The Corporation (Motown)

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The Corporation was a collection of songwriters and record producers assembled in 1969 by Motown label head Berry Gordy to create hit records for the label's new act, The Jackson 5.

The four members of The Corporation - Berry Gordy, Freddie Perren, Deke Richards, and Alphonzo Mizell - were responsible for the writing, production, and arranging of the Jackson 5 number-one hit singles "I Want You Back", "ABC", "The Love You Save"; as well as for later Jackson 5 singles such as "Mama's Pearl" and "Maybe Tomorrow". Like a previous production team, "The Clan", that was pulled together to create the singles "Love Child" and "I'm Livin' in Shame" for Diana Ross & the Supremes, The Corporation was intended as a replacement of sorts for Holland-Dozier-Holland, who had left the label in late 1967 to start Invictus Records and Hot Wax Records.

Gordy created The Corporation because he did not want any more "back room superstars", which the Holland-Dozier-Holland team had become. The group members were never billed individually on the original Jackson 5 releases they worked on; even the songwriters' credit was listed as "The Corporation" (always spelled with the trademark symbol at the end). The Corporation disbanded in 1972, after Hal Davis had assumed creative control of the Jackson 5's output. After its disbanding, Motown would credit Gordy, Mizell, Richards, and Perren individually on compilation releases containing Corporation-created Jackson 5 material.