Berry Gordy was the seventh of eight children in a close-knit, hardworking family in Detroit. Unlike his siblings, Gordy struggled in school. He loved music — he was interested in songwriting at age 7 — but when he was kicked out of his high school music class, he dropped out of school in order to pursue a boxing career.By the time he was 20, Gordy had triumphed in 13 of 19 professional fights. However, the realization that boxing would age him much faster than music prompted Gordy to return to songwriting. These plans were interrupted when he was drafted into the army in 1951.After two years in the army, during which he earned his GED, Gordy opened a record store with a friend. Unfortunately, the store focused on jazz while customers wanted R&B; Gordy realized this too late to keep the business from folding….
