IV 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 550 
Honoring the achievements of Berry Gordy, Jr. and the musical history 
he created through Motown Records. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 3, 2015 
Mr. CONYERS (for himself, Mr. GOODLATTE, Mr. NADLER, Ms. JUDY CHU of 
California, Mr. COHEN, Mrs. LAWRENCE, Mr. RANGEL, Ms. JACKSON 
LEE, Mr. DEUTCH, Mr. PALLONE, Ms. DELBENE, Mr. UPTON, Mrs. 
BLACKBURN, Mr. JEFFRIES, Mrs. DINGELL, Mr. BENISHEK, Mr. RICH-
MOND, Mr. KILDEE, Mr. CHABOT, Ms. LOFGREN, Mr. BUTTERFIELD, 
Mrs. MILLER of Michigan, and Mr. CICILLINE) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 
RESOLUTION 
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 fam-
ily saving club, the Ber-Berry Co-Op, which was estab-
lished by his eldest sister, Esther Gordy Edwards, and 
her husband, George Edwards, and named after her par-
ents Bertha and Berry Gordy, Sr.; 
Whereas Berry Gordy, Jr., established the Motown record 
label in 1959 and incorporated it on April 4, 1960; 
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•HRES 550 IH 
Whereas Motown Records fostered the careers of such record-
ing legends as Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Mary 
Wells, Diana Ross and the Supremes, Martha Reeves and 
the Vandellas, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, The Temp-
tations, Gladys Knight and the Pips, the Jackson 5, and 
more; 
Whereas within one year of creation, Motown Records pro-
duced its first single to reach number 2 on the Billboard 
Hot 100 Pop Chart, ‘‘Shop Around’’, and their first mil-
lion seller, performed by Smokey Robinson and the Mir-
acles, and written by Smokey Robinson and Berry Gordy, 
Jr.; 
Whereas in 1961, Motown Records produced its first Bill-
board Hot 100 Pop number one song, ‘‘Please Mr. Post-
man’’, performed by the Marvelettes; 
Whereas by 1965, 6 years after its inception, 11 Motown re-
leases reached number 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 pop 
charts across the country, including ‘‘Dancing in the 
Street’’ by Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, ‘‘My Girl’’ 
by the Temptations, ‘‘I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, 
Honey Bunch)’’, by the Four Tops, and ‘‘Stop! In the 
Name of Love’’, by the Supremes; 
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’’; 
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•HRES 550 IH 
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’’, which earned 5 Academy Award nominations; 
Whereas Berry Gordy, Jr.’s, autobiography, ‘‘To Be Loved: 
The Music, the Magic, the Memories of Motown’’, was re-
leased in 1994 and inspired ‘‘Motown The Musical’’; 
Whereas ‘‘Motown The Musical’’ opened on Broadway on 
April 14, 2013, garnering 4 Tony Award nominations, 
ran until January 18, 2015, after which it launched a 
successful national tour, will return to Broadway in the 
summer of 2016, and debut in London in February of 
2016; 
Whereas Berry Gordy, Jr., has received numerous awards, in-
cluding the ASCAP Founders Award, the GRAMMY Sa-
lute 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., estab-
lished a uniquely American art form that defined the 
American experience for a generation and for generations 
to follow: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) recognizes the achievements of Berry Gordy, 
Jr., in creating a lasting musical sound; 
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•HRES 550 IH 
(2) recommits itself to ensuring that musical 
artists such as Berry Gordy, Jr., receive fair protec-
tion under the copyright laws of the United States; 
and 
(3) directs the Clerk of the House of Represent-
atives to transmit enrolled copies of this resolution 
to Berry Gordy, Jr., or his assignee. 
Æ 
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