Fuqua, Harvey, Jr.
(born: 1929 - died: 2010)Harvey Fuqua, Jr. was born in Louisville, KY, the son of Harvey Sr. and Lillian Marshall Fuqua. (Chicago has been mistakenly given as his birth location in some resources.) He was married to Gwen Gordy, a sister of Berry Gordy.
Fuqua had an extensive career as a singer, songwriter, record producer, talent scout, developer, and manager. He owned Tri-Phi Records and Harvey Records and helped develop Motown Records in Detroit, MI. He co-founded the Moonglows, a doo-wop group, with Bobby Lester (from Louisville), Alexander Graves, and Prentiss Barnes; he sometimes shared the lead vocals with Lester. Fuqua and Lester had sung together in high school, and Fuqua had sung with Barnes in Cleveland when they were members of Crazy Sounds, the group that would become the Moonglows.
In Detroit, the Moonglows gave Marvin Gaye his start, and Fuqua helped produce the song "Sexual Healing" plus a number of other songs by other artists. [Gaye's father was from KY.] The Moonglows were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. Fuqua served as the road manager for Smokey Robinson and is credited with discovering Sylvester, for whom he produced the single "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)." Fuqua left Motown for RCA Records in the early 1970s.
This entry was suggested by Tiffany Bowman, a family member of Harvey Fuqua's who lives in Louisville. Harvey Fuqua was a World War II veteran. He died in California on July 6, 2010.
For more see Harvey Fuqua, a Wikipedia entry; the Harvey Fuqua entry in The Encyclopedia of Popular Music, 3rd. ed., edited by C. Larkin; Notable Black American Men, Book II, by J. C. Smith; Encyclopedia of Rock, by P. Hardy, et al.; and R. Cromeline, "Harvey Fuqua dies at 80," Los Angeles Times online, 7/8/2010.
