Gordy family was also a professional in bowling. His daughter Iris was married to singer Johnny Bristol. The eldest Gordy daughter, Esther (April 25, 1920 – August 24, 2011), born in Georgia, established herself early in business as a political campaigner for her husband, Detroit politician George Edwards. In the late 1950s, she formed a loan company named after her parents; in 1959, she helped her brother Berry with a $800 loan to start Tamla Records. She borrowed the proceeds from the college tuition fund their father had established for Berry. Edwards served as mentor, adviser, and vice president of Motown's main
Robert Gordy reached #96 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 in November 1958. He recorded a second single on Gordy's Anna label in 1959, "Never More", before working for a time in the postal service. As his older brother's Motown company expanded, Robert returned to work for it, initially as a recording engineer. He also recorded two further singles as Bob Kayli, "Small Sad Sam" (a cover of Phil McLean's answer record to "Big Bad John", Tamla, 1961), and "Hold On Pearl" (Gordy, 1962). Neither was successful, and his career as a recording artist ended. From 1961, he worked in Motown's publishing arm,