Rockwell (musician)
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| Rockwell | ||
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| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Kennedy William Gordy | |
| Also known as | Kenneth Gordy | |
| Born | March 15, 1964 | |
| Origin |  Detroit, Michigan, USA |
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| Genre(s) | Pop | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer | |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals | |
| Years active | 1983 - 1991 | |
| Label(s) | Motown | |
Rockwell was the stage name of Kenneth William Gordy (born Kennedy William Gordy on March 15, 1964), who was an African-American R&B performer for the Motown label. He was born in Detroit, Michigan.
Rockwell is the son of Motown founder and CEO Berry Gordy. To avoid charges of nepotism, Rockwell secured his record deal without his father's knowledge.[1]
In 1984, Rockwell released his only hit single, "Somebody's Watching Me", featuring childhood friends Michael and Jermaine Jackson on guest vocals (notably in the chorus lyrics). "Somebody's Watching Me" was a Top Ten pop hit both in the US and UK, and a #1 R&B hit. Follow-up singles underperformed, however, and Rockwell soon ended his musical career with Motown.
A cover of "Somebody's Watching Me", by the dance act Beatfreakz, was released in the UK in March 2006, peaking at number three on the UK Singles Chart. A cover version of the song was also released by the band Warmen.
Contents |
[edit] References
[edit] Discography
- Somebody's Watching Me (1984)
- Captured (1985)
- The Genie (1986)
[edit] Singles
- Somebody's Watching Me (1983) US #1 R&B #2 Pop, UK #6, DE #2, AT #14, CH #3
- He's A Cobra (Promo) (1984)
- Obscene Phone Caller (1984) US #35, DE #53, UK #79
- Foreign Country (1984)
- Taxman (1984) UK #88
- He's A Cobra (1985)
- Peeping Tom (1985) US #120**
- Tokyo (1985)
- Carmé (1986)
- Grow Up (1986)
- Carmé / Somebody's Watching Me (1986)
- Girlfriend (1991)
[edit] Trivia
- Rockwell's half-sister is actress Rhonda Ross Kendrick, the eldest child of Diana Ross.
- Rockwell was not the first member of the Gordy family to hit Billboard's Hot 100 as a recording artist. His uncle, Robert Gordy, reached the longer reaches of the chart in 1958 with "Everyone Was There," recording under the name of Bob Kayli.
- The mailman who appears in the music video for Somebody's Watching Me also starrs in Obscene Phone Caller as a paparazzi reporter.
- "Somebody's Watching Me" was sampled by:
- Beatfreakz, for their cover version, which was called a parody of the original.
- Christian rapper Toby Mac of the band DC Talk, for his song Somebody's Watching. In this case, it referred to God, who Toby believed was constantly looking out for him. Joanna Valencia sang backup vocals.
- Rapper Master P.
- Motown came up with the name Rockwell. Prince and Madonna were successful using one name. Rockwell changed his name because he believed he "rocked well."
- Rumours have been cited that Rockwell may be working on a comeback.
- Rockwell's sister Hazel married Michael Jackson's brother Jermaine Jackson. When Michael was at the height of his pop stardom, Rockwell knew he could get his song released if he could persuade Michael to sing on it.
