Kerry Gordy

Kerry Gordy is a music executive, record producer, songwriter, and recognized authority on intellectual property and copyright recapture in the music industry. The fourth eldest child of Motown Records founder Berry Gordy, Gordy grew up surrounded by major figures in American popular music, including Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, and Michael Jackson. Gordy's career began in the Motown Records mailroom, where he worked in various administrative and creative roles. To distinguish himself professionally, he adopted the name Kerry Ashby.

As an A&R representative for Motown, Gordy played a key role in signing Rockwell's "Somebody's Watching Me," marking his first major success as an executive. He was later promoted to director of A&R, collaborating on projects with Gold and Platinum artists such as The Temptations, the Four Tops, Rick James, and Billy Preston, and contributing to compilation albums for Diana Ross and Michael Jackson. Gordy also consulted for Bellmark Records, contributing to $26 million in sales and the international hit "Whoomp! (There It Is)" by Tag Team. He managed Prince's company, Paisley Park Records, and has been awarded nine platinum albums. As vice president of A&R for Warner Bros. Records Black Music Division, Gordy received gold records for Zapp and Roger's "All the Greatest Hits" and Prince's "Come" album.

Gordy serves as chief executive officer of Kerry Gordy & Associates, KGIP, and NuVintage, companies specializing in intellectual property and branding within the entertainment sector. He focuses on copyright termination and recapture, assisting legacy artists in reclaiming rights and securing fair compensation. His clients include Motown-era artists such as Smokey Robinson, Rick James, Ashford & Simpson, and Norman Whitfield, for whom he has negotiated ownership reclamation and improved royalty streams. Gordy is known in the industry for his work in copyright recapture.

Through a joint venture with Dakia Global, Gordy co-founded Dakia-Gordy IP to manage and produce global intellectual property opportunities in entertainment, revitalizing legacy content for international deals and creative projects. He has also entered into a deal to produce "The Last Dragon" for Sony Pictures with John Davis. Gordy has been featured in Forbes Magazine, where he discusses brand marketing, and serves as a contributor to news organizations such as CNN. He has appeared as himself on the TV series "Little Women LA," as well as on "Inside Edition" and "Access Hollywood" as a music industry expert. Gordy has been a guest speaker at UCLA, USC, and Duke University, and a keynote speaker at Harvard Business School.

Gordy partnered with Stevie Wonder and the Duke Ellington School in Washington, D.C., to raise $1 million for school programs, leading to additional support from artists such as Sting, Paul Simon, Aretha Franklin, Smokey Robinson, and Patti LaBelle, ultimately raising over $100 million for the institution and enabling the construction of a new campus. Through a partnership with Yellow Brick Music Co., Gordy has collaborated with the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at NYU to provide 100 scholarships for underprivileged students. Gordy's work encompasses advocating for artists' rights, educating future music professionals, and contributing to the advancement of the music industry.