Harvey Fuqua, (pronounced /ˈfjuËkwÉ™/, born July 27, 1929 in Louisville, Kentucky), is an African-American soul singer, songwriter, record producer, and record label executive.
He is noted for being one the key figures in the development of the Motown label in Detroit, Michigan: his doo-wop group gave Marvin Gaye his start in his career, and he and his wife at the time, Gwen Gordy, distributed the very first Motown hit single, Barrett Strong's "Money (That's What I Want)", on their record label, Anna Records. Fuqua later sold Anna Records to Gwen's brother Berry Gordy, and became a songwriter and executive at Motown.
Fuqua founded the seminal R&B/doo wop group the Moonglows with Bobby Lester, Alexander Graves and Prentiss Barnes.
Mentored by Alan Freed, the group’s doo-wop harmony style achieved great success on the national R&B charts in the mid 1950s. Recording on Chess Records, Fuqua initially shared lead vocals with Lester, but eventually asserted himself as the leader of the group. This changed in 1957 when he, in effect, sacked the other members and installed a new group, previously known as the Marquees, which included Marvin.