Music / Business & brands
Harvey Fuqua
1929–2010 · singer, songwriter, producer, record executive
Moonglows founder who moved to Detroit, ran Anna, Tri-Phi and Harvey Records, then led Motown's artist development and produced the Gaye–Terrell duets.
- Born
Louisville, Kentucky- Died
Detroit, Michigan
aged 80- Detroit years
- 1959–1971
- Field
- Music, Business & brands
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Fuqua was already a doo-wop star with the Moonglows when Leonard Chess steered him to Detroit to work with Anna Records, the label run by Gwen and Anna Gordy. There he brought his protégé Marvin Gaye into the Gordy circle and married Gwen. In 1961 the couple launched Tri-Phi and Harvey Records, whose roster included the Spinners, Junior Walker and Shorty Long; Motown absorbed the labels in 1963. At Motown Fuqua headed artist development, the in-house finishing school for its young acts, and produced records including the Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell duets such as "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and "Your Precious Love", a pairing he had suggested. He left around 1971 for RCA and later produced Sylvester and Gaye's "Sexual Healing". He died in a Detroit hospital in 2010.
Highlights
- Founder and lead of the Moonglows ("Sincerely", "Ten Commandments of Love")
- Co-ran Anna, Tri-Phi and Harvey Records in Detroit
- Head of Motown's artist development department
- Brought Tammi Terrell and the Spinners to Motown
- Produced Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing" era album Midnight Love (1982)
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 1
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Worked here · 1963–c. 1971
Motown Museum
Motown's artist development department, which he headed, worked from houses on West Grand Boulevard next to Hitsville.