Short answers, pulled from the story.
Ewart Abner was an American record company executive who served as President of Motown Records from 1973 to 1975. In that role he helped manage the careers of the Supremes, the Temptations, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, the Four Tops, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and the Jackson Five. He had previously joined Motown in 1967 as vice-president of International Management.
Yes. Vee-Jay Records, where Abner was president, signed the Beatles for American distribution in January 1963 after Capitol Records had turned down their first releases. Vee-Jay released a handful of singles and an album called "Introducing the Beatles," and all of that material was later reissued by Capitol.
In 1973, Motown reached number one with five singles: "Superstition" and "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" by Stevie Wonder, "Touch Me in the Morning" by Diana Ross, "Let's Get It On" by Marvin Gaye, and "Keep on Truckin'" by Eddie Kendricks.
After leaving Motown, Abner served as personal and business manager for Stevie Wonder for a decade and played a major part in the efforts to establish a Martin Luther King Jr. national holiday. He received the NAACP Image Award in recognition of his contributions.
Abner founded Constellation Records in August 1963 alongside partners Art Sheridan and Bill "Bunky" Sheppard. The label's most notable success came through Gene Chandler.
Abner was born in Chicago and graduated from Englewood High School in 1939. He studied pharmacy at Howard University but did not finish, served in the military, and then earned an accounting degree from DePaul University in 1949.