He and music-savvy wife Raynoma buy a two-storey house on Detroit’s West Grand Boulevard, convert the basement into a recording studio and call the building “Hitsville U.S.A.” Becoming self-sufficient with the help of in-house musicians, Gordy assembles more hits, such as Barrett Strong’s“Money (That’s What I Want)” and the Miracles’ first major pop chart success, “Shop Around.” In 1961, the Marvelettes’ “Please Mr. Further Marv Johnson hits co-written and produced by Gordy help to finance the young business.“Come To Me” by Marv Johnson is the first release on Tamla Records in January 1959. The paltry income leads Gordy to open his own label in Detroit, with a Gordy family loan of $800. He takes on management of the singers – yes, they are the Miracles – and produces their early recordings, leased to companies in Chicago and New York. They are turned down, but he discerns the songwriting ability of its leader, a teenage William “Smokey” Robinson. At Al Green’s offices, Gordy observes an audition by a young vocal group.They follow up with more hits for Wilson, including “Lonely Teardrops” and “To Be Loved.” The two begin collaborating, and one of their efforts, “Reet Petite,” is the first solo success for Jackie Wilson in 1957. This love of music leads Gordy to the Flame Show Bar, where meeting a top talent manager, Al Green, connects him to another songwriter, Billy Davis. To support his family, he takes a job at one of Detroit’s auto factories, and resumes songwriting in his mind while working on the production line.
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