the Jacksons, Rick James, Lionel Richie and long-term signings, Stevie Wonder and Smokey Robinson, the record company was no longer the major force it had been previously. Gordy sold his interests in Motown Records to MCA and Boston Ventures on June 28, 1988 for $61 million. He later sold most of his interests in Jobete publishing to EMI Publishing. Gordy has written or co-written 240 songs for Motown's Jobete music catalogue, consisting of approximately 15,000 songs.

Gordy published an autobiography, To Be Loved, in 1994.

Awards and accolades[link]

Gordy was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.

Gordy was inducted into the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame in 1998.

Gordy delivered the commencement address at Michigan State University on May 5, 2006 and at Occidental College on May 20, 2007. He received an honorary degree from each school.

Berry Gordy was inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame in 2009.^[4]

Statements about Motown artists[link]

On March 20, 2009, Gordy was in Hollywood to pay tribute to his first group and first million-selling act, The Miracles, when the members received a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. Speaking in tribute to the group, Gordy said: "Without The Miracles, Motown would not be the Motown it is today." ^[5][6][7][8]

He gave a speech during the Michael Jackson memorial service in Los Angeles on July 7, 2009. Gordy suggested that "The King of Pop" was perhaps not the best description for Jackson in light of his achievements, and chose instead "the greatest entertainer that has ever lived."

On May 15, 2011, it was announced that Gordy was developing a Broadway musical about the Motown music label. The show is said to be an account of events of the 60s and how they shaped the creation of the iconic label. Gordy hopes to use the musical to clear the sullied name of Motown Records and clear up any misconceptions regarding the label's demise.^[9]

Personal life[link]

Gordy, who married and divorced three times, has eight children: Hazel Joy, Berry Gordy IV, Terry James, Kerry Ashby, Sherry, Kennedy William, Rhonda Suzanne, and Stefan Kendal. His publishing company, Jobete, was named after his three eldest children, Joy, Berry and Terry.

With first wife Thelma Coleman, whom he married in 1953 (divorced in 1959), he has three children:

• Hazel Joy (born August 24, 1954)
• Berry Gordy IV (born October 1955)
• Terry James (born August 1956)

In the spring of 1960^[10] he married second wife Raynoma Mayberry Liles (divorced in 1964).^[11][12] Together, they have one child who was born that previous year:

• Kerry Ashby (born June 25, 1959)

With Jeana Jackson, Gordy has one daughter:

• Sherry

With his then-mistress/girlfriend Margaret Norton, Gordy has a son who would later become more popularly known as Motown musician Rockwell:

• Kennedy William (born March 15, 1964)

Gordy has a daughter with successful Motown female artist Diana Ross, with whom he had a relationship from 1965 to 1970:

• Rhonda Suzanne (born August 14, 1971)

Gordy's eighth and youngest child is a son he has with Nancy Leiviska, known by his stage name as Redfoo of the duo LMFAO (the other member of the duo is Skyler Gordy, born August 23, 1986, and known professionally as SkyBlu; he is the grandson of Berry Gordy, Jr. and Thelma Coleman through their son Berry Gordy IV, and his wife, Valerie Robeson):

• Stefan Kendal (born September 3, 1975)

After dating for eight years, Berry married Grace Eaton on July 17, 1990; they divorced in 1993.^[13]

In popular culture[link]

• Gordy was portrayed by Billy Dee Williams (whose career Gordy had helped to jump-start in the 1970s) in the 1992 miniseries The Jacksons: An American Dream.
• The character Gordy Berry in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is a reference to Berry Gordy.
• The character of Curtis Taylor, Jr., a music executive, in the 2006 musical film Dreamgirls has been called "a thinly veiled portrayal" of Gordy.^[14] The film was based on the 1981 musical Dreamgirls, but the film made the connection to Gordy and Motown much more explicit than the musical did, by, among other things, moving the setting of the story from Chicago to Detroit. Taylor appears in the film as unethical and insensitive to his artists, which caused Gordy and others to criticize the film after its release. Gordy called the portrayal "100% wrong," while Smokey Robinson said it "blatantly painted a negative picture of Motown and Berry Gordy and of the Supremes."^[15] In 2007, the producers of the film, DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures, issued a public apology to Gordy, saying they were sorry "for any confusion that has resulted from our fictional work." Gordy accepted the apology.^[14]
• In the 2007 film Talk to Me, Washington D.C. DJ Petey Greene accuses Gordy of being a pimp and hustler while on the radio, causing a negative reaction from both Motown's lawyers and Greene's bosses. When Greene is forced to apologize on air, he states that Gordy is no pimp, despite the fact that he takes young black musicians and then sends them out to earn Gordy more money through their performance skills — thus sarcastically praising Gordy as a good businessman despite his pimplike actions. While Greene's bosses remain angry, the predominantly black audience agrees with Greene and the radio station's ratings increase.
• In a 2011 episode of The X-Factor, judge Louis Walsh caused some controversy when he responded to a contestant's performance of "Dancing in the Street" with, "If Berry Gordy was alive, he'd sign you," unaware that Gordy was still alive.^[16]

References[link]

External links[link]

Biography portal

• Professional boxing record for Berry Gordy from BoxRec
• Rock and Roll Hall of Fame bio
• The Motown Story information on Berry Gordy

See also Robert West (University of Wisconsin professor of Chemistry).

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (January 2009)

Bob West (born June 25, 1956) is an American television actor best known as the voice of Barney in the hit children's show Barney & Friends. He has also appeared in several Barney-related shows such as concert tours.

As Barney, West's voice was used on the television series, in a 70 market radio show, on Multi-Platinum and Multi-Gold albums, for a feature film, for CBS and NBC primetime specials, for touring performances, as a Daytime Emmy presenter, for toys, for educational games, and for "personal appearances". He also voiced interviews on The Today Show, Live With Regis & Kathy Lee, Oprah, The Phil Donahue Show, John & Leeza, Marilu, and appearances around the world.

In 2000, West retired from the role and was temporarily replaced by voice actor Duncan Brannan, who met him through their affiliation as the voices of Chuck E. Cheese and Tim Dever. In 2002, Dean Wendt replaced Brannan and Dever as the purple dinosaur's voice and Carey Stinson replace David Joyner as the dino's body performer. However, West's pre-recorded voice can still be heard in A Day In The Park With Barney at Universal Studios Florida, as it was recorded in 1995.

West has provided voices for various other characters, including Jasper and Pasqually in Chuck E. Cheese's locations with Duncan Brannan, TV and radio ads for Pepsi, Bud Light (English and Spanish), Coors Light, Frito-Lay, KFC, Armour Meats, Circuit City, Texas Monthly Magazine, and Texas Lottery.

External links[link]

• Bob West at the Internet Movie Database
• Bob's website

This article about an American television actor or actress born in the 1950s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2009)

Harold Edward "Hal" Davis (February 8, 1933 — November 18, 1998) was an African American songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the key figure in the latter part of the Motown career of The Jackson 5.

Davis was the co-writer and producer of Jackson 5 hits such as "I'll Be There" and "Dancing Machine," and Eddie Kendricks' "Can I." Davis also produced for Bette Midler (her Motown record of 1975, produced by Davis, was never released), Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers, The Supremes, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Brenda Holloway, Thelma Houston, Joy Holden, Diana Ross, Florence Ballard, Mary Wilson, Marvin Gaye, Little Stevie Wonder, Four Tops, Junior Walker, and The Miracles.

Hal Davis was a producer and writer for Motown Records for nearly thirty years. He and Marc Gordon opened Mowest, Motown's west coast office division, in the late 1960s. He first had some regional hits with "Do The Del Viking" by Patrice Holloway and "Moment to Remember" by Jenell Hawkins on his own label.

This article about a United States songwriter is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

William McKinley Hutchison, known professionally as Willie Hutch (December 6, 1944 — September 19, 2005^[1]) was an American singer, songwriter as well as a record producer and recording artist for the Motown record label during the 1970s and 1980s.^[2]

Biography[link]

Born William McKinley Hutchinson in 1944 in Los Angeles, California, Hutch was raised in Dallas, Texas and joined a doo-wop group, The Ambassadors, as a teenager. After graduating from Booker T. Washington High, Hutch shortened his last name as he started his music career in 1964 on the Soul City label^[3] with the song, "Love Has Put Me Down."

Moving to Los Angeles, his music eventually caught the eye of the mentor for pop/soul quintet The 5th Dimension, and Hutch was soon writing, producing, and arranging songs for the group. In 1969, he signed with RCA Records and put out two albums before he was spotted by Motown producer Hal Davis, who wanted lyrics to his musical composition "I'll Be There," which was to be for The Jackson 5. The song was recorded by the group the next morning after Hutch received the call.^[4] Motown CEO Berry Gordy signed Hutch to be a staff writer, arranger, producer, and musician shortly there afterward.

Hutch's later collaborations would be with the Jackson 5 and their front man Michael Jackson, Smokey Robinson, the newly rechristened Miracles and Marvin Gaye.^[2] In 1973, Hutch started recording albums for Motown, releasing the Fully Exposed album that year. That same year, Hutch recorded and produced the soundtrack to the blaxploitation film, The Mack. Hutch would have several R&B hits during this period, including "Brother's Gonna Work It Out" and "Slick" and also recorded the soundtrack for Foxy Brown.^[2] Hutch would record at least six albums for Motown, peaking with 1975's "Love Power," which reached number forty-one on the Billboard Hot 100 before leaving the label in 1977 for Norman Whitfield's Whitfield Records.

Hutch returned to Motown in 1982 where he scored the disco hit, "In and Out," that same year and also recorded a song for the film The Last Dragon in 1985. Hutch left Motown again by the end of the decade and by 1994 had moved back to Dallas. Hutch continued to record and perform while living comfortably on royalties from old hits and new samples.^[1] His manager, Anthony Voyce, said of Hutch: "I've never met a more generous and caring person."^[1] He died in 2005.^[1]

He is survived by six children, and was the uncle to Cold 187um of the rap group Above the Law.^[1]

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

RCA releases

• 1969: Soul Portrait
• 1970: Seasons for Love

Motown releases

• 1973: Fully Exposed (R&B 15, Pop 183)
• 1973: The Mack Soundtrack (R&B 17, Pop 114)
• 1974: Foxy Brown Soundtrack (R&B 36, Pop 179)
• 1974: Mark of the Beast (R&B 41)
• 1975: Ode to My Lady (R&B 24, Pop 150)
• 1976: Color Her Sunshine (R&B 54)
• 1976: Concert in Blues (R&B 22, Pop 163)
• 1977: Havin' a House Party (R&B 26)
• 1985: Making A Game Out Of Love

Whitfield releases

• 1978: In Tune (R&B 63)
• 1979: Midnight Dancer

Motown releases

• 1983: In & Out

Later releases

• 1985: The Last Dragon
• 1994: From the Heart (G.G. It)
• 1996: The Mack Is Back (Midwest)
• 2002: Sexalicious (G.G. It)

Charting Singles[link]

• 1973: "Brother's Gonna Work It Out" (#18 R&B, #67 Pop)
• 1973: "Slick" (#18 R&B, #65 Pop)
• 1973: "Sunshine Lady" (#72 R&B)
• 1974: "If You Ain't Got No Money (You Can't Get No Honey) Pt. I" (#70 R&B)
• 1974: "Theme Of Foxy Brown" (#64 R&B)
• 1975: "Get Ready For The Get Down" (#24 R&B)
• 1975: "Love Power" (#8 R&B, #41 Pop)
• 1976: "Let Me Be The One, Baby" (#95 R&B)
• 1976: "Party Down" (#19 R&B)
• 1977: "Shake It, Shake It" (#60 R&B)
• 1977: "We Gonna Party Tonight" (#49 R&B)
• 1978: "All American Funkathon" (#62 R&B)
• 1978: "What You Gonna Do After The Party" (#40 R&B)
• 1978: "Paradise" (#74 R&B)
• 1982: "In And Out" (#55 R&B, #29 Dance) (UK #51^[5])
• 1985: "Keep on Jammin'" (UK #73^[5])

References[link]

External links[link]

• Willie Hutch at Find a Grave