Berry Gordy | Born: 1929

Motown music is an incredibly large part of Hollywood’s music industry, and Berry Gordy deserves all the credit. The 91-year-old musical composer turned record executive was born in Detroit on November 18, 1929. In his teenage years, Gordy decided to drop out of high school and pursue a career in boxing instead. However, he was later drafted into the military and served during the Korean War.

Upon his return to the United States in 1953, Gordy began developing a passion for music. Four years later, he achieved moderate success when a song he co-wrote was charted in the United Kingdom. After earning enough money from his songwriting projects, Gordy decided to take his music career a step further and start his own label. It eventually evolved into Motown Records, which gave us some of music’s most prominent figures, including Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and Michael Jackson. Gordy is now in his 90s and has decided to live a more peaceful life with his family.