Bayberry Gordy

The Paczki Principle

A nice blend of fir, balsam and spices
A traditional holiday scent.

The man, the myth, the music: Berry Gordy's fabled Motown Records label made Detroit world-famous in the 1960s. Gordy created a homegrown hit factory whose artists climbed, and stayed, at the top of the charts for years. More importantly, his Motown acts were crossover pioneers, bringing an urban R&B pop sound out of the city and into the 'burbs. At its height, the Motown music empire even billed itself as "The Sound of Young America."

Gordy was a Northeastern High dropout who did the requisite stints in the Army and auto factory before starting his label in 1959. He'd already co-written a couple of minor hits for others, and was underwhelmed by the miniscule royalty checks he earned from the big labels. Not only did he decide to start his own, he also formed a music-publishing company that would prove the true cash cow in the Motown Records saga.

In Motown's golden years after 1963, its catchy dance tunes dominated the charts from such acts as the Supremes, Stevie Wonder, the Temptations, Marvin Gaye, and even the Jackson 5. Gordy had a famous eye, and ear, for talent, and some of those stars were local teens who went on to major stardom, including Supremes frontwoman Diana Ross. Gordy was determined to parley his music gold into movie gold, and had a few successes, most notably with Ross in the 1972 Billie Holiday biopic Lady Sings the Blues.

In all, the company had more than 100 hits that charted at No. 1 during its heyday. Gordy dominated the No.-1 spot on Black Enterprise magazine's annual rankings of black-owned or managed U.S. businesses from the list's inception in 1973 until a decade later. Though he's since sold off parts of his empire, rumor has it that his heart — or at least a few early investments-remains rooted in Detroit: the vacated Motown headquarters, which looms at Woodward just north of I-75, has managed to escape the lure of renovation in recent years, and unsubstantiated gossip claims he still owns a few lucrative parking lots downtown.

For all the hits, check out the Motown Historical Museum