# Rockwell (musician)
**Rockwell** is the stage name of Kennedy William Gordy (born 1964 in Detroit, Michigan), an American singer best known for the 1983 synth-funk single "[Somebody's Watching Me](https://www.edgepedia.org/somebodys-watching-me)," which reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on Billboard's R&B chart.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/rockwell-mn0000291235/biography) • [2](https://www.grammy.com/news/is-rockwell-still-this-paranoid/) He is the son of Motown Records founder [Berry Gordy](https://www.edgepedia.org/berry-gordy) and Margaret Norton, and after one further charting single and two more albums he left the music industry.[3](https://blackpast.org/african-american-history/rockwell-1964/) • [1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/rockwell-mn0000291235/biography)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1964, Detroit, Michigan, to Berry Gordy and Margaret Norton[3](https://blackpast.org/african-american-history/rockwell-1964/) |
| Signature hit | "Somebody's Watching Me" (1983): No. 2 Billboard Hot 100, No. 1 R&B, gold certification[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/rockwell-mn0000291235/biography) |
| Guest vocals | Michael Jackson sang the chorus and hook; Jermaine Jackson supplied additional backing vocals; produced by Curtis Anthony Nolen[4](https://www.thriller40.com/music/somebodys-watching-me/) |
| Debut album | *Somebody's Watching Me*, released January 30, 1984; peaked at No. 15 with 14 weeks in the top 50[5](https://www.musicchartsarchive.com/albums/rockwell/somebodys-watching-me) |
| Follow-up | "Obscene Phone Caller" peaked at No. 35, his last charting record[2](https://www.grammy.com/news/is-rockwell-still-this-paranoid/) |
| Later albums | *Captured* (1985), which peaked at No. 120 on the Billboard album chart, and *The Genie* (1986)[3](https://blackpast.org/african-american-history/rockwell-1964/) • [1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/rockwell-mn0000291235/biography) |
## Early life and the secret Motown contract
Kennedy William Gordy grew up as one of the children of Berry Gordy, founder of Motown Records, in a household surrounded by major musical figures. Billboard reported in February 1984 that he was the fifth of Berry Gordy's six children, while a later Billboard piece described him as the sixth child.[6](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/80s/1984/BB-1984-02-25.pdf) • [7](https://ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/ttabvue-91212921-OPP-8.pdf) He graduated from [Beverly Hills High School](https://www.edgepedia.org/beverly-hills-high-school) in California in 1982.[3](https://blackpast.org/african-american-history/rockwell-1964/)
**Avoiding the family name.** Gordy adopted the stage name Rockwell so that his career would be judged without charges of nepotism, and he signed with Motown in 1983 without his father's knowledge.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/rockwell-mn0000291235/biography) • [3](https://blackpast.org/african-american-history/rockwell-1964/) In a 1984 Billboard interview he explained the reasoning: "I never wanted anyone to know that Berry Gordy was my father. I knew that once it was known, rumors would spread that he was responsible for any success I had." He said he had approached the company as an unknown seeking a writer's contract and had asked that his identity be kept secret, adding that his father did not deal with everyday signings.[8](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/80s/1984/BB-1984-04-07.pdf) He later told the British magazine *Record* that the name Rockwell went back to his high school days.[9](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record/1984/Record-1984-06.pdf) Motown's initial publicity downplayed the relationship, issuing a brief biography that stressed only his privacy.[6](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/80s/1984/BB-1984-02-25.pdf)
## "Somebody's Watching Me"
In 1982, at 18, Gordy played a demo for his father, who was not enthusiastic; he kept working on the song and brought in his childhood friend [Michael Jackson](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-jackson), performing it for him and asking him to sing on it. [Jermaine Jackson](https://www.edgepedia.org/jermaine-jackson), who is married to Gordy's sister Hazel, agreed to sing background vocals.[10](https://americansongwriter.com/how-rockwells-somebodys-watching-me-came-together-like-a-dream-not-a-nightmare/) Michael Jackson, then at the height of the *Thriller* era, sang the chorus and hook of the finished record, with Jermaine adding further backing vocals; the song was produced by Curtis Anthony Nolen.[4](https://www.thriller40.com/music/somebodys-watching-me/) Because Jackson was under contract to CBS/Epic while the single was issued by Motown, his contribution went uncredited on the record.[11](https://www.emjey.com/media/kunena/attachments/2219/fortherecord.pdf)
Released in late 1983, the single spent 19 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number two behind [Kenny Loggins](https://www.edgepedia.org/kenny-loggins)' "Footloose," and sold 500,000 copies.[12](https://au.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/lenny-kravitz-somebodys-watching-me-17954/) • [10](https://americansongwriter.com/how-rockwells-somebodys-watching-me-came-together-like-a-dream-not-a-nightmare/) It topped the R&B chart for five weeks.[13](https://www.allmusic.com/song/somebodys-watching-me-mt0061674567) Both the single and the album were certified gold, and GRAMMY.com called it the year's biggest paranoid-themed hit.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/rockwell-mn0000291235/biography) • [2](https://www.grammy.com/news/is-rockwell-still-this-paranoid/) Before Gordy decided to sing it himself, he had offered the song to [Lenny Kravitz](https://www.edgepedia.org/lenny-kravitz), a school friend, who turned it down because he felt the song suited Gordy's own personality.[12](https://au.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/lenny-kravitz-somebodys-watching-me-17954/)
The album *Somebody's Watching Me* followed on January 30, 1984, containing eight tracks including the title song, "Obscene Phone Caller," and a cover of "Taxman." On the US album chart it peaked at number 15 and spent 14 weeks in the top 50.[5](https://www.musicchartsarchive.com/albums/rockwell/somebodys-watching-me)
## Later career
"Somebody's Watching Me" proved to be the peak of Rockwell's success. The follow-up single, "Obscene Phone Caller," stalled at number 35 on the Hot 100, his last charting record.[2](https://www.grammy.com/news/is-rockwell-still-this-paranoid/) Neither *Captured* (1985) nor *The Genie* (1986) fared well commercially; *Captured* reached only number 120 on the [Billboard](https://www.edgepedia.org/billboard-magazine) album chart, and Rockwell subsequently left the industry.[3](https://blackpast.org/african-american-history/rockwell-1964/) • [1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/rockwell-mn0000291235/biography) BlackPast lists a further album, *Peeping Tom* (1986), in his discography.[3](https://blackpast.org/african-american-history/rockwell-1964/)
The title song has had a long afterlife independent of its singer: it has become a recurring [Halloween](https://www.edgepedia.org/halloween) favorite year after year.[10](https://americansongwriter.com/how-rockwells-somebodys-watching-me-came-together-like-a-dream-not-a-nightmare/) • [4](https://www.thriller40.com/music/somebodys-watching-me/)
## References
1. [Rockwell Biography, AllMusic (Steve Huey)](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/rockwell-mn0000291235/biography)
2. [Is Rockwell Still This Paranoid?, GRAMMY.com (Tim McPhate, 2014)](https://www.grammy.com/news/is-rockwell-still-this-paranoid/)
3. [Rockwell (1964– ), BlackPast.org (Otis Alexander, 2021)](https://blackpast.org/african-american-history/rockwell-1964/)
4. [Somebody's Watching Me, Thriller 40 (Michael Jackson World Network)](https://www.thriller40.com/music/somebodys-watching-me/)
5. [Somebody's Watching Me album page, Music Charts Archive](https://www.musicchartsarchive.com/albums/rockwell/somebodys-watching-me)
6. [Berry Gordy's Son Rocks Under Rockwell Name, Billboard Talent & Venues, February 25, 1984](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/80s/1984/BB-1984-02-25.pdf)
7. [Ask Billboard: Michael Jackson, Billboard Chart Beat](https://ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/ttabvue-91212921-OPP-8.pdf)
8. [Rockwell: 'I'm My Own Person', Billboard Black LPs, April 7, 1984 (Charles Rodgers)](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/80s/1984/BB-1984-04-07.pdf)
9. [Against the Wind, Record magazine, June 1984](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record/1984/Record-1984-06.pdf)
10. [How Rockwell's "Somebody's Watching Me" Came Together Like a Dream, Not a Nightmare, American Songwriter (Bryan Reesman, 2024)](https://americansongwriter.com/how-rockwells-somebodys-watching-me-came-together-like-a-dream-not-a-nightmare/)
11. [MJ For The Record: Somebody's Watching Me](https://www.emjey.com/media/kunena/attachments/2219/fortherecord.pdf)
12. [Lenny Kravitz Was Almost the 'Somebody's Watching Me' Singer, Rolling Stone Australia](https://au.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/lenny-kravitz-somebodys-watching-me-17954/)
13. [Somebody's Watching Me song review, AllMusic (Andrew Hamilton)](https://www.allmusic.com/song/somebodys-watching-me-mt0061674567)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Pop and R&B singer-songwriters › R&B and soul, 1970s and 1980s › Quiet storm and pop R&B*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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