Honoring the achievements of Berry Gordy, Jr. and the musical history he created through Motown Records.

Whereas, on January 12, 1959, Berry Gordy, Jr., received an $800 loan to start Tamla Record Company from his family saving club, the Ber-Berry Co-Op, which was established by his eldest sister, Esther Gordy Edwards, and her husband, George Edwards, and named after her parents Bertha and Berry Gordy, Sr.; Whereas Berry Gordy, Jr., established the Motown record label in 1959 and incorporated it on April 4, 1960; Whereas Motown Records fostered the careers of such recording legends as Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Mary Wells, Diana Ross and the Supremes, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, Gladys Knight and the Pips, the Jackson 5, and more; Whereas within one year of creation, Motown Records produced its first single to reach number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 Pop Chart, Shop Around Whereas in 1961, Motown Records produced its first Billboard Hot 100 Pop number one song, Please Mr. Postman Whereas by 1965, 6 years after its inception, 11 Motown releases reached number 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 pop charts across the country, including Dancing in the Street My Girl I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch) Stop! In the Name of Love Whereas under Berry Gordy, Jr.’s, leadership, Motown Records created music that communicated across racial barriers in a politically charged time; Whereas Berry Gordy, Jr., was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 for his endeavors to reach across the racial divide with music that could touch all people, regardless of the color of their skin Whereas Berry Gordy, Jr., was actively involved in the Civil Rights Movement and released the recorded speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; Whereas Berry Gordy, Jr., also found success in Hollywood, including as Executive Producer of Lady Sings the Blues Whereas Berry Gordy, Jr.’s, autobiography, To Be Loved: The Music, the Magic, the Memories of Motown Motown The Musical Whereas Motown The Musical Whereas Berry Gordy, Jr., has received numerous awards, including the ASCAP Founders Award, the GRAMMY Salute to Industry Icon’s President’s Merit Award, the Rainbow Coalition’s Man of the Millennium Award, the Ebony Lifetime Achievement Award, the BET Visionary Award, and the Marian Anderson Award; and Whereas through the medium of music, during one of the most tumultuous times in the history of the United States, Motown Records, led by Berry Gordy, Jr., established a uniquely American art form that defined the American experience for a generation and for generations to follow: Now, therefore, be it That the House of Representatives— (1) recognizes the achievements of Berry Gordy, Jr., in creating a lasting musical sound; (2) recommits itself to ensuring that musical artists such as Berry Gordy, Jr., receive fair protection under the copyright laws of the United States; and (3) directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to transmit enrolled copies of this resolution to Berry Gordy, Jr., or his assignee.

Summary: Recognizes the achievements of Berry Gordy, Jr., who established the Motown record label, in creating the lasting musical sound of Motown. Recommits the House of Representatives to ensuring that musical artists such as Berry Gordy, Jr., receive fair protection under the copyright laws of the United States.