 As a songwriter, he co-wrote several songs for early Motown artists including "You're What's Happening (In the World Today)," the B-Side to "I Heard it Through the Grapevine, Motown's biggest single up until that time.As an actor, Robert Gordy also played the character "Hawk" in the 1972 film, "Lady Sings the Blues".By 1974, Jobete had a catalog of over 7,000 songs, with Robert Gordy stating that his aim for the company was to have a "well-rounded stable" of songs, including country and western as well as its established repertoire.