Which Motown founder received the Rock Hall's Ahmet Ertegun Award in 1988?

Berry Gordy, founder of Motown, received the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s Ahmet Ertegun Award in 1988.

Gordy created Tamla Records in Detroit in 1959 and developed it into Motown, one of the most influential record companies in popular music. The label’s polished production, songwriting teams and artist-development system produced stars including Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, The Supremes, The Temptations and Smokey Robinson and the Miracles.

The Ahmet Ertegun Award honors nonperforming music-industry professionals whose work significantly shaped the creative growth of music. Gordy therefore entered the 1988 class in an industry or nonperformer category rather than as a performing artist. The same class included performer inductees such as The Beatles, The Beach Boys and Bob Dylan.

Smokey Robinson is an understandable mix-up because he was a Motown songwriter, performer and executive, but he was inducted as a performer in 1987. Lamont Dozier and Norman Whitfield were important Motown-associated songwriters and producers, yet Gordy is the canonical answer to this award clue.